Wilcannia cost of living: fuel, prices, jobs and rentals

Alerts

In an emergency call 000.

Fire danger today

🟢 MODERATE Plan and prepare.

No Total Fire Ban today. Gas, electric, wood and charcoal BBQs are fine with care: keep an adult on it, water handy and nothing that burns nearby. Burning off or a fire in the open? Check if you need a permit.

Tomorrow: 🟢 MODERATE

Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire Danger Ratings (Lower Central West Plains). Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 4:28 pm.

Fires within 100 km

No fires listed within 100 km.

Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fires Near Me. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 4:28 pm.

Weather warnings

• 25/16:05 EDT Marine Wind Warning Summary for New South Wales

Source: Bureau of Meteorology, NSW warnings. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 4:28 pm.

Roads now

Nothing listed on the roads within 40 km right now.

Source: Live Traffic NSW (Transport for NSW, open data)

One app instead of 40+

Your page right now: 37 apps and sites you no longer need to check.

No more checking 37 apps and websites every morning: that’s about 37 min back every day, or 4 hr 19 min a week (at about a minute an app). Everything below is on your page or one tap away.

= 1 Daily Maverick, your way

See which feature replaces which app

Scam watch

Buying from a business you don't know? Check the NSW Fair Trading Complaints Register first: it lists businesses with 10 or more complaints in a month.

Scam watch: report a scam, the tips banks agree on, product recalls →

What's on

Specials, members nights, trivia, live music, markets and events around Port, in one place.

Read from each venue's own website twice a day. Specials can change, so check with the venue before you go. Know a venue we're missing? Tell us.

What’s on in Wilcannia

Nothing listed in 2836 yet. Know something on? Add it free.

+ Add an event (free)

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Just for curiosity

Trending baby names

NSWAustraliaWorldBy decadeYour nameIdeas with Mav

Top 10 across NSW, 2025

Girls

1. CHARLOTTE =
2. AMELIA =
3. OLIVIA =
4. ISLA ▲1
5. MIA ▼1
6. SOPHIA ▲3
7. CHLOE ▼1
8. HAZEL =
9. LILY ▲2
10. SIENNA ▲3

Biggest climber: LAINEY, up 41 to #56

Highest new entry: AMIRA at #79

Boys

1. NOAH =
2. OLIVER =
3. THEODORE =
4. LUCA =
5. LEO ▲1
6. HENRY ▼1
7. ELIJAH ▲3
8. LEVI ▲5
8. HUDSON ▼1
10. JACK ▲4

Biggest climber: ELIAS, up 52 to #35

Highest new entry: MATEO at #65

Source: the latest full-year list from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Arrows show the move since 2024. NSW doesn't publish names by town. Checked Sun, 25 Oct, 3:22 pm.

See all Births, Deaths and Marriages →

Handy tools

Gen Alpha interpreter What did your kid just say? Jimmy Joel translates →

Dog friendly

Off-leash beaches, dog parks and places happy to see your dog. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.

Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.

LGBTQ+ friendly

Local places that welcome everyone. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.

Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.

Fuel prices in Port Macquarie

Source: NSW FuelCheck

Grocery watch

Today in numbers

Facts from the sources named, side by side. No opinions: make up your own mind.

Big tech watch

Life and death

AI for good, AI for bad

A recent AI story of each kind from the news, so you see both sides.

Headlines from The Guardian and Google News, sorted into good and bad by AI, so check the full story. See every story we've logged.

Learn how AI can help in your everyday life, from your local experts at Maverick Digital →

Grog watch

Beer, wine, spirits, cider: the price at local bottle shops, posted by the shops themselves. Search for anything, or filter by type. Local only, so your money stays in town.

Cheapest In between Dearest

Source: prices posted by local shops, with the date they posted. Shown for 30 days. We don't check the big chains: local only. Please drink responsibly.

Banks and the RBA

Home loan rates at the big four, and how quickly each passed on the Reserve Bank's (RBA) rate changes. Numbers only.

Cash rate: 4.60% since 29 Sept 2026

How fast they passed on RBA changes

Days from the RBA's decision to the date the bank's new variable rate took effect, for the 7 RBA moves since February 2025.

Wilcannia tide times & fishing

Loading…

Tide times are modelled estimates. Not for navigation; check the Bureau of Meteorology before boating.

What's biting in October

• Snapper peak
• Pearl perch
• Tailor, whiting & flathead

Seasons: Source: NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development GoFishing guide (Coffs Coast) and Coffs Coast tourism.

