The Hastings River is located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, approximately 300km north of Sydney. The river rises in the Great Dividing Range near Mount Werrikimbe and discharges into the Tasman Sea at Port Macquarie, about 90 kilometres to the east. The river drains a catchment area of 3,700 square kilometres.

The FRMP recommends future flood modification works, property modification measures and response modification measures, as well as implementation strategies.