"Bypassed, but not forgotten" Taree by iandsmith

Located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, about 3 hours north of Sydney, less than 2 hours north of Newcastle and 1 hour south of Port Macquarie, the Local Government Area of Greater Taree encompasses an area of 3,752 sq km and a population of approximately 45,000 residents.
Those are the bare facts.
Taree is a commercial town. Ever since I've been going there it has been a shopping mecca for the district. It also has a broad range of entertainment and sporting facilities.
Plenty of accommodation, spawned from the days when the highway used to go through the middle of town, have survived due the vibrancy of its trading.
It started off as an agricultural centre then the cedar cutters moved in and it's never looked back.
This picture was taken from the bridge over the Manning, titled Martin Bridge, which was opened in 1940. From the Newcastle Herald at the time: 'This is the story of men who have to yawn or blow through their noses for 17 minutes before they begin their daily work; who have to wave their heads and legs and arms about and exercise all their joints for 38 minutes before they finish.' The article went on to explain that the men who built the bridge had to work in air where the pressure was 35 pounds to the square inch and that the cylinders which formed the legs of the bridge were sunk to a depth of 70 feet.

• Pros:Nice river, plenty to do
• Cons:No single big drawcard
• In a nutshell:A worthwhile stop heading north, and, if you stay, there's things to do