New South Wales (Northern NSW)
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour,a fishing village that became a booming city yet still retains its original charm. Sub-tropical rainforests and the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve attract tourists, while other pleasures include the North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, museums, galleries and sports from whitewater rafting to para-sailing.

COFFS HARBOUR – or “Coffs” – divides neatly into two separate parts. One half is a modern town snuggled close to the hills near the Pacific Highway – this is the centre of town, with the shopping mall, post office and all other facilities. The other part is the jetty area around the train station and the man-made harbour. 

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Although Coffs Harbour depends almost as much on tourism as Port Macquarie, the suburban sprawl of retirement homes and holiday apartments, hotels and motels is somehow not as noticeable here; instead the dramatic coastal landscape manages to hold sway. At this point the mountains and hills of the Great Dividing Range fall almost directly into the South Pacific Ocean, and glorious white, sandy beaches stretch endlessly along the coast, from the town beaches of Boambee Beach and Jetty Beach through Park Beach and Diggers Beach, up to northern strands such as Emerald. 

There are several small islands offshore with fringing coral reefs designated as marine reserves; the plethora of fish around these makes diving a popular activity. In summer, the cool, rainforest-clad mountains with crystal-clear creeks and tumbling torrents offer a welcome respite from the heat and humidity of the coast.

The Town
The small Historical Museum, at 191 High St (Tues–Thurs & Sun 1.30–4pm; $2), has a collection of relics and tools owned by early pioneers and cedar-getters, as well as local Aboriginal artefacts of the Gumbaingirr, whose boundaries extended from the Nambucca River north to the Clarence River, and inland to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. From the museum, it’s only a short distance to the magnificent North Coast Botanic Gardens, with an entrance on Hardacre Street, just off High Street (daily 9am–5pm). These delightfully tranquil subtropical gardens are located on a triangle of land surrounded on two sides by Coffs Creek and feature a mangrove boardwalk and a slice of rainforest. A charming creek walk and cycle trail begin just near the town centre at Rotary Park on Coffs Street and head 5.4km to Muttonbird Island; the final thirty minutes are along the northern breakwater – detailed maps are available from the visitor information centre. The new development of Coffs Promenade, along the creek towards Coffs Jetty, contains crafts and speciality shops as well as an ice-cream parlour, a café and restaurant, the last two with outdoor tables overlooking the tranquil, tree-lined creek. You can rent bikes here, as well as canoes ($20 half-day, $35 full-day).

The Fishermen’s Co-op, on the northern breakwater of the harbour, sells fresh fish; the wharf here is also the departure point for most of Coffs’ cruises. Beyond the boat-filled marina is Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve, high enough to offer fantastic views of Coffs Harbour and the southern and northern beaches. There’s plenty of birdlife too, with an interpretive walk describing the lifestyle of the oily, migratory birds who come here to nest in summer. The best time to come is at sunset, when you can watch the muttonbirds return to their nests. You can sometimes see dolphins frolicking close to the island. If you want to see domesticated dolphins (and seals) being put through their paces, visit the misleadingly named Pet Porpoise Pool, between Coffs Jetty and Park Beach ($9.80, children $4.70, family ticket $30; performances 10.30am & 2.15pm; 1hr 30min), which seems stuck in a 1970s time warp; there’s also a small aquarium with sharks, other marine animals and a reef tank.

Banana plantations indicate that at Coffs you’re entering a subtropical climatic zone. The cultural influence of nearby Queensland becomes apparent, too, in tourist attractions such as the Big Banana (daily 9am–5pm), a huge, bright-yellow concrete banana, 3km north of Coffs on the Pacific Highway, advertising a “horticultural theme park”. It’s free to walk through the banana and look at displays dealing with early pioneer life in the district and Coffs Harbour’s $70-million-a-year banana industry. There are several tours of the plantation (by bus 30min–1hr, $3.50–5.50; by monorail 1hr 30min, $6.50–9.50), which show you packing sheds and hydroponics glasshouses, as well as a space station and an Aboriginal Dreamtime Cave. A new attraction is a toboggan ride ($4), which whizzes 720m down through the steep hillside plantations. For the complete banana experience, stop in at the milk bar, which serves bananas in every conceivable way. The souvenir shop next door is crammed with lurid yellow objects such as banana pencil sharpeners and “Bananas in Pyjamas”.

