The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week and serves the finestCampos coffee roast all day. The restaurant is licensed with a quality wine list reflecting the best drops from the best regions. The corner is passionate about fresh food, great service and ensuring visitors to the mid north coast region have an exceptional experience. A private dining room is also available for small functions and intimate dinners. The corner restaurant is located close to the CBD in Port Macquarie underneath Macquarie Waters Boutique Apartment Hotel.

Awards:

• Silver – Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services, 2009 NSW Tourism Awards
• Best Restaurant, 2009 Mid North Coast Tourism Awards
• Winner Restaurant Category, 2009 Port Macquarie Business Awards

Breakfast 7-11am
Lunch 12-2.30pm
Dinner 6pm – late

Corner of Clarence & Munster St’s, Port Macquarie
02 6583 3300
Click here to visit the website

The Corner Gallery

What originally brought you to Port Macquarie?

I am a return resident. My partner and I decided on settling in Port Macquarie in the late ‘80s. My parents had retired to Port Macquarie from a rural property in Central Western NSW in the late ‘60s, and my main school years were spent in Port Macquarie. After my postgraduate studies I had spent several years in Sydney and with a network of exhibition contacts in place, it no longer seemed essential for me to remain in the city. Port Macquarie was small enough then to have appeal, close enough to Sydney to maintain my practice, and the return enabled me to spend time with my family.

What influenced you to develop an interest in art?

There wasn’t really a time when I decided that I would go and pick it off a shelf labelled a career or hobby. It is a part of me from as far back as I can remember and fortunately due to the freedom of my upbringing, I had many hours outside on the farm, in the garden or roaming my front yard, our coastline. Much of this time was immersed in my own imagination: collecting, drawing, making things, just being in an outdoor environment.

Sometimes I have considered if it, ‘art’, was something separate like a backpack that you could remove, life would be easier and far less complicated. It is my way of seeing the world, thinking about it and finding a place within it.

How has your talent steered your artistic career?

To be blatantly honest, talent doesn’t necessarily steer an art career! Any serious artist I know, or even the famous ones embedded in the archives of history, would agree that that is left to trends and opportunity!

After completing the HSC, I went onto 4 years of formal art studies in Newcastle, took the ritual art pilgrimage to the UK and Europe on graduation and followed that several years later with postgraduate study at Sydney College of the Arts.

From the beginning, I had strong support from my parents; Jim Matsinos, my art teacher at school; Dorothy Hope, the founder of Thrumster Village; and the printmaker, Joan Smith. I mention them because in the 1970s, artists in regional areas, particularly Port Macquarie, were very isolated, and these people understood my language and aspirations.

At art school I ended up majoring in Printmaking and Drawing and managed to develop a strong profile as a printmaker very early in my art practice, exhibiting and awarded prizes on a national and international level. It was through my printmaking that I received the residence opportunity in New York.

Which medium/media do you like to work with now, and what is it about them that attract you?

Painting has become a key focus of my practice since the late 1990s. The reason for the shift was as much about creative development – expecting more from a medium – as it was about eliminating the exposure where possible to solvents and oil based products. I was looking for more freedom in scale and as I was already using the printmaking medium as a painter would paint, the progression was natural.

I adopted water based choices for all my processes, both paint and print. Apart from the ease of cleanup, many artists will identify that we still need to function to some degree in the real world. Time to work often becomes fragmented, so the speed of drying time became a crucial element for my work. Using water based processes also aligned with my aesthetic towards the landscape … the connections between water and atmosphere, staining, soaking, sliding, immersion and the porosity of the canvas, the porosity of the sand and earth …

I’ve read passages about your work, which describes it as ‘abstract impressionism’. Would you say this is a fair description – and if not, why?

I am often wary of categorisation when it comes to describing art. Art in contemporary terms crosses many boundaries between mediums as well as professional disciplines. These days, we do not need to go far to see the hybrid practice between artist and engineer or scientist. Coming to the ‘abstract impressionism’: both are words which come with a huge amount of misinterpreted and popularised baggage.