Where to fish within 20 km

• Southern Breakwall, Hastings River Breakwall
  Known for: luderick, bream, tailor, mulloway
  Directions
• Settlement Point Estuary
  Known for: whiting, bream, flathead
  Directions
• Limeburners Creek Estuary
  Known for: bream, luderick, flathead, blue swimmer crabs
  Boats: speed and wash limits near oyster leases
  Directions
• Camden Haven River (lower estuary) Estuary
  Known for: bream, flathead, luderick
  Directions
• Lake Cathie Lake
  Known for: prawns, bream, luderick, flathead, mullet, garfish
  Directions
• Town Beach to Lighthouse Beach Beach
  Known for: tailor, whiting, mulloway
  Directions
• Queens Head Rocks
  Known for: drummer, luderick
  Rock fishing: watch the swell
  Directions
• Perpendicular Point Rocks
  Known for: longtail tuna, kingfish, tailor, mulloway, mackerel tuna
  High ledges over deep water
  Directions
• Hastings River (upper reaches) River
  Known for: Aussie bass
  Bass and estuary perch: catch and release only, May to August
  Directions

No listed shore spots within 20 km of you.

Know your 2836

The handy stuff, all in one place. Every item is sourced and shown as the source has it. We don’t edit it. We tell you where it’s from and how well the owner keeps it up to date.

Port Macquarie-Hastings in numbers

Figures for the whole Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area, from the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics): population is the ABS estimate for 30 June 2025. Shown as the ABS publishes them.

Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

Renting

Looking for a place in Port Macquarie? Every rental site, already searched for you.

• Rentals in Port Macquarie on realestate.com.au: Australia's biggest property site.
• Rentals in Port Macquarie on Domain: The other big one.
• Rentals in Port Macquarie on Rent.com.au: Rentals only, with a free renter résumé to send agents.
• Rentals in Port Macquarie on Homely: Rentals plus honest local reviews of each street.

Every rental site, your rights and bond help →

Jobs

Looking for work in Port Macquarie? Every job site, already searched for you.

• Jobs in Port Macquarie on SEEK: Australia's biggest job site.
• Jobs in Port Macquarie on Indeed: Pulls jobs from employers' own websites too.
• Jobs in Port Macquarie on Jora: Searches lots of job sites at once.
• Jobs in Port Macquarie on LinkedIn: Professional and office roles.

Every job site, plus council, harvest and local employers →

Local radio

Community radio from around the shire, run by locals, mostly volunteers. Tune in or listen live online.

• ☆2WAY FM 103.9 FM, Wauchope, for Port Macquarie-Hastings. Listen live
• ☆Rhema FM 99.9 FM, Port Macquarie, Christian community radio. Listen live

Tap ☆ to make a station yours: it sits at the top of your page, one tap to listen.

Source: Community Broadcasting Association of Australia list of community stations and each station's own website. Missed a local station? Tell us.

Port Macquarie Council watch

Keeping an eye on Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, with every item linked to its source.

Meeting dates are on the council's meetings page.

Is council doing what it said?

Every three months Port Macquarie-Hastings Council reports on its own plan. We'll show its latest report here, in its own words. For now: council's progress reports.

Have your say or make a complaint

• Report a problem or make a request: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on 02 6581 8111 or their website.
• Not happy with how council handled it? NSW Ombudsman.
• Concerns about a councillor's conduct: Office of Local Government.
• Suspect corruption: NSW ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption).
• Have your say at a meeting: ask the council about speaking at public forum before the next meeting.

🏅 Mini Maverick Award

Maverick Digital encourages digital safety for kids. Every Kid Zone game is designed to help with that: a safe place where kids can play and mums and dads can feel safe.

Each month, the top three kids on the Kid Zone leaderboards win the Mini Maverick Award, for proving they’re little mini Mavericks:

• 🥇 $25 first place
• 🥈 $15 second place
• 🥉 $10 third place

📍 Spent at a local Port Macquarie business. No multinationals, no chains, no fast food.

Only a winner’s first name is ever shown, with their parent or carer’s OK.

Play in Kid Zone → · Local businesses: be a place winners spend it

🌳 Get outside this weekend

Things for kids and families to do outdoors, free or under $50 a kid. This weekend: Sat, 24 Oct and Sun, 25 Oct.

No kids' events listed for this weekend yet. Running one? Add it free and tick "Good for kids".

Always-good local favourites

• Town Beach breakwall Free
  Walk the breakwall where the Hastings River meets the sea.
• Port Macquarie Coastal Walk Free
  9 km from Town Beach to Tacking Point Lighthouse.
• Koala Hospital Check tickets
  Australia's first dedicated koala hospital, 154 Lord Street. Open daily 8:30am to 4pm.
• Tacking Point Lighthouse Free
  Built in 1879 and a popular whale-watching spot.

Outdoor and affordable, picked by locals. Check times and prices before you go · Suggest one

Trails, World Heritage and only here

The big outdoor reasons to live in, or visit, Port Macquarie and the shire.

National parks and visitor info

Park alerts and closures around Macksville, straight from NSW National Parks, plus the official places to plan a visit. We source it, we don’t write it.

