Coffs Coast
Rivers, Reef and Rainforest
A piece of paradise on the east coast of Australia offering a spectacular backdrop of enviable
activities, holiday parks to tempt any camper and arguably the best climate in Australia.
(Appeared April – May 2015 Issue 96, p20)
To explore the 75-kilometre stretch of Solitary Islands Marine Park and discover ancient World
Heritage-listed rainforest landscapes where dinosaurs once roamed, we sent the Nesbit family
(Adam and Linda and their daughters Summer and Emmie), avid Australian travellers, to find out
why Coffs Coast is one of the most visited destinations for campers in NSW.
The Setting
Location is key; we plotted our course and it is the stunning setting and natural beauty of the area that tempts
travellers to pull in, unhitch and stay-a-while. Coffs Harbour is known for its backdrop of golden sandy beaches, but it
is the greater Coffs Coast region, the rainforests and mountain escarpments all within close proximity to the coast, that
offered the most wonderful surprise. In addition to its accessibility, midway between Sydney and Brisbane, Coffs Coast
ticked all of our boxes.
With more than 30 holiday parks and state forest free camping areas – our biggest decision was where to stay.
Summer and Emmie had the final say on day one as we motored into Park Beach Holiday Park. The backseat squeals
of delight were a dead giveaway that the swimming pool slide, climbing tower and giant jumping pillow were going to
get a workout that afternoon. With Coffs Harbour Marina, Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve and the patrolled sands
of Park Beach on our doorstep, it was a good choice for a minimum of three nights to take in all the local sights.
We set up camp with time to enjoy a swim in the waters of Coffs Creek where it meets the Pacific Ocean before the
chorus of cicada sounds dimmed and the sky’s night lights were revealed. Now this is a holiday!
In And Out Of The Water
One of the key holiday highlights is the enormous range of things to see and do all in the one place – 101 in total; as
proven in the ‘101 Things to Do on Coffs Coast’ guidebook and Coffs Coast travel app, which is a great road trip
resource providing insight into the best trails and drives and mapping all of our attractions. But it also doubles as a
kids’ travel tool as they sift and select their favourite activities that became the basis of our stay. Despite the ‘bucket
list’ of selected activity requests, we did experience 14 attractions in total – from scuba diving with turtles and grey
nurse sharks off South Solitary Island to bird watching with the kids off Urunga boardwalk at sunset.
Best of all, it was feeding the penguins, meeting Plugga the rescued turtle, watching Bucky and Zippy wave their fins
and getting some fishy kisses from the seals at Dolphin Marine Magic. Seeing a baby dolphin was a hit on the cuteness
scale and anchored the marine park as the girls’ favourite activity during our stay.
The opportunity to mix tranquil moments was the focus of our holiday so we included a picnic at Moonee Beach
bordering the nature reserve, swimming in waterholes at Platypus Flat and a wildlife canoe tour on the Bellinger River.
A Natural Wonderland
Everyone, including nature lovers, will appreciate Coffs Coast’s magical backdrop with more than 20 national parks,
forests and reserves that sit alongside the largest marine park in the state.
The stunning Dorrigo National Park and Crystal Shower Falls is one of the most visited in Australia and offers World
Heritage-listed rainforests millions of years in the making, whilst the newly developed Forest Sky Pier in Orara East
State Forest provides a 22-metre cantilevered platform over the forest canopy.
Just 10 minutes’ drive from the city centre up through the regions’ signature banana plantations and avocado groves,
the sky pier reveals a spectacular coastline view stretching to the horizon, accompanied by easy bushwalking trails
through the Bruxner Park Flora Reserve. We chose the 45-minute rainforest loop walk through a small part of the 407hectare dense eucalypt forest before enjoying the panoramic vista from the nearby Korora Lookout.
Driving Me Crazy
Naturally, there are a host of driving routes, walking tracks and paths giving access to the mountains, rivers and
rainforest, and meandering this beautiful coastline drove us crazy with tempting trails at every turn.
