Coffs Harbour Off the Beaten Path Tips by iandsmith

International travellers don't come here in any great numbers but Aussies certainly do. This is a fisherman's paradise among other things and has a golf course on an island, in fact, in takes up most of the island.
It's very much like holidays used to be in the 60's and 70's which is why a lot of people like it.
There is an excellent caravan park right at the river mouth and plenty of other accommodation.
The beaches are pretty ordinary for surfing but pleasant enough for sunbaking.

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About an hour away from Coffs, on a twisty narrow sealed road for the last half, there is a small town called Dorrigo that once existed on woodfelling and agriculture. It is fair to suggest that the largest employer these days would be tourism and I, for one, am grateful for that. To see any more of this lovely area despoiled would be a travesty.
There is a National Parks and Wildlife centre where you can get all the information you want on the walks that mostly eminate from the centre.
There is also a treetop walk that I personally think is overrated but you may think differently.
Dorrigo can get cold in winter and it may rain with very little notice as the weather can come in from the nearby ocean, hit the mountain barrier and dump before you know it.
Still, I love the place and it's especially pretty in autumn and winter. Definitely a wonderful day trip out of Coffs.

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Any prolonged stay at Coffs will almost certainly lead you to spending a day at Bellingen. An activity I would certainly recommend. It has an interesting diversity with the "alternate society" featuring along with media personalities and performing artists. All this set in an attractive little village with the accent on pleasing the tourist. Very much and arty/crafty type place set beside the truly beautiful Bellinger River.
Tea houses and craft shops abound in this sub tropical rainforest area and the main street has preservation orders on most buildings so it has a very much early to mid 20th century feel about it.
Don't be frightened to cross the river and drive around "The Promised Land" as well. Simply gorgeous scenery will assault your eyes.

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I had a bit of a problem here. Wasn't sure whether to list this under Ocean/Beach or what. This is what happens when there's over 200mm of rain in 24 hours. Bellinger River floods. Often.
Golf courses, parks, paddocks, some houses and always a road with bridge or two.
This time they lost all roads in and out of the town for two days. Miraculously, despite enough wood piled into it to build 50 houses, the bridge linking the town to North Bellingen survived.
The road to Dorrigo didn't. A bad washout occured halfway up the mountain side and the road will be under repair for months.
This shot is taken about 5 kms in where I had to stop because the road was nearly two metres under water immediately ahead of me. This is a paddock (normally) at the side of the road.

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This is a bit tricky. I was going to start a South West Rocks page but, sadly, it's another one that VT has missed out on. Still, when you've got a million towns to work with, there has to be a few mistakes.
South West Rocks is a comfortable day trip from Coffs however and a worthwhile one at that.
There's surprisingly a bit of history attached to it with an old gaol, an interesting shipwreck (actually a Sydney Harbour ferry wreck) and Australia's highest lighthouse, Smoky Cape. The lighthouse has a bonus inasmuch as when lighthouse keepers became redundant the houses were converted and you can now stay there.
The area is great for fishing and good for surfing. The large bay has gentle waves so it's really good for children.
There's a nice infrastructure of shopping, hotels and clubs and lots of choice when it comes to accommodation.

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Phone: 02 6566 6301 (lighthouse)

North of Coffs Harbour are a number of fine beaches. Names like Sapphire, Emerald, Sandy and Arrawarra spring readily to mind. Another one is Mullaway, located just north of a booming little village called Woolgoolga, itself idyllically located beside the ocean.
Mullaway has half a dozen streets, a caravan park, general store and a couple of B&Bs.
It's an area with a future rooted in tourism as most of the land around is designated National Park.
This shot is looking south towards Woolgoolga from the end of Headland Road.

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This is the main road to Bellingen. Surprisingly, it's not always like this! This is about 2 kilometres off the Pacific Highway. I drove through this initially...................

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............until I came upon this, about 3 kms further on. Definitely not a place for cars.................

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I loved it. A vehicle pulled up. Out popped a canoe. Two children went paddling around the park, now part of the river.
While I was watching, reflecting on the joys of youth, along came a local man of Indian descent who needed transport home.
Thus it was that he ended up in the canoe paddling home along the road. It's path was easy enough to follow, just keep the telegraph poles on your right and disappear into the bush.
Such is life in rural Australia.
And I have to admit that I had a wry smile on my face when I was categorizing this effort and put a tick in the box marked "Other family travel".

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Just bring your scuba gear and, if you're lucky, you might just feel the tables somewhere in the murky water.
This lovely recreational park, 5 kms in from the Pacific Highway, is one of the first casualties when it floods. Described as moderate on this occasion, it does get worse.

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