The Observatory Hotel, on Port Macquarie's main beach on the NSW Mid-North Coast, is one of Australia's most-awarded holiday properties and one of just a few 100 per cent carbon neutral 4.5 star hotels nationally.

The Observatory has recently introduced an attraction unlike any other outside metro areas and invites print-media travel writers and TV production crews to visit for a destination story.

Port Macquarie is approx 350km on the F3 from Sydney's north (Wahroonga), a comfortable drive on a largely excellent highway, perfect for a 2-3 night getaway from Sydney and only a couple of hours from the Newcastle-Hunter Valley region.

The hotel itself offers sufficient angles for a discrete story, allowing writers the opportunity to fully appreciate the destination and gain info for their piece or segment, as well as to enjoy some relaxation and appreciate the ambience without being tied to a rigid or relentless itinerary.

Depending on availability, partners and children are also welcome, as the hotel and the destination lend themselves to singles/couples/family getaways.

With the support of Destination NSW, The Observatory has recently introduced "Bike 'n' Hike" iPod audio-visual tours of Port Macquarie, a first anywhere in the region. The hotel supplies quality mountain bikes for adults and children, helmets, picnic backpacks, printed maps and iPods cradled on the handlebars. The professional audio commentary and on-screen maps and info provide a "virtual tourist guide" along a choice of three routes that amply demonstrate an array of the town's prime attractions - natural, historical, beaches, boating, paddleboarding and more. Two tours are by bike; the third is for those who prefer to explore on foot.

The hotel's penthouses and apartment-style guest rooms are excellently appointed for self-catering and there are also a restaurant and café on the ground floor, overlooking the ocean. Also in the foyer area are a beauty-wellness spa and gift-souvenir shop, the hotel's big heated swimming pool and waterfall, Finnish sauna and spa, and BBQ courtyard. Security parking is free.

There are two additional angles for stories:

For green-aware travellers and to underline its 100 per cent carbon neutral hospitality status, the hotel offers "O-Zone" guest rooms equipped with fitness exercise gear, Wii Fit and many other extras and a Welcome plate of fresh sushi and "green" wine. An impressive percentage of guests choose to pay a small one-off premium for this package because it also provides that Observatory staff plant a tree in visitors' names to preserve Port's green environment - and issue a certificate in recognition of guests' contribution to this effort.

The third angle also addresses a clean green ethos: we and our guests "adopt" - and name - local koalas each month, ensuring their health, upkeep and preservation. We are the gold sponsor of the world's first Koala Conference to be held in Port Macquarie in May 2013 - on the 40th anniversary of our Koala Hospital, near The Observatory. The facility is the world's only dedicated koala hospital and The Observatory is supporting the message in the "Blinky Bill" anthem of singer-songwriter John Williamson, patron of the hospital.

* Travel and lifestyle section magazine and newspaper editors are invited to nominate writers to cover the destination story outlined above. Freelance writers/producers with firm commissions in appropriate print/TV markets are also welcome to contact us.

Port Macquarie is served by daily flights an hour or less ex Sydney and Brisbane and is also around the mid-point on the Pacific Highway between Brisbane/Gold Coast and Sydney. We are happy to host journalists/presenters from Sydney, Newcastle-Hunter, Brisbane/Gold Coast and other source regions in NSW/southern Queensland.

Stays of up to three nights are on offer, in apartment guest rooms and, more rarely, penthouses, with varied availability up to December 20 and between January 16 and Easter 2013.

Please email your details with suggested dates as early as possible to Observatory Media & PR at winwin@portpr.com marked Attention Susie.