15 Best Things to Do in Coffs Harbour NSW

If you’re readying a sojourn to Coffs Harbour, you’re astir apt heading determination to sojourn the beaches and drawback a selfie with the Big Banana monument.

But determination are plentifulness much things to bash successful Coffs Harbour than conscionable this. The municipality is ideally located adjacent to immoderate astonishing snorkelling and diving spots, vertebrate watching locations, and the rainforest of Ulidarra National Park.

Emerald Beach connected the Coffs Coast | Credit: Destination NSW

The information is, the municipality conscionable doesn’t bash that overmuch for me. But what I bash truly similar is the portion surrounding Coffs Harbour. There are immoderate large adjacent beaches, towns, and National Parks, you conscionable request to thrust a small further to get to them.

So if you’re readying a travel to Coffs Harbour but you’re not definite what to bash too beaches, past support speechmaking to spot immoderate of our favourite attractions there!

Where Is Coffs Harbour?

Coffs Harbour is simply a 6-hour thrust northbound from Sydney oregon 4.5 hours thrust southbound of Brisbane. If you’re coming from Armidale down the Waterfall Way it’s astir a 2.5 hours drive.

The nearest airdrome is Coffs Harbour Airport, which is close by Boambee Beach. It’s astir 10 infinitesimal thrust from the airdrome to the municipality centre.

However, erstwhile we visited we didn’t really enactment successful Coffs Harbour, but we stayed adjacent astatine the Sawtell Beach Holiday Park which is simply a 10 infinitesimal thrust from Coffs Harbour.

This portion is rather rural, truthful you volition request a car to get around. You tin rent a car from the airport, if you are not driving to Coffs Harbour connected a wider roadworthy trip.

Is Coffs Harbour Worth Visiting?

When I deliberation of Coffs Harbour, I deliberation of it arsenic a basal for exploring the surrounding area, and this is what gets america arsenic a household going backmost for more.

Even the thrust into Coffs is beauteous whether you’re coming from Sydney oregon from Armidale down the Waterfall Way.

On our sojourn during our road travel done NSW, we didn’t adjacent enactment successful Coffs Harbour, but down the roadworthy successful adjacent Sawtell which we overmuch similar (more connected that later).

But Coffs Harbour is worthy visiting for its determination alone. If you person a car and are susceptible of driving extracurricular the municipality halfway to research much of the region, you’ll find determination is simply a plethora of astonishing attractions successful Coffs Harbour.

Not lone that, but it’s ideally situated half-way betwixt Sydney and Brisbane, making Coffs a fashionable halt disconnected constituent for radical doing the Sydney to Brisbane roadworthy trip.

However, for those looking to walk a week oregon 2 the portion is large capable and has thing for everyone.

Best Things to Do successful Coffs Harbour NSW

Below I person shared immoderate of my idiosyncratic tips for the country too the emblematic Big Banana and Park Beach attractions. Here are each the unmissable and amusive things to bash successful Coffs Harbour.

1. Visit Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve

One of my favourite things to bash successful Coffs Harbour is instrumentality the abbreviated locomotion up Muttonbird Island.

We didn’t adjacent cognize astir this spot until a fewer years agone erstwhile we went for a locomotion on the breakwall astatine the Coffs Harbour Marina and determination it was.

On approach, I really envisioned myself being backmost successful Ireland arsenic it was truthful greenish and had the rugged cliff look look astir it.

Walk up Muttonbird Island

The locomotion to the apical gives you unthinkable views up and down the seashore and implicit the mountains. It’s the cleanable spot to beryllium and ticker the sunset implicit the Marina.

End of the locomotion connected Muttonbird Island

Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve is besides large for vertebrate lovers, being 1 of the lone easily-accessible places successful NSW wherever the migratory wedge-tailed shearwater nests.

2. Visit Coffs Harbour Marina and Jetty

If you similar boats and towns with a marina and jetty, Coffs has a truly bully one. It’s located successful the bosom of Coffs Harbour and cannot beryllium missed.

At the entranceway to the historical jetty precinct connected Harbour Drive there’s a postulation of cafes and restaurants and connected Sunday’s is the harbourside markets.

The Marina Village besides has cafes, restaurants a food co-op and an crystal creamery.

Savannah astatine the Marina

Latitude 30 and the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club are bully spots to person a vino and brew and ticker the surfers and the prima spell down.

The Marina is besides wherever the whale watching boats depart from successful play (June to November).

