The Valley has been home for the Dunghutti First Nations people for at least 6,000 years prior to European settlement in 1836. Harvesting red cedar trees for its valuable timber followed by dairying were the main industries in the early years after the Europeans arrived. Today the main agricultural enterprise is beef cattle, with Akubra (the famous Australian hat manufacturer), and the dairy processor, Nestlé, being the two major companies operating in the area. Slim Dusty, an Australian icon in the country music scene, was born and raised in the Macleay Valley and now Kempsey has a museum dedicated to his life and achievements. While Kempsey is a rural town, the regional city of Port Macquarie located in the adjacent Hastings Valley is only 50 km (31 miles) to the south, and has all the services, entertainment, and shops required to provide for a comfortable lifestyle.
Kempsey Shire has a population of 30,800 with approximately half living in the town of Kempsey. The climate on the Mid North Coast is classified as sub tropical with a summer dominant rainfall and is recognised as one of the best climates in Australia. Typical Kempsey daily temperatures are 6 to 18 degrees Celsius (43 to 64 oF) in winter and 18 to 29 degrees Celsius (64 to 84 oF) in summer. Rainfall in Kempsey averages 1220 mm (48 inches) annually with the driest months of the year being August and September. The mild temperatures coupled with sea temperatures ranging between 19 and 25 degrees Celsius (66 to 77 oF) over the year allow beach swimming and surfing to be popular activities for at least eight months of the year.
There are several options for getting to Kempsey. By road it is 450km (280 miles) north of Sydney along the Pacific Highway which takes about 5 hours. By train it is a 7 hour journey from Sydney. By plane it is a one hour flight into Port Macquarie, a 45 minute drive to our south. Alternatively Kempsey can be reached from Brisbane with similar road, train and plane times.
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