Build it and they will come

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What has yoghurt got and Port Macquarie not?

Up until a few months ago, the answer would have been culture. But try this joke on the locals of this NSW mid north coast town and they will chortle, fluff up their feathers, clear their throats and proudly wax lyrical about the new kid on the block.

And that's the striking Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre.

Port Macquarie is a pretty speck of a town between the Hastings River and the coast.

A fishing and boating hot spot four and a half hours drive north of Sydney, Port Macquarie's promoted as a place where you can do as little as possible.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things to see and do here too but Port - as it's affectionately known by locals - has been seen more as a "drop in" rather than a "stop off" destination for many. Quaint fishing village charm was just not pulling those crowds of tourists.

Enter The Glasshouse; a multi-million dollar (reportedly as much as $A66 million ($NZ85m) arts, conference and entertainment centre. The aesthetic is a sophisticated, sleek, sexy and contemporary inclusion in a town that now means business.

The space includes a state of the art tiered auditorium that can seat up to 606, an international standard regional gallery which houses Art Lab - a unique space that provides an area for children and adults to experience all sorts of art mediums hands on.

The Ross Family Studio is a performance space with a fully sprung dance floor and retractable seating for 120.

The Glasshouse is right in the historical heart of the early township and when the site was excavated it turned up some interesting finds. There were the remains of an overseers cottage (1824), a convict-era drain running diagonally through the site, the convict kitchen gardens, School of Arts Foundations (1884) and the area's first town hall (1892).

So 10 professional archaeologists and 15 volunteers were given the painstaking task of archaelogically excavating the site. The cost is rumoured to have blown out the original budget by as much as $A10 million ($NZ12.9m).

Visiting the basement of the building, which houses the very flash loos, turns into an educational experience with displays dating back to 1820.

While the locals whisper with some consternation about the money that has been spent and the surrounding political fallout, take a peek at the show list the venue has attracted for 2010 and you'll find it hard not to be impressed.

We enjoyed the opening night of Steel Magnolias with a full cast, not the B list that sometimes gets sent into the regional areas.

The Wharf Revue: Pennies from Kevin by the Sydney Theatre Company is coming in February, Twelfth Night by the Bell Shakespeare Company in July, La Traviata by Opera Australia in August and on October 15 and 16 a real coup, Queensland Theatre Company's Betrayal starring Sibylla Budd, with the Glasshouse the only regional venue in Australia presenting the play.

Showgoers are going to love not having to pay the hiked up prices in Sydney and can also relax and enjoy a pre- or post-show sojourn by the sea. As they say, build it and they will come.

Conference and incentive delegates, major trade shows looking for a bit of Port pizzazz and exhibition visitors now have a new destination to discover.

And most importantly when the crowds start rolling in a menagerie of local businesses from accommodation providers to tour operators, restaurants, cafes and bar owners to taxi drivers, plane, boat and train operators are going to have a new reason to smile and gloat.

That's when they can also tell me to shove my jokes about Port Macquarie and culture.

IF YOU GO

The Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre.

Where to Stay: Rydges Port Macquarie, 1 Hay Street Port Macquarie is easy walking distance to the Glasshouse, home to the Best Hotel Restaurant in 2008 and 2009 as awarded by New South Wales Restaurant and Catering and offers pre-show dining packages and Park and Walk Passes which include four-hour parking for $A15 ($NZ19) and a complimentary coffee voucher from onsite cafe Vue.

* The writer was a guest of Greater Port Macquarie Tourism.

- AAP