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australia:nsw:coffsharbour
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NSW - Coffs Harbour travel
introduction
- climate is subtropical with warm to very warm wet summers and cool to mild dry winters:
- rainfall July-Oct is only 60-100mm /mth but from Nov-May averages over 140mm/mth with highest in March averaging 235mm/mth with 11 rainy days/mth compared with only 4.5 days/mth in July-Sept when skies are clearer and drier due to anticyclonic patterns generally to the north
- mean max. temperatures are around 19degC in winter and around 27degC in summer which is much more humid and subject to influences from tropical cyclones to the north and on-shore winds due to anticyclones to the south
- temperatures can hit over 36deg C between Nov-May!
- said to have the most liveable climate in Australia
- regular flights from Sydney but only once a week from Melbourne (Sundays)
- Coffs Coast International Buskers Festival in late Sept or October
- Bello Winter Music Festival Bellingen July
accommodation
resort style
- most seem to be a bit old, over-priced and in need of maintenance and updating with reviewers often commenting on poor cleanliness, lack of ambience, poor hot supply
- consider cottages on stayz.com such as those around nearby Bellingen if being close to the beach is not important
Local attractions
- Mutton Bird Island Nature Reserve
- whale watching May-Oct
- Coffs Coast Regional Park
- thin coastal park stretching north from Coffs Harbour
- Solitary Islands coastal walk
- Sherwood Nature Reserve
- Sherwood Forest drive (50km one-way) takes you from subtropical rainforest, through old-growth forest ecosystems and over the elevated sandstone plateau
- Waihou lookout - great views over Orara Valley
- Woolgoolga Creek picnic next to towering flooded gums and fringed with blue quandongs
- Woolgoolga Creek Falls walk - easy 3.5km return but several creek crossings may wet your feet
- Ulidarra National Park
- 10km north-west of Coffs Harbour which is around 15min drive then further drive into the park
- Sealy lookout
- Orara East State Forest
- Bruxner Park Flora Reserve picnic areas, short rainforest walk
- End Peak walking track - challenging 1.7km 2hr one-way walk up to the peak for panoramic views
- Bongil Bongil National Park
- coastal park including the combined estuary of Pine Creek and Bonville Creek which enter the ocean at the town of Sawtell
- 12km south of Coffs Harbour which is around 15min drive
- canoeing
- Bluff Loop walking track - easy 1.9km loop
- Bundagaree Rainforest Walk - 6km return gentle hike with optional return along beach to see sea eagles
- Tuckers Rocks - great for sunset photos
- Tuckers Rock Cottage
- Bindarri National Park
- 42km west of Coffs Harbour which is around 1hr drive through the ranges via Karangi and Ulong
- it is 47km north of Dorrigo NP which is a 1hr slow mountain drive
- Bangalore Falls - 500m walk then optionally walk 1.6km to Bindarray picnic area on the Urumbilum River with river pools to enjoy a swim in the crystal clear waters
- Mirrong Falls
- lyrebirds, red-necked pademelons, frogs, platypus
- 26km gentle mountain bike Plateau Circuit loop trail
- 80km round trip Orara Escarpment 4WD touring route climbs 600m
- The Big Banana
- tourist park
- Sapphire Beach
- north of Coffs Harbour
- Moonee Beach Nature Reserve
- small coastal park on a sheltered estuary great for canoeing or fishing
- 13km north of Coffs Harbour which is around 15min drive
- 19th century lighthouse
- Dammerels history walk 500m one way
- Look At Me Now Headland is an important Aboriginal site
- Wedding Bells State Forest
- 32km north of Coffs Harbour which is around 40min drive via Woolgoolga
North
- Grafton
- 85km north of Coffs Harbour which is just over 1hr drive via Woolgoolga
- Yuraygir National Park
- coastal park
- 97km north of Coffs Harbour which is just over 1hr drive via Woolgoolga
- 42km south-east of Grafton which is 37min drive
- Freshwater track - 45min 2km one way medium - leads you to a beautiful and remote beach
- Angophora grove walking track - 45min 0.6km one way easy stroll from Illaroo picnic area through bushland adorned with gracious old angophoras
- Angourie to Brooms Head - 6.5hrs, 18km one way coastal walk - variety of coastal ecosystems – over Mara Creek where it flows out at Back Beach and to the shores of beautiful Lake Arragan, and past caves on the southern side of Shelley headland.