With names like ‘world heritage wanderings’, ‘valley escapes’ and ‘hinterland hideaways’, how could we not want to
venture off the tourist trail? Three in particular took our fancy including the Waterfall Way scenic drive up through
Bellingen to Dorrigo – voted in the top three scenic drives in Australia, cycling the loop trail around Coffs Creek in
Coffs Harbour, and the scenic route west through green pastures and hinterland villages to Platypus Flat via Cascade.
Aside from the designated camping spots on Coffs Coast we opted for a free camping experience in the bush. It was
recommended we visit Mobong Falls in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest, an hour or so west of Coffs Harbour. There are
no facilities so we gathered provisions for an overnight stay at Moses Rock Road near the sleepy town of Cascade.
We arrived at the Mobong picnic area to hike the five-kilometre Mobong walking track, which revealed an area steeped
in logging history; a thriving timber industry that took place with tramways transporting old carts loaded with logs.
Further on, crystal clear waters follow the gentle path of Mobong Creek traversing waterfalls and resting in serene
pools. As the girls searched for frogs that inhabit the leaf-littered forest floor, we took in the sanctity of our
surroundings with nothing in earshot except the distant chorusing of a local lyrebird.
Our connection with nature continued as we headed deeper into the wilderness to explore the famous Nymboida River
at Platypus Flat where ancient tallowood and brushbox trees reside. The towering blue gums and river oaks perch
alongside quiet swimming holes interspersed with raging waters further downstream.
It is a charming spot to visit complete with soaring granite cliff faces and a grassy clearing patrolled by huge goannas.
We went wildlife spotting, in particular for the duck-billed mammal for which the area is known. However, by the end
of the day, our platypus finding remained elusive – just like the animal itself.
Adventure Playground
The young (and young at heart) love this adventure playground, and capturing my husband’s attention was a list as
long as his arm of soft adventure and adrenalin-fuelled fun: the highest skydiving in Australia, white-water rafting
down the grade three and four rapids of the Nymboida River, and scuba diving with sharks were amongst the
selection, the latter being the winning choice.
The Solitary Islands Marine Park is a 71,000-hectare protected marine zone that more than 500 species of fish call
home. Adam’s day within the island’s sanctuary included two dives; the first was called ‘fish soup’ with sea anemones
and a plethora of marine life, including a couple of turtles, and the second was with the gentle grey nurse sharks.
Meanwhile, the girls and I took part in quieter adventures including a section of the new 67-kilometre Solitary Islands
Coastal Walk that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The path led us in and around Muttonbird Island with its migrating
wedge-tailed shearwaters that fly in each year all the way from the Philippines.
Villages, Boutiques & Cafes
Pockets of delightfulness dot the region and we were enchanted to find some cute and quirky villages. The fig-treelined seaside village of Sawtell, just ten minutes south of Coffs Harbour, is where you’ll find charming cafes such as
Treeo or Split for breakfast and Mothers Milk, the Lime and Mexican Burrito Bar or the new Francs to tempt us to
make a dinner reservation.
A little further south is the boardwalk and lagoon area of Urunga with flocks of birdlife, ideal to visit late in the
afternoon. The Coffs Coast’s creative hub is Bellingen, which is another 15 minutes’ drive west. Here, the Butter
Factory and historical main street set the scene for all types of artists, festivals and crafts, while also offering some
secret little shopping gems and boutiques.
A pleasant 20-minute drive west of Coffs Harbour through farmland and rolling hills led us to the charming town of
Coramba with its country pub and swimming hole, while a journey to the northern beaches past Moonee and along the
new A1 motorway takes in the sights of Woolgoolga, known for its Indian Sikh community. Here, we loved the tasty
Cajun spiced swordfish with wasabi aioli for lunch at White Salt.
Coffs Harbour itself has its own little boutiques and café zones particularly at The Jetty, The Promenade and the newly
developed Coffs Central. CreAsian, Grumpy’s ginger beer lounge and Mangrove Jacks were faves with our family.
With Coffs Harbour as the hub, whatever direction we took, north, west or south, there was a delightful mix of
relaxation, activity choices, remoteness and closeness to nature to keep us entertained for a week.
There are many experiences that we simply ran out of time to enjoy. Never to be forgotten though, as they are already
stored under ‘favourites’ in the Coffs Coast travel app ready for our return trip.