While it may be beneficial to have an understanding of when or why particular styles developed historically, we all need to be aware that much history, particularly involving women artists, marginalised cultures and geographically isolated artists, has yet to be written or rewritten into history.

Abstract is a term with many meanings and tends to be seen as a removal from a concrete source, and Impressionism is unfortunately tied to the popular historical style of the Impressionists, which are still firmly set in observational ground. This can be misleading.

Viewers are likely to feel compelled to try and locate references in my paintings to give themselves clues to determine the meaning, rather than allow the viewing experience to be a mutual engagement between the painting and them. My paintings are not about squinting your eyes to try and make out an impression of a thing. Hopefully they are about synthesis and experience.

As an artist, what inspires you to create? 

Energy. It is connected to experience and immersion in place, but not from the visited experience, where you are a tourist or explorer travelling to a place, picking a view and packaging it.

Memories obviously play a role for everybody, not only artists, because we all bring to any experience our previous experiences. What truly moves me to create are the lives of others, sacrifice, commitment, that drive of the artist to leave a mark, an image that has the capacity to move or resonate within the viewer. If even a momentary thing, it has the capacity to be an experience shared.

Much of your work is done on a large scale. What’s the largest piece you’ve completed to date?

The scale thing is relative. For a domestic setting it could be considered large, but they can be quite dwarfed in museum settings. The largest work is still in progress, but will end up being around 7 metres. The scale is part of the concept of immersion which informs my work; not only is it quite a performative act making the work, but I aim for the viewer to be able to be drawn into the works with little peripheral distraction. Not all my work is large scale.

What are some of the challenges (if any) for you as an artist completing large works … and how long does it typically take for you to finish a piece?

The physical expenditure is in assembling and stretching the canvases, moving them around in and out of the studio. I accommodate the size by making the works in sections, and that way they can fit through my studio door and down the stairs. The length of time is probably irrelevant, because when does a painting really begin?

There is gestation time, the development of thought, followed by experience and action time, then reflection, ending in satisfaction or frustration. This can be measured in weeks or months and has little bearing on the success of the work.

One of the other challenges is that you know already before you even start a painting that they have a limited market, so you are not market driven but instead by your own creative journey and conceptual investigation. People in buying any large work need to have the courage and conviction for that work to become the experience in the hanging location, and these days the super size TV with the constant shifts in images and entertainment supersedes the wall once reserved for that large painting. Paintings can demand from you as a viewer, but they can provide a pause … a place for renewal.

A few years ago, a buyer of my work sent me a text message to say they had spent the week without the television and instead spent the time immersed in my paintings, which is a validation that painting can have purpose.

What are a few of the exhibitions you’ve been involved with over the years? 

I have been exhibiting professionally at a strong level for thirty years, but I would like to highlight that exhibitions serve different functions. It is not always market driven. Solo exhibitions, in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and major regional gallery shows as in Tamworth and Coffs Harbour have been essential venues to enable me to create work and measure it as bodies of work, rather than isolated works hanging on the wall. It enables the work to function within your thematic development and is crucial for your own progression.

Curated shows are interesting, as you have the opportunity to have your work interpreted in the context of others’ work and concepts, so you are able to better position where your own practice is heading. National competitive shows, such as the Dobell Drawing Prize, the JADA, The Glover Landscape Prize and The Fremantle Print Prize are reinforcement of the validity of your own work and its contribution to particular mediums or genres within Australian art practice. International shows in which I have participated, and especially Printmaking shows, have been about cultural exchange.

Where is the best place for people to view your work? 

I am represented through Catherine Asquith Gallery, Melbourne and BMG art in Adelaide. I will be showing again with Catherine in Melbourne in September and at Danks Street Galleries, Sydney, in August. Walcha Gallery of Art has an ongoing selection of work, and I will be having a major show with them in May.

On a more local note, The Regional Gallery at the Glasshouse is currently hosting an exhibition organised by Port Macquarie High School, showcasing previous students from the school who have chosen art as their career path, celebrating 50 years of the high school. As a previous student, I am participating in this exhibition.