- Angourie walking track - 2hrs 5km one way medium - a moderately challenging route linking Mara Creek picnic area in the north with Shelley Headland in the south
- Brooms Head to Illaroo - 7.5hrs, 18km one way coastal walk
- Corkwood and Scribbly Gum walking track - 30min, 1.25km, loop - short, easy hike that follows Station Creek Estuary upstream through coastal and scribbly gum forest
- Illaroo to Wooli walking track - 5hrs, 14km one way challenging coastal walk
- Rocky Point walking track - 1hr, 0.9km, easy walk, offers outstanding examples of Yuraygir’s stunning coastal landscape, with beautiful views of sandy beaches and rocky headlands.
- Wooli to Red Rock - 6hrs, 15.5km coastal walk - the most strenuous and remote section of Yuraygir coastal walk.
- Yuraygir coastal walk - 65km 4 days coastal walk
- Bundjalung National Park
- coastal park
- 141km north of Coffs Harbour which is 1hr 40min drive just bypassing Grafton
- 63km north-east of Grafton which is 47min drive to the south end near Yamba
- Ballina
- costal resort town
- 210km north of Coffs Harbour which is 2.5hr drive via west part of Bundjalung National Park
- Byron Bay
- coastal resort town popular with surfies, retirees, naturists
- 238km north of Coffs Harbour which is 2hr 48min drive via west part of Bundjalung National Park
- Tweed Heads
- costal resort town on the Qld border just south of the Gold Coast
- 294km north of Coffs Harbour which is 3hr 21min drive via west part of Bundjalung National Park, or a l ittle longer (3hr 49min) if you take the more inland route of the Pacific Highway
South
- Nambucca Heads
- coastal town
- 48km south of Coffs Harbour which is 45min drive
- South West Rocks
- 106km south of Coffs Harbour which is 1.5hr drive
- Hat Head National Park
- coastal park
- 121km south of Coffs Harbour which is 1hr 45min drive
- Port Macquarie
- a lovely coastal town on the estaury of the hastings and Maria Rivers popular with retirees
- 159km south of Coffs Harbour which is just over 2hrs drive
- Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve
- coastal park just north of Port Macquarie
- Lake Innes Nature Reserve
- coastal park further south of Port Macquarie
- Queens lake Nature Reserve
- park just south of Port Macquarie
- Dooragan National Park
- small mountainous park just south of Port Macquarie and just west of the coastal village of Camden Head
- Yoorigan National Park
- small mountainous park just south of Port Macquarie and further west of the coastal village of Camden Head
- Willi Willi National Park
- mountain park
- 200km south of Coffs Harbour which is 4hr drive, turning inland from the coast just before one reaches Port Macquarie
- 80-107km from Port Macquarie and 2hr 20m to 2hr 45m drive depending on the route, although the longer southern route via Wauchope gives access to Biriwal Bulga NP, Bulga State Forest, Tapin Tops NP, Werrikinbe NP and Mummel Gulf NP further west.
- Taree
- inland city on the Manning River just 35km (30min) north of Forster
- Crowdy Bay National Park
- coastal park 63km (1hr) south of Port Macquarie and 37km (41min) north-east of Taree
- Khappinghat Nature Reserve
- Talawahl Nature Reserve
- Forster
- a lovely coastal town on estuary of Wallamba and Coolongorook Rivers and just north of Wallis Lake and Wallis Island
- annual Triathlon competition
- 255km south of Coffs Harbour which is just over 3hrs drive
- Booti Booti National Park
- coastal park adjacent Wallis Lake
- Wallingat National Park
- park west of Wallis Lake
- Barrington Tops National Park
- 337km south of Coffs Harbour which is almost a 5hrs drive via coastal route or 427km and almost 6hrs drive via inland route through Armidale and Walcha
- Newcastle
- a major industrial coastal city
- 390km south of Coffs Harbour which is just over 4.5hrs drive
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- 531km south of Coffs Harbour which is just over 6hrs drive
West
- Coffs to Newcastle bike ride via Dorrigo, Ebor, Armidale - 36degC ride at end of May!
- Cascade National Park
- 62km west of Coffs Harbour across the ranges which is a slow 1.5hr drive
- lies north of Dorrigo and south of Nymboi-Binderay NP
- Box Ridge walking track - easy 1hr 1.2km return rainforest walk with huge, ancient brush box trees, pretty coachwoods and, during summer, the spectacular red flowers of the Dorrigo waratahs
- Mobong walking track - 1hr 5km loop, initially along a historic tramway then along the creek to waterfalls and serene pools, then return and the final 800m of the walk, you’ll travel through Wild Cattle Creek State Forest
- Nymboi-Binderay National Park
- 75km west of Coffs Harbour across the ranges which is a slow 3hr drive
- granite gorges and banks of the rugged Nymboida River
- Nymboida rapids are used by white water rafters:
- http://awildland.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/nymboi-binderay-national-park.html - stifling hot 38deg in late Nov!
