Coffs Harbour: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Coffs Harbour grew up around a timber jetty and a set of breakwalls that turned an open bay into a port. Everything along that waterfront can be walked in a morning: a gallery in a wartime bunker, a mangrove creek, the jetty and finally the island at the end of the wall. Allow three hours with stops, and start early if you want the jetty in the sunrise light. The path up Muttonbird Island is short but steep; take water and a hat.
A short history of Coffs Harbour
The area is the country of the Gumbaynggirr people. In 1847 Captain John Korff took shelter from a storm in the bay, and the place was named after him, although the name was later corrupted to Coffs. At first the settlers lived from logging, and in the 1880s they began growing bananas on the slopes. In 1892 the long timber jetty was built, from which timber was loaded onto ships. In 1964 the "Big Banana", a huge concrete sculpture in the shape of a banana, was built near the town, one of the first of Australia's "Big Things". Today it is the largest city on the north coast of New South Wales.
The ten best sights in Coffs Harbour
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1Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Woolgoolga
Visitors are welcome; cover your head and take off your shoes at the door
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2Bunker Cartoon Gallery
A small gallery underground; good on a rainy morning
3The Big BananaThe photo is free; the water park and rides are extra, so decide before you go in
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4Coffs Harbour Jetty
Walk out at sunrise; the timber deck faces straight into the morning sun
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5Muttonbird Island
Walk across the breakwall and up; stay on the path, the hillside is full of burrows
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6International Marina
Whale-watching and diving boats to the Solitary Islands leave from here
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7Beacon Hill Lookout
Five minutes by car above the harbour, for the view of the breakwalls and the island
8Forest Sky PierA platform hanging out over the slope above town; go up for the late-afternoon light
9North Coast Regional Botanic GardenFree, shady and quiet, a ten-minute walk from the centre along the creek
10Coffs Creek mangrove boardwalkA flat boardwalk through the mangroves, between the centre and the beach
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Coffs Harbour →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Coffs Harbour:
Free walking tours in Coffs Harbour
The harbour on foot
Coffs Harbour grew up around a timber jetty and a set of breakwalls that turned an open bay into a port. Everything along that waterfront can be walked in a morning: a gallery in a wartime bunker, a mangrove creek, the jetty and finally the island at the end of the wall. Allow three hours with stops, and start early if you want the jetty in the sunrise light. The path up Muttonbird Island is short but steep; take water and a hat.
- Bunker Cartoon Gallery · The gallery sits inside a concrete bunker dug into the hill during the Second World War, when the coast feared Japanese attack. Today it holds a large collection of Australian cartoons, one of very few galleries in the country devoted to them.
- Coffs Creek mangrove boardwalk · The pencil-like spikes sticking up from the mud are roots that breathe. Mangroves grow in waterlogged, airless mud, so they send up these roots to take in oxygen at low tide.
- Dolphin Marine Conservation Park · The park opened in 1970 as the Pet Porpoise Pool, with dolphin shows in the style of the time. It has since been renamed and refocused on rescuing and rehabilitating injured sea animals.
- Beacon Hill Lookout · The town is named after John Korff, a ship's captain who sheltered here from a storm in 1847 and called it Korff's Harbour. A mistake in the official spelling turned it into Coffs.
- Coffs Harbour Jetty · The timber jetty was built in 1892 so ships could load the hardwood logged in the hills behind town. Before the breakwalls existed, ships tied up at it in the open sea, exposed to every storm.
- Muttonbird Island · Every year around August thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters return from the open Pacific to dig burrows on the island, and they leave again around April. Early settlers ate them, and their fatty meat is why the birds were called muttonbirds.
Bananas and the Solitary Islands
North of Coffs the hills come down green to the sea, planted with bananas on slopes so steep they look like they will slide off. Offshore lie the Solitary Islands, where warm water from the tropics meets cooler southern water. This route drives north along the coast for about 40 km with stops on headlands, at a Sikh temple and at an old Aboriginal fishing place. Half a day is enough; from June to November bring binoculars for the whales.
- The Big Banana · It was built in 1964 to draw drivers to a roadside banana stand, and is usually counted as the first of Australia's Big Things — the giant fruit, prawns and pineapples that now dot the country's highways.
- Forest Sky Pier · From here you see why the banana farms cling to the slopes: on steep north-facing hillsides cold air drains away at night and the sun hits the plants all day. For decades this coast grew much of the bananas in New South Wales.
- Woolgoolga Headland · James Cook sailed past in May 1770 and named the Solitary Isles. Today they form a marine park where tropical corals and fish live alongside temperate kelp and sea life.
- Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Woolgoolga · Punjabi Sikhs came to this coast to work and later to grow bananas, and in 1968 they built in Woolgoolga the first gurdwara in Australia. The town still has one of the largest Sikh communities in regional Australia.
- Arrawarra Headland · On the rock platform are stone fish traps built by the Gumbaynggirr people: low walls that hold fish behind them as the tide drops. They are among the few such traps on this coast still recognised and cared for by their traditional owners.
