The Town Green at Port Macquarie

The Town Green in Port Macquarie was a brilliant venue for the launch of the Greens Cowper campaign.

Michael Bell's photographic exhibition records local treasures

Michael Bell, local photographic artist (now deceased) recorded the beauty of our local area. His stunning exhibition showed at the Ships of the Way Gallery, Hyde St, Bellingen.  Michael was passionately concerned about protecting our biosphere from the ravages of climate change.

Let's hope the treasures Michael photographed will still be around for our grandchildren to see.

Coffs Harbour: Sustainable Living Festival

These scarecrows were a real hit at the Coffs Coast Sustainable Living Festival. The festival was held in the beautiful Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens.

Valla

The Valla Beach Community Association (VBCA) hold a market festival on the first Saturday of every even month (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, and Dec), focusing on home made and home grown local produce - food, arts, crafts and fantastic musical talent. It runs from 8am to 2pm at the Valla Reserve (also known as “Lion’s Park”), at Valla Beach, a serene and peaceful seaside village.
The market dates for the rest of this year are:

• August 3
• October 5
• December 7

The location is next to the footbridge across Deep Creek, at the end of Ocean View Drive, and just a kilometre or two from the Pacific Highway. Head towards the Valla Beach Tourist Park and turn left just before the entry - just follow the Market signs!

Rural Amateur Drama Groups

Amateur drama groups are a feature in many small country towns. They are vital part of our community.

Click to enlarge.

Phantasmal by Mark Lucas Directed by Christian Diez
A play with A little spirit
Sam, Jarrod and Taylor are spending the night in a supermarket in a bid to be cool but things get decidedly cooler when an unwanted guest makes an ethereal appearance. Why is Annabelle walking around with her foot in a bucket?
Playwright’s Note
Phantasmal was a first for me as I had never written theatre for youth before. In it I attempted to capture the same vitality that was existent in Verve while toning down the style of dialogue to suit a younger cast. I was looking to produce something that didn’t necessarily involve the doom and gloom so prevalent in works generally produced for this age group.
— Mark Lucas 

Decline & Hall by Roger Gimblett Directed by Irina Dunn
When a community is presented with a problem, in this case the continuing viability of an historic community hall, passions are unleashed, opinions differ, friendships are threatened and secrets are exposed! Finally, reconciliations occur and common interest wins the day... albeit in a slightly illegal manner!
Whilst the characters are somewhat outrageous, the play is in many ways a tribute to the tireless efforts of volunteers who overcome insurmountable odds, (often including the other volunteers!) to do some good for the community. 

Golf, Marriage and other Murderous Matters by Debra Chalmers
Directed by Elizabeth Kent
Ordinary people in extraordinary situations — watch them lie, cheat and claw their way out. How can that not be fun?
John and Jenny suffer from the usual stress of modern life. But one Friday night Jenny
is pushed just that little too far. She soon discovers that murder might be relatively easy, disposing of the body may be challenging but... explaining to friends... is almost impossible!

At the show

Farm machinery exhibit at Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Most country towns have a local show, organised and staffed by hardworking show committees. These events showcase the community's produce, talent and community spirit.

The BeginningAccording to Pioneering in the Bellinger Valley the Bellinger River Agricultural Association was formed 1880 and presented the first Bellingen Show at Fernmount in 1881.
On the ninth day of May 1985 the association became an incorporated public company and the Bellinger River Agricultural Society Limited was born. The 100th Show was held in 1988 and the Society is still presenting this historic event today. From: http://www.bellingenshow.com.au/about.html

Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Dance float, Bellingen

A parade of floats is always popular. These are put together by community organisations or by local business.

Dragon boat float, Bellingen

Alice in Wonderland float, Bellingen

Spectators, Bellingen

Float, Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Spectators, Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Bellinger River Agricultural Show

Bellingen Markets

The Bellingen Community Markets is one of Australia's largest and most diverse regional markets.

Our vibrant marketplace is home to a fantastic range of handmade arts and crafts, local food and fresh produce, massage and alternative therapies with live entertainment for all the family. Our wonderful markets are held every 3rd Saturday of the month in the wonderful town of Bellingen, NSW. Come and indulge in the spectacle and stay for the weekend if not the week!! We look forward to seeing you here.

Market stall

Camel Rides

Pushing the car

Recycled tyre swing

One of the most successful markets on the mid north coast, Bellingen Markets attract a good number of stall holders and visitors to Bellingen.

It is a great place to meet friends and make friends. As you can see it is child friendly. Dogs are banned.