Coastal Retreats -

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour is 350 km south of Brisbane and 570 km north of Sydney or a nine-hour train ride from Sydney. Coffs Harbour is a major coastal tourist town which is famous for The Big Banana, surfing, fishing, whale watching, over 90km of golden beaches and the Bruxner Park rainforest reserve. Coffs Harbour is the home of 'The Wallabies' rugby union team and famous actor Russel Crowe. Coffs Harbour is the only place in Australia where the Great Dividing Range and Pacific Ocean meet.

Coffs Harbour Accommodation offers whatever kind of holiday home you want, from international resorts and apartments to hostels and caravan parks. Coffs Harbour has over a dozen caravan parks including Park Beach caravan park, Sawtell Reserve caravan park and the Koala Villas caravan park. Most offer powered and unpowered sites, villas and cabins.

The heart of Coffs Harbour is the vibrant beachside city that includes Park Beach Plaza, a giant shopping centre which includes specialty shops, Woolworths and pharmacies.

Coffs Harbour's things to do include skydiving, kayaking, surfing, snorkelling, 4WD adventures and whale watching. The more adventurous can try white water rafting on the Nymboida river or sea kayaking close to whales and dolphins. The Coffs Harbour Marina is home to a tourism fleet providing sailing, whale watching and fishing and the large Coffs Harbour Fishing Co-Operative. Extending out from the marina is Muttonbird Island.

The small valley town of Bellingen is 37 km south west of Coffs with it busy arts, social and cultural events.

The village of Sawtell lies 10km north of Coffs Harbour. Sawtell boasts an abundance of boutique clothes shops, cafes, restaurants, BBQ facilities, caravan park reserves, picnic areas, toilets, showers and children's playgrounds all within a short stroll to the beach.

The Coffs Coast is a 90km oasis of beaches between the Great Dividing Range and the Pacific Ocean.

The main beach in Coffs Harbour is Park Beach. Park Beach is within close proximity to motel and hotel accommodation, camping facilities, restaurants, cafes and local shopping facilities. The main surf beach, it is patrolled constantly during the summer months and is home to the Coffs Harbour Surf Life Saving Club.

Diggers Beach is one of the best surf spots by local surfers and expert surf instruction is offered on the beach for the whole family. Diggers Beach Reserve offers electric barbeques, a playground, two viewing platforms, picnic shelters and beach showers. Sawtell Beach lies nestled next to the village of Sawtell. The beach is patrolled daily during the summer months and is popular for fishing, swimming and surfing.

North of Coffs Harbour is Sapphire Beach which is patrolled during the summer months at its southern end and offers parking, shops, playground facilities and beach showers.

Another beach North of Coffs Harbour is Emerald Beach which boasts a range of facilities including electric barbeques, a childrens playground, toilets, picnics shelters, a boat ramp and beach showers and is close to the shops.

But the best surf is to be found at Diggers beach and Macauleys Beach.

The Solitary Islands Marine park is a water lovers haven offering charter fishing, sea kayaking, whale watching and diving. It is blessed with diverse marine life which makes it a haven for divers.

Coffs Harbour is an area of banana plantations, dense rainforest, beaches and high mountains. It is an area growing rapidly due to its popularity for sea change revellers who choose to bring their families into a safe and opportunistic area offering social, educational and cultural experiences for the whole family to enjoy.

Coffs Harbour History

Coffs Harbour's money spinners are from the tourism industry, banana industry and fishing industry. The Big Banana is one of the main tourist sites and was one of Australia's big things built in 1955. The name Coffs Harbour originated from Korffs Harbour after John Korff, a mariner who discovered the bay and took shelter during a violent storm in 1847. The harbour became a busy port for shelter and trade with hundreds of ships stopping each year. Timber getters arrived in Coffs in the mid 1800's as the area was rich in red - cedar around the Coffs creek catchment. The timber industry was the main industry in the early 1900's and Coffs grew rapidly after the railway line was completed between Coffs and Sydney in 1923. The banana industry also flourished in the early 1900's after the railway line was completed. These major industries allowed Coffs Harbour to grow into the vibrant city it is today. The Coffs Coast is defined as the area between Red Rock in the north to Scotts Head in the south.

Coffs Harbour Caravan Parks & Backpackers

Coffs Harbour Caravan Parks

Coffs Harbour Hostels

Coffs Harbour Weather

Coffs Harbour Map