Around the Coffs Harbour, Nambucca region. |
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| Other attractions of the region are regular music festivals, usually around Bellingen, there's the surf of course, and if you come across them, various members of the Australian film community. Just don't upset Russ.
The Clarence River is one of the bigger rivers of the region and fishing is a popular activity, with a commercial fleet concentrated around Yamba.
Yamba is about 2 or 3 hours drive away and as discussed elsewhere, can be reached via Tucabia or Lawrence. Across the river from Yamba is Iluka which can be reached by ferry if you're early enough. (Phone Clarence River ferries). Do be careful of tortoises crossing when driving some of these roads, particularly near Lawrence.
Most of the towns around here the Coffs region, on what they call the Holiday Coast, are between 15 and 40 kilometres apart so one doesn't suffer from the usual Australian problem of travelling large distances with little to see. The exception is the stretch from Woolgoolga to Grafton but that is only about 50 kilometres (30 miles) of scrubland heading out of the Coast district. They were having a wild horse problem locally a while back so don't run over any brumbies.
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Coffs Harbour is the centrepoint of a region of incredible beauty and (variety) ranging from the forests and farms of the hinterland to the rivers and beaches along the coast. Being a little over 6 hours driving time from Sydney, or 9 hours by train, it is not quite within weekend tripping distance but is not so far as to be unreasonable for a 4 or 5 day break. It is fortunately far enough from Queensland for it to be non-viable for weekend tripping cockroaches (over 4 hours) though the N.S.W. taxpayer is making it easier for them by building expressways from Queensland to Byron Bay for them to swarm down.
Coffs climate in winter is pleasant and it is not often unbearably hot in summer. Motels abound and some places on the highway southwards are quite reasonably priced. Several clubs provide bistro meals of good value and there are many better class restaurants as well as the hard to avoid MacDonalds and KFC. Additionally, hotels in places such as Lawrence, Maclean and Bellingen provide a pleasant day trip encompassing a good meal. Maclean does hold a highland festival early in the year.
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I should mention what I consider are reasonable motel prices. On the basis of a single in around 3-star which is my usual booking, I consider $40-$50 not bad but $50-$60 a little excessive. In Australia there is little difference between single and double rates which seems a little inequitable. Moreovcer, there is what I call Motelier Arithmatic which says getting a 2 night occupancy at $55 pn is better than getting a 3 night occupancy at $45 pn. So the person or couple looking to stay for 3 or 4 days move on to the next town in the hope of something less than $55-$60 or even drop the idea of making the trip altogether. It isn't as if most motels were getting 90% occupancy all the time; perhaps some but an awful lot are almost empty at least 3 or 4 nights a week.
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