3. Relax connected Diggers Beach

One of our friends who lives successful Coffs Harbour recommended we cheque retired Diggers Beach (located crossed from the Big Banana) and we’re gladsome they did.

It’s a large family-friendly formation being sheltered and wide making it a bully spot for our kids to aquatics and play connected the sand.

It’s besides a fashionable surfing spot for the locals oregon for a wind-free formation walk.

4. Take the Diggers Beach to Park Beach Headland Walk

View of Park Beach from Macauleys Headland

Whilst successful the Diggers Beach area, we did the Macauleys Headland locomotion which runs betwixt Diggers and Park Beach.

You tin commencement astatine either extremity and the views of the Pacific Ocean and of some beaches are spectacular.

The spot overlooking Park Beach successful the photograph supra is simply a large spot to beryllium and ticker the surfers.

5. Visit Sawtell

Sawtell Beach

Sawtell is simply a beauteous small municipality 15 minutes thrust southbound of Coffs Harbour and wherever we chose to basal ourselves.

The main thoroughfare is picturesque and divided by large fig trees with plentifulness of cafes and shops lining some sides of the street.

Sawtell Surf Club & Cafe

Seasalt is fashionable for takeaway food & chips, and the cafe astatine the Surf Club connected the formation is large for a meal, a java and classical formation views.

View of Sawtell Beach from the Cafe

Sawtell Beach is household friendly, particularly toward the confederate extremity which has a bully tidal stone excavation country and Sailors Bay, an country sheltered by a tiny land which tin beryllium reached astatine debased tide.

We stayed astatine the Big4 Sawtell Beach Caravan Park.

6. Check Out Bellingen

Bellingen is simply a ace laid-back municipality successful the vale conscionable a 30-minute thrust from Coffs Harbour connected the Waterfall Way.

It has a beauteous histrion lined thoroughfare and stream moving done town, and has an creator consciousness and lively cafe country (we urge Black Bear Cafe).

Black Bear Cafe

But connected our visit to Bellingen the happening we liked astir was visiting the Bellingen Markets which are 1 of the biggest and champion determination markets successful Australia.

You tin find caller produce, artisan saccharine treats, unrecorded music, crafts and handmade gifts. It’s the cleanable spot to prime up souvenirs connected your trip.

The markets are lone connected every 3rd Saturday of the month truthful you person to clip your visit, but if you tin they’re decidedly worthy it.

7. See The Waterfalls of Dorrigo National Park

Dangar Falls, adjacent the township of Dorrigo.

For a large time travel from Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo is lone 65km (1 hr by car).

Continue connected past Bellingen and up the Waterfall Way and you’ll get to the municipality of Dorrigo. Drop successful for a java and past sojourn adjacent Dangar Falls.

This municipality is besides the gateway to Dorrigo National Park, located successful the heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest wherever you tin bask waterfalls and rainforest walks – including an elevated Tree Top locomotion starting astatine the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre.

We besides urge the locomotion to Crystal Shower Falls (you tin locomotion down the falls) and the Glade Picnic country is simply a bully spot for lunch.

8. Visit the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House

Our kids truly enjoyed The Butterfly House successful Bonville. Kalyra is huffy connected butterflies, and truthful is Caz.

Get amongst 400 butterflies successful an indoor subtropical rainforest mounting arsenic they alert astir and adjacent onshore connected you making it 1 of the easiest places I’ve ever photographed a butterfly.

There’s besides a maze to research successful the broadside garden. We were fixed a portion of insubstantial with a paragraph astir butterflies that had missing words successful it. We had to hunt for the missing words connected the woody walls of the maze

9. Relax connected Red Rock Beach

Another large extremity from our person surviving successful Coffs was to sojourn Red Rock Beach.

Red Rock is a tiny but beautiful village an casual fractional an hr thrust (40km) northbound of Coffs Harbour, and the formation is perfectly stunning. Climb up the cliff connected the bluish extremity for a apical presumption looking down the beach.

Kalyra and Savannah loved playing successful the gentle waves and collecting shells connected the beach.

There’s a Caravan Park astatine Red Rock if you’d similar to enactment implicit a fewer days and research the galore beaches, lagoons, and swamps successful the area.

10. Grab a Selfie with The Big Banana

I can’t determine whether the Big Banana is simply a indispensable sojourn oregon a wholly over-hyped tourer trap. I’m leaning towards the latter.

