PAINTED rocks are prompting smiles along the Myall Coast, part of a movement that has already gone international.

Port Stephens local Sarah Mischin, of Mischin Cleaning Co., first encountered the ‘travelling rocks’ phenomenon while recently travelling interstate.

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“I found a rock someone had painted two people, and the words ‘Big Hug’, which had come from halfway across the country,” Sarah Mischin, told News Of The Area.

“I got hooked while on holidays, painted a few and left them in SA,” Ms Mischin continued.

The quiet concept already has a strong internet presence, with Facebook pages for all states and even some regions and towns.

“Whoever invented it, I think it’s brilliant, it’s just a nice, fun way to spread some happiness, and the highlight is when you see kids pick them up and carry them off to the next place,” Ms Mischin added.

The idea is simple enough: images are painted on small rocks, the postcode and Facebook keyword on the back, then are left out for people to discover.

A discovered rock can be whisked far away, and a photo shared online, to spread the joy as far as possible.

“One I left out west of Dubbo showed up in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia,” Ms Mischin reflected on the longest journey one of her rocks has taken.

“I recently went to Sydney and dropped one off in Darling Harbour and posted a photo,” Kaye Simpson, of Hawks Nest First National Real Estate, told NOTA.

“Sarah then found a post of the rock in Lennox Head – how cool is that!”

“We here at the office are having so much fun, and getting so much joy, out of this as she leaves us rocks to put out the front of our office on the flower bed, we wait excitedly to see who will pick them up.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE