Tourist or not, you may find yourself wondering what to do in Coffs Harbour.
This little city nested on the northern coastline of New South Wales in Australia has some of the best the country has to offer. From the gorgeous beaches to the well preserved parks and pockets with abundant wildlife, to live in Coffs Harbour is to live in nature.
Indeed, more and more people are making the move over there, in search of a more laid back lifestyle and the more affordable real estate in Coffs Harbour. If you want to learn more about this NSW city, you can check out our Coffs Harbour Suburb Profile.
So, whether you’re alone, with your partner, friends or with the kids, we’ve got a solid list of Coffs Harbour fun below.
Dolphin Marine Conservation Park
If you’re an animal lover, you’ll love seeing dolphins in the flesh at the Dolphin Conservation Park. Here, sick and injured dolphins, sea lions and penguins find rehabilitation.
A centre over 50 years old, you have the rare occasion to get up and close to marine mammals like bottle-nosed dolphins, endangered Australian Sea Lions, Little Blue Penguins, Freshwater Turtles and local Reef Fish. You can even feed them! Something great for every age.
Forest Sky Pier
Get ready for some pretty spectacular views—the Forest Sky Pier, also known as Sealy lookout, is a 22 metre lookout that towers over the verdant rainforest at 15 metres in height. Take in the beautiful views of the city and Coffs coast.
The drive to the pier itself is an experience. It’s a long and windy road that takes you past magnificent views for about 5-10 minutes. A must-see!
Dorrigo National Park
While the Dorrigo Park is an hour from Coffs Harbour, it’s one of the must-sees if you’re there. Nature lovers and fitness enthusiasts will love the picturesque walking trails, waterfall walks, quaint picnic spots tucked away in the forest and excellent birdwatching opportunities.
Crystal Shower Falls, for one, is one of the biggest waterfall attractions. It takes about 1.5-2 hours to get there and leads you to views behind the waterfall.
Got kids between the ages of 5-12? Pay $10 and have them be taken around the park for an hour to play discovery games that connect them to nature.
Big Banana Fun Park
We can mention Coffs Harbour without talking about the Big Banana! This huge sculpture of, well, a banana, is the most famous landmark in Coffs Harbour. Inspired by the “Big Pineapple” in Hawaii, this Big Banana Fun Park is the largest water park between Sydney and the Gold Coast.
It has tons of different water slides but also has “an Ice Skating Rink, Toboggan Ride, “The World of Bananas” theatre and tour experience, state-of-the-art Laser Tag arena, 36 hole Mini Golf Course, the biggest Giant Slide in the country known as “The Racer”, Go Bananas Fun Zone, 4D Ride Simulator, Gift Shop, Going Bananas Cafe, Candy Making Kitchen, Opal Centre, Cheesemaking Workshop and Steve McEwans Reptile World.”
Coffs Harbour Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve
Want beautiful views of the solitary islands from the eastern coastline whilst admiring the migratory muttonbirds in their natural habitat? You can do exactly this at the Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve.
Download the self-guided tour which tells you stories of the islands while you are guided on a steep climb to an amazing lookout point. You might even spot some wild animals like dolphins, stingrays and humpback whales (from May to October).
We recommend between August and April for the chance to spot the most animals.
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden
In the heart of Coffs Harbour is where you’ll find the serene North Coast Regional Botanic. From self-guided walks to charming sitting areas with picnic tables and a glasshouse, the garden offers plenty to do.
You easily spend two hours here on a leisurely walk past native trees and plants, as well as a little Japanese garden. You might even spot some koalas and lizards.
Coffs Harbour Butterfly House
The Butterfly House offers the chance to walk amongst hundreds of real, live butterflies. Ranging a variety of different species, you can ask the nearby guides all the questions you want to learn more about these creatures.
For the young ones, you can give them the opportunity to see dinosaurs in a live show as well as get lost in the walled maze.
Coffs Harbour Beaches
You might already know this but Coffs Harbour has some amazing beaches where you can spend whole days relaxing, strolling, swimming or snorkelling.
Check out Park Beach, Coffs Harbour Beach and Diggers Beach.
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You might also want to know where to eat in Coffs Harbour. There are enough activities, restaurants and houses for sale in Coffs Harbour to inspire anyone to make a move over there. Just remember to register yourself on Soho to keep up to date with rentals and property sales!