On a local level, I have seen my role not so much as an artist, but an advocate for emerging artists in the visual arts through TAFE. In the past 12 years I have taught at Kempsey Campus, participating in the delivery of the Diploma in Fine Art programmes and other fine art courses.

As a teaching body of committed professional arts practitioners, we have been instrumental in opening up the value of art making for many individuals in a meaningful way within the region. It is rewarding to help people find their own creative voice and move way beyond their own expectations.

Thanks Wendy. 

Interview by Jo Atkins.

This story was published in issue 77 of Port Macquarie Focus 

Hi Ed. Please tell us a bit about youreself …

I’m an artist/musician. I grew up in Kempsey with my family. I love the area; we have some of the best surroundings. I find it relaxing; I enjoy being surrounded by nature – it’s inspiration for me. I won the Gosford Regional Gallery – Emerging 2009 and have had solo and group shows in Sydney, Gosford, Port Macquarie and locally since 2008.

What first attracted you to art? 

When I look back, I was always drawing or creating when I was kid. I had music and creativity all around me growing up – my parents gave me the freedom to express myself, and my love for art grew with age.

After I finished school, I worked in retail and hated it, so I would sit there and draw all day. A friend had seen my artwork while I was working and told me about the Fine Arts course at TAFE, so I left my job and started the course.

What art training/education have you received?

In 2008 I completed my Diploma of Fine Arts at Kempsey TAFE Campus, studying in drawing, painting, print making and sculpture.

What is/are your favourite medium/media to work with – and why? 

I enjoy working in mixed media on the same ground – acrylic and drawing through and on with multiple materials. Using mixed media allows me to experiment and play with spontaneity, pushing techniques in different directions.

I also get a kick out of using recycled grounds to work on, like cardboard, doors, scrap fabrics and pages from old books. The body of work Tiny Animals -1-48 in the Metropolis exhibition is an example of how I use recycled material. I find the textbook pages add another depth to the artwork.

If you had to put a label on your style, what would it be … and why would you describe your work this way?

It’s hard to put yourself into a style, movement or to say you’re contemporary when you’re inspired by a 70 year old art movement. I find it egotistical to add or to compare yourself to artists in history. I just call myself an expressive artist; I express myself with the stories I tell and the marks I make.

What was the inspiration behind your current exhibition, Metropolis, at the Glasshouse?

I find my inspiration from many sources: artists, art movements, music, early cinema, old photography and my surroundings.

But the main inspirations for Metropolis are the themes I choose to explore in my artwork, from human evolution, primitive culture, environmental destruction, history and human living conditions, with Metropolis mainly focusing on man’s need to flock together and live on top of each other.

Describe the Metropolis exhibition for us. How many and what type of pieces are involved? 

The exhibition consists of seven mixed media artworks on paper, cardboard and board. The Tiny Animals artwork contains 48 30 x 20 cm drawings/paintings to create a larger body. Each panel symbolises windows in a complex, leaving the viewer to become an unintentional voyeur. This imagery is used in other works in the exhibition.

What other projects are you working on at the moment? 

I’m currently working on a major sound art piece – a collage of sounds focusing on life. The goal is to record sound each day for a year; I’m a couple months in at the moment. When I work with sound it’s normally spontaneous, so just the thought of waiting a year to hear the finished artwork is surreal for me. It’s a dedication piece for sure.

Where do you hope to see your artwork taking you over the next few years? 

I hope that I can keep working with the freedom and time that I have been for the upcoming years; I would be happy with that. I also would like to get some of my sound and music projects off the ground and push them in some direction. Any exhibitions would be a bonus.

Thanks Ed.

Interview by Jo Atkins.

Metropolis is on display at the Glasshouse Regional Gallery from February 24 to April 24.