Around Coofs Harbour
An hour’s drive inland from Coffs, on Bushmans Range Road at Lowanna, 42km northwest, is George’s Gold Mine (Wed–Sun 10.30am–3pm, daily during school holidays; $8.50), where you can take a tour of a gold mine and look at the old stamper battery that was used to crush the ore. There are also picnic grounds, barbecues and walking trails through the rainforest.

To the north of Coffs is a string of fantastic sandy beaches. Sapphire Beach, 9km north, has an environment centre (daily 10am–5pm) with a relaxing café. Moonee Beach Reserve, 3km further, is in beautiful bush surroundings with a winding creek that has safe swimming – but beware of strong currents at its mouth. The reserve has plenty of shade, picnic tables and barbecues, making it a great spot for picnics. There’s a caravan park here, and little else except for a small shop which sells supplies, good fish and chips and hamburgers. About 8km further on, the relatively unspoilt Emerald Beach is popular with surfers; it’s very picturesque, with a small island offshore.

At WOOLGOOLGA, another 10km or so north on the Pacific Highway, a gleaming white temple is evidence of the large Sikh population which settled here in the early 1970s. There’s also the Raj Mahal, an emporium selling crafts, clothes and jewellery, plus a pricey Indian restaurant – the Temple View, opposite the temple, is better value. Woolgoolga is also a popular seaside holiday resort, with excellent surfing on the ocean beach, while the calmer waters of Woolgoolga Lake to the north offer swimming and boating opportunities. Eight kilometres north of Woolgoolga, Corindi Beach is the site of the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre (Mon–Fri 7.30am–3.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am–2pm; bookings required for guided walks tel 02/6649 2515), which provides a focus and employment for the Gumbaingirr people in the area. There’s an arts and crafts shop, bush-tucker café, and a native bush-tucker medicine nursery with plants for sale. Guides can take you on a Bush-tucker Walk or a tour through local sites (both 2hr; $6) or you can opt for a full day including a bush-tucker lunch ($28). After Corindi Beach, the road turns inland towards Grafton; for more beaches, take the first turn off the Pacific Highway and follow a short road northeast for 6km to reach the coast again at Red Rock and the beginning of the Yuraygir National Park.

Getting there and around
All long-distance buses stop on Moonee Street, on the corner of Grafton Street; the train station (tel 02/6651 2757) is by the harbour. You can also fly into Coffs with Eastern Australian, Ansett and Impulse; the airport is about 5km south and you can rent a car at one of the airport desks, or take a taxi into town (about $5). However, if you’ve booked accommodation you can probably arrange to be picked up. Given the split of Coffs into two halves, the distances you have to cover are considerable, and the local bus service, which runs between the town centre, Coffs Jetty and Park Beach (Coffs Harbour Bus Lines, tel 02/6652 2686; timetables from the visitor information centre), is barely adequate, so you may find yourself having to take taxis. Alternatively, you could rent a bike or car. To get to the beaches north of Coffs, take Ryan’s Bus Service, which goes to Woolgoolga via Sapphire, Moonee Beach and Emerald Beach (tel 02/6652 3201; Mon–Fri 5 daily, Sat 2 daily).

The City Centre Mall, right in the centre off Grafton Street (as the Pacific Highway is called in town), is very much the heart of Coffs, and most facilities and much of the accommodation are nearby. Unfortunately, the visitor information centre (daily 9am–5pm; tel 02/6652 1522) is not exactly centrally situated, positioned as it is for drivers’ convenience on the corner of Marcia Street and Woolgoolga Road (the Pacific Highway) on the north side of town. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (tel 02/6651 9522) has an office in the GIO building at 24 Moonee St, and a branch at the jetty on Orlando Street, providing information on the marine reserve and rangers tours of Muttonbird Island. State Forests also has an information centre and shop at 130 W High St (tel 02/6652 0111) with camping maps available covering the mid-north coast region.

