WHALEBONE Wharf has long been a talking point of the Port Macquarie seafood dining scene.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An extensive renovation that took a year of scrupulous planning is now complete and a grand r-eopening took place on November 2.
The unique restaurant, which sits directly on the Hastings River and serves local produce, has gone from a lunch and dinner service, to breakfast and all day dining.
Nathan Tomkins has owned the business for more than 20 years and said the town has experienced significant growth in that time.
“The town is a tourist hub. There’s more competition, which is a good thing because it keeps you on your toes,” he said.
“It means you have to keep up with the Joneses, so renovating, upgrading equipment, making sure the staff are all trained properly, using local fresh produce … which is totally imperative because if you start giving someone bad quality food they won’t come back.”
Mr Tomkins employs 25 people, a staff list that has grown since opening and offering breakfast and all day dining for the first time.
He says the restaurant has tripled it’s hours.
“We’re only about to complete our first full week of trade (for quite a while) so it will give us an indication on exactly how the business is running,” he said.
“We have a great community in Port Macquarie. They support Whalebone because it’s an icon, a special destination for them.”
Mr Tomkins believes the venue, which first opened as Whalebone Wharf on December 17, 1972, offers one of the best waterfront dining experiences in Port Macquarie.
“It’s the only place you can pull up your boat, or your jet ski, or snorkel in if you like,” he said.
“It has cost a fair bit but it is worth it. Everything is the best quality. I haven’t held back on anything.”
The renovations were designed by an old friend of Mr Tomkins’, interior designer Michelle McCracken.
“I’d like to point out that all in all it’s for the community. It’s what the town and the region really needed,” he said.
“Leslie Williams spoke about the growth of infrastructure, where it was heading and how the community needed a place of this calibre.”
Matt Attard
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