This story was published in issue 77 of Port Macquarie Focus

He has an expansive repertoire for global flare, inspired from his extensive travels fo Asia, India, Europe and South America and has had training and positions held alongside some of the most respected Chefs here in Australia and England. The result is Lindsey’s intune sense for flavour and detail thus giving Port Macquarie worldclass food on its doorstep.

open: Dinner only Tues-Sat from 6pm.
Dinner menu available for group bookings at lunch, Tues-Fri.

mains from: $26. BYO – corkage applies
6/124 Horton Street, Port Macquarie

02 6584 1171
www.fusion7.com.au

Fusion 7 Photo Gallery

The Stunned Mullet is a smart-casual Modern Australian Restaurant located in Port Macquarie NSW. Positioned across from iconic Town Beach, it epitomises the Australian coastal lifestyle. Casual, relaxed dining whilst taking in sweeping views- all the way out to Point Plomer in the north.

Whether you’re inclined to watching the sun set over the water sampling the finest fresh local produce and sipping a cocktail, or enjoying lunch in the sunshine with a glass of crisp, cold white wine, or local boutique beer; The Stunned Mullet is an ideal destination.

The Stunned Mullet is a flexible dining destination, both day and night. We serve up great Toby’s Estate Coffee on the mornings alongside a range of Brekkie options.

The lunch menu provides some light and quick options, but also more subtantial and special dishes for that long lunch with perhaps a glass or two…

Dinner is an opportunity to explore our fine culinary creations in a relaxed, yet polished atmosphere. Our daily seafood special “The Sea Dweller” changes regularily according to local availablity and the creativity of our chefs

24 William Street (Opp. Town Beach), Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6584 7757
www.thestunnedmullet.com.au

The Stunned Mullet Gallery

There is a choice of indoor or outdoor tables, so you can either be front row to see the chef in action, or outside in the fresh spring air and gas heating for that candlelight toned setting of the deck.

Their meals are simple yet stylish with great flavour combinations. To ensure premium quality, only the freshest ingredients are used. Our menus are designed to tantilise the tastebuds and can be modified to suit special needs.

The restaurant features a fresh and ambient setting to make for a special dining experience.

So it’s time to dine, and visit this budding café that seems to be the talk of the town. Grab your girlfriends, or your lover. Plan a champagne brekky, or drop in for a delicious snack or coffee.

Shop 17 Peachtree Walk Arcade, Hay St, Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6584 1120
Open: Monday – Friday 7am – 6pm, Saturday 7am – 2pm.
Evenings for private functions (minimum 8 people)
Sunday closed.
www.luxecafe.com.au

Owners Mark & Jackie Holt

Introducing Sunday afternoons at Scampis …

Located along William St, Scampis Seafood Bar and Grill offers an amazing view and relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a quiet drink or a mouthwatering meal with family and friends.

Bookings requested for dinner time, especially through summer and  holiday season.

Open: Lunch and Dinner 7 days. Breakfast Saturdays and Sundays.

6583 7200

40 William Street Port Macquarie
Scampis Seafood Bar & Grill Gallery

The Co. Cafe is open all day every day,

and with summer now upon us, why not pop into The Co. sit back, relax and enjoy the breeze, the view and of course, the wonderful menu that is on offer.

Chefs Kieran,Trent & Rory

With breakfast starting from as little as $8.50, lunch from $9.50 and dinner main meals ranging from $22 – $25, The Co. is an affordable place for the whole family.

Eat in or take away.

Cnr of Clarence and Murray St, 

Phone: 6584 9601

Open  6.30am to 10pm 7 days a week.

The Co. Café Gallery

Aqua Restaurant – love food, love Aqua! Relax with us and enjoy lunch or dinner in Aqua overlooking the beautiful Hastings River and Pelican Island.

Our new menu offers a variety of dishes, from light lunches to restaurant style dinners, including the 1824 Viking cutlet and honey soy duck maryland.
Looking for a venue for your Christmas party? We cater for groups of 10 – 30 with a 2-course meal from $32 per person, which includes all the Christmas trimmings. Make your booking today..

open lunch 11:00am to 2:30pm / dinner  5:00pm to 8:30pm

Aqua Restaurant – The Westport Club, Buller Street, Port Macquarie

6583 1499

Aqua Restaurant Photo Gallery

Come and dine in at Authentic Thai Orchid. Enjoy a different traditional grandma recipe special every weekend.