Park alerts now

• Oxley Wild Rivers National Park Part closed
  Planned Road Maintenance Works - Mooraback Road, Racecourse Trail, Fenwicks Road/Cobcroft Road · Safety alerts
  Changed Road Conditions due to road Maintenance works are in place in Werrikimbe National Parks and Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Affected Roads and trails are: Mooraback Road Racecourse Trail Fenwicks Road/Cobcroft R
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 20 Oct
• Cathedral Rock National Park Part closed
  Barokee Campground Closed Due to Maintenance · Closed areas
  Barokee Campground will be closed from 10am Monday 13 April to 10am Wednesday 30 June 2027 for maintenance. The Day Use Area and Walking tracks remain publicly accessible. Penalties apply for non-comp
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 15 Oct
• Oxley Wild Rivers National Park Part closed
  Fire ban - Riverside, Youdales & Green Gully track · Safety alerts
  A park fire ban is in place in for the following areas and remains in effect unless otherwise extended or removed. Riverside campground  Youdales campground  Green Gully track During park fire ban periods, all
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 24 Sept
• Oxley Wild Rivers National Park Part closed
  Dangars Gorge closed for precinct upgrade · Closed areas
  The Dangars Gorge precinct in Oxley Wild Rivers NP is strictly closed while visitor facilities are being upgraded. The areas that will be closed include: Dangars Gorge Campground Dangars Falls Picnic Area Dangars Falls l
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 21 Sept
• New England National Park Part closed
  New England National Park walking track closures · Closed areas
  The following areas are closed for public safety, to allow NPWS to assess and manage rockfall hazards. Eagles Nest walking track All access to Weeping Rock For further information please contact the NPWS Coffs Coast area
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 17 Aug
• New England National Park Part closed
  West End Trail - New England NP - Closed · Closed areas
  West End Trail in New England National Park is permanently closed due to multiple bridges out.
  Source: NSW National Parks · reviewed 25 July

Source: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, alerts. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 4:52 pm.

Visitors to regional NSW

64.7 million visitors, 102.9 million nights and $27.7 billion spent across regional NSW in the year ending June 2026, including 685,800 international visitors.

Source: Destination NSW, Regional NSW statistics. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 12:00 am.

Plan a visit

• Nambucca Valley Council: visitor information
• NSW National Parks: every alert and closure
• Transport for NSW: trains and coaches to the regions
• VisitNSW: the official NSW travel site

Sport & field closures

Holidays

Next NSW public holidays

• Fri, 25 Dec: Christmas Day in 61 days
• Mon, 28 Dec: Boxing Day in 64 days
• Fri, 1 Jan: New Year's Day in 68 days
• Tue, 26 Jan: Australia Day in 93 days

Source: Nager.Date public holidays. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 3:22 pm.

In the sky, next 14 days

Asteroids passing by

• Sat, 31 Oct: 2025 UK9, about the size of a car (roughly 3 to 6 m), passes closer than the Moon (314,648 km away) at 7.8 km a second in 6 days
• Tue, 3 Nov: 524522, bigger than three footy fields (roughly 207 to 463 m), passes 15.7 times as far away as the Moon at 8.7 km a second in 9 days
• Tue, 27 Oct: 2026 TB94, about the size of a bus (roughly 19 to 44 m), passes 5.1 times as far away as the Moon at 11.6 km a second in 2 days
• Sun, 25 Oct: 2026 UE, about the size of a bus (roughly 18 to 41 m), passes 5.2 times as far away as the Moon at 15.9 km a second today

Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 3:22 pm. None of these will hit Earth. Most are too faint to see without a big telescope

Next school holidays

• Summer school holidays: Fri, 18 Dec to Wed, 27 Jan in 54 days
• Autumn school holidays: Mon, 12 Apr to Fri, 23 Apr in 169 days

Public schools in the Central Darling area. Source: NSW Department of Education · Private schools may differ

🧩 Crossword

Today’s Nambucca Valley crossword in three levels: 🟢 Easy, 🟡 Medium and 🔴 Hard. Sign in free to keep your streak and best times. Play today’s →

✨ Horoscopes

Your stars for Sunday 25 October. Full moon tonight-ish: big feelings, big fun. This is the Year of the Fire Horse 🐎.

♈ Aries (21 Mar–19 Apr)♉ Taurus (20 Apr–20 May)♊ Gemini (21 May–20 Jun)♋ Cancer (21 Jun–22 Jul)♌ Leo (23 Jul–22 Aug)♍ Virgo (23 Aug–22 Sep)♎ Libra (23 Sep–22 Oct)♏ Scorpio (23 Oct–21 Nov)♐ Sagittarius (22 Nov–21 Dec)♑ Capricorn (22 Dec–19 Jan)♒ Aquarius (20 Jan–18 Feb)♓ Pisces (19 Feb–20 Mar)

🎂 Add your birthday and we'll set your Western and Vedic signs: Day12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec Save

Wilcannia beaches, surf & surf cams

Surf cams

Coastalwatch charges for its live surf cam feed, so we can’t show it here. Nobody pays to be on this site, and we don’t pay to show other people’s paid content either. Have a look on their site: Coastalwatch.

Swim between the red and yellow flags. Patrol times and beach-by-beach info: Beachsafe.

Source: Open-Meteo (modelled, updated hourly). Not for navigation. Which swell and wind suit each beach: surf-forecast.com break guides; patrols from council.