- patches of the rare Dorrigo white gum
- short walks such as Red Cedar Track, Coachwood Track, Tramline Track
- Chaelundi National Park
- 134-156km north-west of Coffs Harbour across the ranges which is a 2.5hr-3hr drive depending on which of the 3 routes one takes coastal via Grafton to the north, valley via Grafton, or via Dorrigo to the south
- Dorrigo National Park
- 54km south-west of Coffs Harbour which is just under 1hrs drive along the coast then up a valley
- contains several tracks allowing hikers to view the park's waterfalls and vistas to the coastal plain. A notable feature of the park is the Skywalk, an elevated walkway through and above the treetops, providing birdwatchers with an excellent view of local bird life.
- Dorrigo Rainforest Centre area:
- Lyrebird Link Track - 800m return, 20mi
- Crystal Shower Falls walk - 1.5hrs 3km return (or continue onto the Wonga walk), enjoy spectacular views from the rocky cavern behind the waterfall via a suspension bridge
- Wonga walk - 2.5hrs, 6.2km loop, medium grade (some steeper sections, some steps and boulders) - cascading Crystal Shower Falls, Triastania Falls, 300-year-old trees, strangler figs, colourful fungi and interesting bird calls, shaded all the way
- Never Never picnic area:
- Rosewood Creek Track - gentle 2hr 5.5km circuit incl. Coachwood Falls
- Red Cedar Falls Track - 2hr, 2.2km return, steep up and down to highest falls in the park
- Casuarina Falls track - pleasant 2hr, 4.8km return with some steep parts
- Blackbutt Track - 3hr, 6.4km one way includes Casuarina Falls and Callicoma Falls, return by road is 4km
- Dangar Falls just outside of Dorrigo
- off-track difficult walks:
- Bellinger River National Park
- just south of Dorrigo NP
- an untouched wilderness of steep slopes and valleys filled with waterfalls
- unspoiled old-growth forests and rainforests
- there are no marked walking tracks in the park, but experienced bushwalkers can go exploring
- Griffiths Lookout, above the northern edge of the park, gives spectacular views of the coast and over the Dorrigo Escarpment
- New England National Park
- 71km south-west of Coffs Harbour which is around 1.5hr drive
- Cascades walk 3hrs 5.7km loop hard - An enormous variety of invertebrate animals live in the park and may be encountered on this walk - the most famous of which is the living fossil velvet worm, or ‘peripatus’
- New England wilderness Walk - 33km one way - hard, 20hrs
- Eagles Nest walking track - 2hr 2.2km loop, hard grade - Gondwana rainforest with huge mossy Antarctic beech trees covered in fungus and dotted with beech orchids, snow gum forest and outstanding views. In spring, you’ll be treated to the beauty of snow gum woodland carpeted with snowgrass tussocks and colourful wildflowers
- Guy Fawkes River Nature Reserve
- near Ebor
- Ebor Falls - 100m drop, near Cathedral Rock NP
- Cathedral Rock National Park
- 124km west of Coffs Harbour which is around 2hr 10min drive through the ranges via Dorrigo
- 67km west of Dorrigo NP which is around 1hr 20min drive through the valley via Deer Vale and Ebor
- 80km east of Armidale which is a 1.5hr drive
- large population of pure dingoes within the park
- one of the few remaining tracts of naturally vegetated land on the New England Tablelands having never been cleared for farming or actively logged
- Warrigal Walk
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- a place of peppermint gums, stringybark and swampland broken by peaks of granite boulders teetering skyward against fierce winter winds that spear ice across the high country
- there are few marked walking tracks in the park and off-track walking is difficult and you need gaiters for protection
- best in winter although nights will be noisy with the dingo mating season
- it is north of:
- Styx River State Forest
- Cunnawarra National Park
- Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
- Guy Fawkes River National Park
- Escarpment walk - 6hr 13km loop hard
- Armidale
- inland rural city
- 188km west of Coffs Harbour which is just under 2.5hrs drive across the Great Dividing Range
- Walcha
- interesting inland town
- historic mansion of Langford
- open air sculptures
- a significantly rare Aboriginal Dendroglyph tree at the museum.
australia/nsw/coffsharbour.txt · Last modified: 2019/01/10 11:10 by gary1
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