Mother’s Day is coming soon so what better way to spoil your mum than with a beautiful Thai meal and a complimentary wine on arrival for your mother. Tables will fill quickly so bookings are essential.Authentic Thai Orchid is a fully licensed restaurant with BYOB wine only with a corkage charge of $1.50.

•Enjoy a large dining area inside and out.

•Home delivery is also available. $6.00 Delivery Fee

•Take away window.

Shop 1A, Shores Retail Centre, 4 Bay St
Port Macquarie, 2444, NSW
(02) 6584 9049

Authentic Thai Orchid Photo Gallery

Port Piazza has always been a favourite for many locals and tourists alike since opening on the banks of the beautiful Hastings River.

Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday still has a full menu for $12. Where else can you find a Big Breakfast or Eggs Benedict including Tea or Coffee for just $12?

Planning a Function?

Our new function portfolio menu has mains from $20 per head Canapes & AntiPasto available for Cocktail Parties and Stand-up functions Selections of breads, canapes, antipasto, entrees, mains & desserts You can mix and match to suit your taste and budget & our ‘White Christmas’ theme will get you in the festive mood!

√Parking √ BYO √ Great Food √ Excellent prices √ By the water

open Weekdays from 10am. Breakfast Sat & Sun from 8am

Lunch 7 days. Dinner Mon – Sat from 5.30pm.

168 Settlement Point Rd, Port Macquarie

6584 2020

Port Piazza Photo Gallery

Have you discovered Relish by the River yet? Overlooking the beautiful Camden Haven river, it is the perfect setting for a delicious dining experience.

Fresh, local, seasonal produce keeps the menu at Relish fresh and exciting, and there is always something new to try! With friendly staff and great views, Relish by the River offers a complete dining experience you will remember.

Open: Lunch & Dinner, Wed-Sun

6559 8869

relishbytheriver@live.com.au

613 Ocean Drive North Haven, NSW 2443

Relish By The River Photo Gallery

Zebu welcomes a talented new Executive Chef Chey Farrell, direct from the SkyCity Group of hotels in Darwin.

Welcome Chey! Drop in to sample our new cocktail and bar menu, which also kicks off this month.

Breakfast – Coffee – Cocktails – 10 Tap Beers
Wood Fire Pizzas – Steaks – Seafood -  Purveyors of Peak Coffee

Hay Street Foreshore, Port Macquarie

6589 2822

www.zebu.com.au 

open 7 days, from 6.30am – late.

Bar open noon daily. Bookings recommended.

Zebu Bar & Grill Photo Gallery

Have you experienced Thai House yet? Our delicious menu has choices to suit all tastes.

Hot, sour, sweet or spicy, we have extensive varieties of Thai stir fries, curries, noodle dishes, entrees, soups and salads, eat-in or takeaway.

$8 LUNCH SPECIALS EVERY DAY!

Choose from different varieties of chicken, beef or vegetarian curries or stir fries-all served with rice. Our head chef Paolo has 10 years of cooking experience with fine dining restaurant establishments in Sydney. We use fresh, local ingredients and our fast, friendly service won’t let you down. Come and see the Thai House team for an easy and delicious Thai experience.

Home delivery also available- dinner only

14 Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie

65 838053

opening times

Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-2pm

Dinner Mon-Sun from 5pm

Closed Public Holidays

Thai House Photo Gallery

The Maharaja Indian Restaurant brings complex, engrossing flavours and spicy aromas of India to Port Macquarie and surrounds.

dishes to satisfy any palate, from smooth mild and creamy curries to full and fiery dishes for the connoisseur.

Traditional cool cucumber and yoghurt side salads, rich chutneys and freshly baked Indian breads make dining at the Maharaja a delight. Catering for vegetarians too, the menu is varied with a-la-carte or banquet menus to choose from. We have refreshing Mango Lassi and the indian sweet, Gulab Jamon.

Open: Lunch Bar- Mon-Thurs- 11am-7pm Fri & Sat- 11am-9pm

Maharaja Restaurant - 7 nights from 5pm

Maharaja Lunch Bar - Ritz Corner, Port Macquarie.

Waterfront Maharaja Restaurant - Short st, Port Macquarie

Maharaja Photo Gallery