One Week on the Coffs Coast

Friday to Friday is all we had in the beautiful Coffs Coast region of Australia and we were determined to make the most of it.  The central city of the Coffs Coast region is Coffs Harbour. This city of approximately 30,000 full-time residents is located on the mid-North Coast of New South Wales. Approximately six hours by car from Sydney and a four hour drive from Brisbane has you smack dab in the middle of vacation paradise with miles and miles of empty beaches, more tourist attractions than you can shake a stick at, great fishing and surrounding countryside for any taste. Basically, if you can’t find something to do here, you probably can’t find something to do anywhere.

Looking down on the Moonee Beach Reserve

Saturday it was our mission to find a beach with more kangaroos than people. The third time was a charm when we landed just south of Emerald Beach in the Moonee Beach Reserve. It was just Pamela and I surrounded by many-many kangaroos in the parking lot and nearby headland. We spent the day fishing, taking photos and watching the hoppers bounce around. In the evening we were treated to several rounds of kangaroo boxing from two pairs of male kangaroos fighting next to the parking lot. After shooting some videos and photos we headed back to the Korora Bay Village Resort which was our home for the week.

Kangaroo Boxing

Sunday had us at the Harbourside Markets in Coffs Harbour for some great deals on fruit/veg, candles, soaps and some other stuff that I can’t really remember. The markets are definitely Pamela’s thing, I just feel bad that she has to put up with me during the hours we spend there. Immediately after the markets we grabbed some take-away and ate a good lunch on the beach. Full from lunch we took our fishing gear out to the harbor break and caught several fish. We ended up keeping two of the bigger fish for dinner that night although we didn’t do such a great job with our makeshift filet knife.

Looking down on Coffs Harbour from Mutton Bird Island

The small communities of Urunga and Bellingen were next on our weeklong Coffs Coast adventure. Urunga, situated on the coast about 20 minutes south of Coffs Harbour, is a neat little town of about 2000 people where the Bellinger River meets the Pacific Ocean. The name Urunga reportedly is an aboriginal word meaning place of long white sands and this place lives up to it’s name. An elevated boardwalk stretches from town, over the mangrove filled lagoon and out to a magnificently long beach where you can walk for miles along pristine white sand.  From the boardwalk we drove over to the prime positioned Anchors Wharf Café for a coffee alongside the river.

The Urunga Boardwalk out to the Sea

Many many photos taken we were on our way to the inland town of Belligen for a quick gallery tour. Scenic and artsy Bellingen, population 2800, lies on the Waterfall Way and is home to many beautiful scenic walks, cafes and galleries including the old dairy farm that’s now home to several different types of stores including a leather shop, furniture store, art gallery and café. It’s definitely worth a stop on the way through town. Also worthwhile is a stop at the bridge over the Bellinger River where you can picnic, swim and get some great photos. Urunga, with its stunning coastline and boardwalk and Belligen, with its scenic farmland and artsy culture are a must visit on your way through the Mid-North Coast section of New South Wales.

A bridge over the Bellinger River

Boambee was up next on our Coffs Coast agenda. Located along the Boambee Waters and Boambee Beach,  Pamela had grown-up holidaying at the Boambee Bay Resort and was really excited about going back there and giving me the grand tour. After touring the resort we headed out for a walk along the Reserve followed by a very long walk up and down the virtually empty beach.  It was great to see Pamela reliving the memories from her youth. Listening to them you can tell she really loved Boambee and cherishes the time she spent there with her family.

Boambee Bay Reserve

We had such a good time and crammed as much as we could into our seven days on the Coffs Coast. Had we spent two weeks there we still wouldn’t have had the time to do everything we wanted too. On our next visit we’ll make a stop at the Big Banana, take a deep sea fishing trip, make the drive to Dorrigo and stop in at the Pet Porpoise Pool for a kiss from a dolphin.  Hopefully this will give you some hints on what you can do if you’re planning a visit to the Coffs Harbour area.

More photos from our week in Coffs can be found at the following URL: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/TheCoffsCoast?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave