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Voykit pocket guide · Australia
Long Flat
Skip as a base: Long Flat is a 30-minute fuel-and-coffee stop on the Oxley Highway between Wauchope and Walcha, not a place to sleep.
Long Flat is a village of about 120 people on the Oxley Highway, the only sealed-road stop between Wauchope and Walcha. There is no hotel strip, no beach and no reason to plan a night here: drivers use it for fuel, a break and the river park at Ellenborough, then push on to Port Macquarie or the tablelands.
- Country
- Australia
- Best months
- Sep–Nov, Mar–May
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (heat and holiday traffic), winter fog on the range
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- AUD
- Money
- Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget A$80–130 excl. bed · Mid A$130–220 excl. bed · High A$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From mobiles 112 · NSW SES 132 500
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
- Tipping
- Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | A$4.50–6 |
| Bakery pie or sandwich | A$6–12 |
| Pub counter meal | A$22–35 |
| Unleaded fuel, per litre | A$1.80–2.10 |
| Motel double, Port Macquarie | A$120–320 |
| eSIM, about a week | A$15–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PQQ · Port Macquarie Airport
- About 50 km (31 mi) east; the nearest scheduled airport, with flights from SydneyAbout 31 mi (50 km) east; the nearest scheduled airport, with flights from Sydney
- SYD · Sydney Airport
- About 4 h 30 min by car via the M1 and Oxley Highway
Typical fares
- Fuel, Wauchope to Long Flat and back
- about A$10–15 (check)
- Coach, Port Macquarie to Long Flat
- about 50 min, two services a week (check)
- Motel double, Port Macquarie
- A$120–320 a night
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. The B56 Oxley Highway is the only sealed road in and out. A coach runs between Port Macquarie and Tamworth with two services each way per week, but it will not get you to the river park or anywhere off the highway.
See and do
Known for
- Oxley Highway stopover between Wauchope and Walcha
- Hastings and Ellenborough river country
- Ellenborough Park picnic stop
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Port Macquarie | Oxley Highway east, 48 km (30 mi)Oxley Highway east, 30 mi (48 km) | About 45 min |
| Wauchope | Oxley Highway east, 30 km (19 mi)Oxley Highway east, 19 mi (30 km) | About 30 min |
| Seal Rocks | Drive east to the coast, then south via the Lakes Way | About 2 h |
| Bellingen | Drive north via the Pacific Highway | About 2 h 30 min |
| Gloucester | Drive west and north through the tablelands | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Long Flat village
- No motel or hotel of note; do not plan to sleep here. Check locally before relying on any accommodation.
- Port Macquarie
- The practical base: 48 km (30 mi) east, full range of motels and apartments.The practical base: 30 mi (48 km) east, full range of motels and apartments.
- Wauchope
- 30 km (19 mi) east; small-town motels and the last services before the climb.19 mi (30 km) east; small-town motels and the last services before the climb.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the nearest fuel? | Where's the nearest servo? |
| Is this the road to Walcha? | Does this go to Walcha? |
| Thanks, mate | Thanks, mate |
| Can I pay by card? | Card OK? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
- Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
- Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
- Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
- Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
- Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
- Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos
Scams and watch-outs
- Fuel is limited: fill up at Wauchope or Walcha, not here.
- The Oxley Highway has tight bends and logging trucks west of the village; allow more time than the map suggests.
- Mobile coverage is patchy in the valleys; download offline maps before you leave the coast.
- Kangaroos and wombats on the road at dawn and dusk.
Low crime, high road risk. The real hazards are wildlife on the highway at dawn and dusk, wet bends on the range and summer bushfire weather: check the NSW RFS app and road closures before you drive west.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Long Flat yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Oxley Highway stopover between Wauchope and Walcha
- Hastings and Ellenborough river country
- Ellenborough Park picnic stop
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- NSW National Parks — Cottan-Bimbang: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/cottan-bimbang-national-park
- Transport for NSW — regional coach services: transportnsw.info/regional
- Port Macquarie Hastings Council: www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au/
- Wikivoyage: Long Flat, revision 5068733 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5068733
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Long Flat
To this address, thanks
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates here. Nearest consular help is in Sydney; the US and UK have consulates-general there.
Fuel, food and phone signal are all limited: sort them out in Wauchope or Walcha.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/long-flat). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.