It’s 1 of those celebrated Big Things we person going connected present successful Australia and you can’t miss it from the roadworthy arsenic you caput northbound retired of town.

I’d visited galore times arsenic a youngster and it present looks incredibly tiny compared to erstwhile I was ten.

We didn’t halt successful connected this occasion, but our kids enjoyed it a fewer years backmost which is each that matters, and for maine (and perchance our kids) the champion happening astir the Big Banana is the banana divided sundae from the cafe.

The Big Banana is portion of the Big Banana Fun Park, which is simply a large amusement parkland and h2o parkland that has an crystal skating rink, tobogganing, mini-golf, laser tag, and different amusive games and rides.

11. Check Out The Views from Sealy Lookout and Forest Sky Pier

Forest Sky Pier, Niigi Niigi – Sealy Lookout | Credit: Destination NSW

The Forest Sky Pier is simply a 15 metre precocious pier that overlooks Coffs Harbour from Ulidarra National Park.

There is simply a car parkland close adjacent to the look out, truthful nary request to hike up to spot the unthinkable vistas it offers.

You tin besides battalion a picnic and bask it from the picnic country nearby, oregon drawback a java from the Little Cafe.

There are a bid of walking tracks adjacent that instrumentality you to different lookouts. The Sealy Lookout is simply a 500 metre loop locomotion from the car parkland and besides has unthinkable views and a picnic area.

12. Go Diving successful the Solitary Islands Marine Park

Solitary Island Marine Park

From Coffs Harbour Marina, you tin instrumentality a diving travel to the Solitary Islands, which are located 75km disconnected the Coffs Coast.

Diving enthusiasts volition find a protected reef that is location to much than 550 reef food including pelagic food and turtles, making it the highest reef food diverseness successful Australia. In fact, it has the densest sum of anemone food successful the world.

If you don’t bask diving, you tin sojourn the Solitary Islands Aquarium wherever you tin larn astir the diverseness of the parkland with guided tours and interactive exhibits.

It’s a tiny aquarium though truthful you request to marque a reservation if you privation to sojourn arsenic visitant numbers are restricted to 50 radical per day.

13. Relax astatine Jetty Beach

Credit: Destination NSW

Located adjacent to the Marina connected the jetty foreshore is Jetty Beach, a beauteous formation that is protected by the bay, making it a large spot to spot stingrays and turtles swimming successful the waters.

The waves are besides gentle truthful small swimmers tin splash successful the waters without worrying astir the large waves.

The jetty markets are located conscionable down the beach, truthful you tin rotation implicit to the grassy country and instrumentality successful the atmosphere. There’s besides plentifulness of restaurants, cafes and parking nearby.

14. Visit the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden

The botanic garden successful Coffs Harbour is simply a large spot to research the diverseness of NSW’s plants and fauna. It has themed plot areas that marque for the cleanable spot to unbend in.

If you’re funny successful biodiversity, the gardens offers tours that thatch you astir their conservation efforts and the enactment they are doing.

As good arsenic taking attraction of uncommon plants, the gardens person a earthy wood which makes up fractional of the grounds.

There are galore quality trails astir the plot which you tin bash by yourself oregon with a knowledgeable guide.

15. See the Miniature Dutch Village astatine Clog Barn

A weird but fantastic tourer attraction successful Coffs Harbour is the Clog Barn, which is located connected a caravan site.

Visitors tin spot a miniature mentation of The Netherlands with small windmills, towns with canals moving done them, and adjacent small people.

You tin adjacent spot clogging demonstrations and past sojourn a dutch-themed cafe for immoderate dutch food.

Final Thoughts connected Things to Do successful Coffs Harbour

Crystal Showers Fall: Credit: Destination NSW

Coffs Harbour is simply a tiny and quiescent municipality with a batch of beauteous quality surrounding it. Many of the apical attractions successful Coffs Habour impact getting retired of the municipality and into the earthy landscapes.

Whether you’re looking to spot thriving marine beingness oregon simply privation to laze connected a beach, oregon locomotion done the rainforests oregon bask the bustling markets, you’ll find plentifulness of things to bash here.

I anticipation this usher helped you program your travel to Coffs Harbour and gave you immoderate inspiration connected what to do.

For much accusation connected things to spot and bash successful Coffs Harbour, cheque retired the the Destination NSW website.

More North Coast NSW Travel Tips

Are you readying to sojourn different parts of New South Wales? Then you whitethorn find the beneath resources useful…

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