Eating and Drinking
For coffee and gourmet snacks and cakes, head to the creek for the Up the Creek Café, on the Promenade, or in town at the Mall end, to Icehouse Café & Ice-creamery at 181 High St (closed Sun). Coffs Harbour also has its own Internet café, Happy Planet (closed Sun), above the unfortunately named Athletes Foot shoe store in the City Centre Mall.

For more extensive eating try High Street, particularly at either end – around the City Centre Mall and nearby Grafton Street, and down in the block or so before Coffs Jetty. At the ocean end of High Street, on the corner of Camperdown Street, the Pier Hotel has a bistro with good, inexpensive counter meals (daily 7–9am, noon–2pm & 6–9pm); Fisherman’s Katch, at no. 386, serves excellent seafood. Also in the harbour area of town, Tahruah Thai Kitchen, 360 High St (tel 02/6651 5992), is recommended for its spicy stir-fries. On this stretch of High Street you’ll find a plethora of good restaurants, including Tandoori Oven, no. 384, (tel 02/6652 2279) with tasteful, marine-inspired decor and a menu to match, along with good value vegetarian thalis. Tequila at 24 High St (tel 02/6652 1279) serves Mexican food and margaritas while Maria’s, no. 368, is an Italian BYO with pasta, pizza and seafood chowders. For French-style cuisine, try Peter’s Peppermill at 372 High St (tel 02/6652 5855), with specialities such as barramundi in chardonnay sauce (closed Sun & Mon). Chinese food is available at the Golden Crown (tel 02/6651 6787) serving a large selection of seafood stir-fries (Tues–Sat eve only). Innovative, international food with a hefty price-tag can be found at Passionfish Brasserie, 384 High St (tel 02/6652 1423; closed Sun & Mon). Down at the Marina, the Tide & Pilot Brasserie (tel 02/6651 6888) has expensive seafood specials with waterfront views while the Iguana Beach Café at the Yacht Club, at the Marina (tel 02/6652 5725) serves up a “taste of the tropics”.

Nightlife
Nightlife in Coffs is lively in summer, but very mainstream. There are generally live bands playing cover versions at some venue around town from Wednesday to Sunday, usually with free entry. On Friday and Saturday nights the RSL Club, on the corner of Vernon Street and the Pacific Highway, has two bands and a disco, free entry and very cheap drinks until 2am. The Plantation Hotel, 88 Grafton St, puts on live bands three nights a week. For a more sedate drink, the Greenhouse Tavern, on the corner of Bray Street and the Pacific Highway, lets you sip in a reasonable approximation of tropical rainforest surroundings in its gazebo. There is one dressy nightclub, the lively Saloon Bar, on The Mall at no. 76.

Accommodation
Coffs has everything from international resort hotels down to caravan parks. During the summer and Easter holidays the place is packed, and weekly bookings are preferred or even compulsory. As trains and buses from Sydney arrive in the late evening, it’s wise to book in advance in any case, especially as the hostels will pick you up if notified. The cheapest motels are on the south side of town.
  • Country Comfort Inn, Pacific Highway, 4km north. One of Coffs’ most popular resorts, right next to the Big Banana. It’s not exactly cheap, but is good value for money, with tennis courts, pool, sauna, restaurant and bar. All rooms are air-con.
  • The Dunes, 28 Fitzgerald St, off Ocean Parade. A fancy complex of one-, two- and three-bedroom serviced apartments near Park Beach, with a heated pool, tennis courts, spa and sauna.
  • Surf Beach Motor Inn, 25 Ocean Parade. Good-value motel with pool.
  • Torrington Holiday Apartments, 27 Boultwood St. On a quiet street close to Park Beach. Fully self-contained apartments ideal for families, with a playground, swimming pool, spa and sauna.

Events
  • Australian German Festival in September