- South Solitary Island · Its lighthouse was lit in 1880 on a rocky island with no harbour, and keepers and supplies were hauled up by crane. It was one of the loneliest postings in New South Wales until the light was automated in 1975.
Up the Waterfall Way
Inland from Coffs a road called the Waterfall Way climbs from the river town of Bellingen up the escarpment to the Dorrigo plateau, through rainforest that has changed little since Australia was part of Gondwana. It is about an hour from the coast to the top, and the air is noticeably cooler. This route stops in Bellingen, walks the rainforest at Dorrigo and ends at a waterfall by the road. Allow a full day, carry a rain jacket, and expect leeches on the trails after rain.
- Bellingen Community Markets · On the third Saturday of each month the town park fills with one of the biggest country markets on the north coast. Bellingen became a centre of alternative life in the 1970s, and the stalls still show it.
- Dorrigo Rainforest Centre · Dorrigo is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, listed by UNESCO in 1986. Some of the plant families here go back to the supercontinent of Gondwana, before Australia split from Antarctica.
- Skywalk · The walkway runs out from the edge of the escarpment at the height of the treetops, so you look across the canopy rather than up at it. On a clear day the Bellinger valley opens below all the way toward the sea.
- Wonga Walk · Watch for the satin bowerbird: the male builds a bower of sticks on the forest floor and decorates it with blue objects — feathers, flowers, even bottle caps — to attract a female.
- Crystal Shower Falls · The track crosses a suspension bridge over the gorge and then passes behind the falling water, inside a shallow cave in the rock. It is one of the few waterfalls in the region you can walk behind.
- Dangar Falls · The Bielsdown River drops about 30 metres here into a pool just outside Dorrigo town. After heavy rain the fall turns brown and thunderous, a sign of how much water this plateau collects.
Getting to Coffs Harbour and getting around
- Coffs Harbour Airport · Five minutes from the harbour, with direct flights from Sydney
- Coffs Harbour Station · Right by the jetty; the Sydney–Brisbane train stops here, mostly at awkward hours
Cheap eats in Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour's quick food comes from the sea and the hills: fish and chips at the harbour, prawns from the trawlers, and bananas in every form, from smoothies to frozen chocolate-dipped ones on a stick. The cafés along the jetty strip on Harbour Drive are the morning centre. Prices are in Australian dollars. On Sunday mornings the market by the jetty is the place for a cheap breakfast.
- Fishermen's Co-op · Fish and chips at the marina, about A$15-25
- Big Banana café · Chocolate banana and banana smoothies, about A$6-10
- K'pané Artisan Bakery · Bakery near the jetty; pastries and coffee about A$6-12
- Eric & Deb's Homemade Ice Cream · Ice cream at the marina, about A$6-9
- Sea Salt · Takeaway fish and burgers at the jetty, about A$12-20
- The Galley · Café at the marina for coffee before the boat, about A$5-15
- Darby & Co. · Breakfast café on the jetty strip, about A$15-25
Museums in Coffs Harbour
- Bunker Cartoon Gallery · Small, underground; good on a rainy day
- Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Woolgoolga · Visitors welcome; cover your head, shoes off
- Dorrigo Rainforest Centre · Exhibits on the Gondwana forests, at the start of the Skywalk
- Old Butter Factory, Bellingen · Craft shops and a café in the old dairy factory
Nature and day trips near Coffs Harbour
- Muttonbird Island · Over the breakwall from the marina; steep short path
- Dorrigo National Park · Rainforest walks and the Skywalk; an hour inland
- Crystal Shower Falls · Walk behind the waterfall; part of the Wonga Walk
- Dangar Falls · Roadside waterfall just past Dorrigo town
- Forest Sky Pier · Lookout over town and the coast, ten minutes up
- Woolgoolga Headland · Whale watching June to November
Things to do in Coffs Harbour with kids
- Big Banana Fun Park · Each ride paid separately; the banana itself is free
- Dolphin Marine Conservation Park · Shows and encounters; book the encounters ahead
- North Coast Regional Botanic Garden · Free, shady paths and boardwalks for a picnic
- Park Beach · Patrolled beach with a playground at the reserve
- The Clog Barn · A Dutch-themed stop with clog-making and a miniature village
Where to eat in Coffs Harbour
- Mangrove Jack's · Modern Australian by the creek; mains about A$30-45
- Latitude 30 · Seafood with marina views; mains about A$35-50
- Pier Hotel · The jetty pub; pub meals about A$25-35
- King Tide Brewing · Local craft brewery in town; a beer about A$10-14
- The Hoey Moey · Big beachside pub at Park Beach; meals about A$25-35
- The Breakwall Café & Restaurant · By the marina; dinner about A$30-45
Frequently asked questions about Coffs Harbour
What is there to see in Coffs Harbour?
The top sights in Coffs Harbour are Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Woolgoolga, Bunker Cartoon Gallery and The Big Banana. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Coffs Harbour?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Coffs Harbour without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Coffs Harbour?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Coffs Harbour, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The harbour on foot.
How do you get to Coffs Harbour and get around?
The main ways are Coffs Harbour Airport and Coffs Harbour Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Coffs Harbour, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Coffs Harbour that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Coffs Harbour for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.