Food
When we moved to Coffs Harbour on Gumbaynggirr country on the New South Wales mid-north coast in 2007, we really missed Sydney’s multicultural food. Thankfully, Coffs is a well-supported refugee settlement city and it didn’t take long for those communities to gift us an assortment of culinary options.
There are Syrian, Iraqi, Burmese and Indian food stalls at Harbourside Markets on Sundays. Some are brick and mortar now including Mana Chita (Ethiopian) and Pig and Khai Filipino restaurant. Everyone loves Tigi of Mana Chita – she’s a beautiful personality in the town. I love the injera bread: it’s light and holey and sour-tasting and you scoop up the curry with it. She does a super-spicy goat curry too, which many locals crave.
For fish and chips, the go-to is the Fishermen’s Co-op on the harbour but locals usually go to the backstreet one called Sea Salt. That’s where you get your fancy wild-caught fish.
When we first moved here the coffee was pretty poor. Now good coffee is everywhere. There’s a tiny Brazilian cafe called Hope Road and a lane-way cafe called My Mate’s Place. I go to Lady A to sit outside and people watch, and Supply near the beach for delicious breakfast and coffee. Dark Arts has occult kind of decor, drippy candles and velvet couches. It’s dark and cosy; ideal for a rainy day.
Green (or blue) spaces
Coffs is the only place in NSW where the Great Dividing Range continues into the ocean, creating the Solitary Islands marine park (Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours runs standup paddleboard tours here and in the waterways of the Orara East state forest). It’s a unique marine ecosystem where the cold southern currents meet the warm tropical currents from the north. Scuba divers come to swim with the grey nurse sharks and there are dolphins, whales and turtles. We get whale sharks here too, which is amazing.
Jetty beach is inside the harbour so it’s great for little kids. Dogs are allowed at many of the beaches, including Woolgoolga back beach, where people surf and four-wheel drive. But Diggers beach is my favourite. You hang a right at the Big Banana to find it. There’s always a calm patch to swim as well as decent surf and rock pools to explore. There’s a steep, bushy cliff that plunges into the ocean; it reminds me of Hawaii. Diggers is patrolled by lifeguards during the school holidays.
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden is a hidden jewel set along a creek that ribbons all the way through town. There are bird-watching huts on the boardwalks over the mangroves. The Coffs Creek and Harbour loop is a great bike ride that takes you to the jetty to cool off with a swim before returning up the other side. Then there’s the rainforest and rolling green countryside so close to town. Dorrigo national park is an hour away, through Bellingen. You can walk through the waterfalls there on the Crystal Shower Falls walk.
Muttonbird Island is Coffs’ main tourist attraction after the Big Banana. It’s a significant Indigenous site and home to thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters (or muttonbirds) that migrate from south-east Asia back to their own unique burrow in August each year. The invigorating walk over the island rewards you with spectacular views back to town, across the mountainscape and out to the Solitary Islands where whales pass by in the winter. This spot has reset my discombobulated soul many times; it’s an elixir of sorts, all the locals feel it. It’s a super-highway of foot traffic in tourist season though, so go at sunrise or sunset if possible. There’s a great self-guided audio tour presented by the well-loved local Gumbaynggirr custodian Matt Flanders.
Nightlife
Coffs is a pub town. There are lots of cover bands, which is common in smaller towns, but locals are doing their best to support original live music too. The Backroom at the Coffs hotel has heavier stuff, and Archive is a warehouse slash arts space with chilled-out folk gigs. King Tide Brewing opened in 2022 and is like something plucked out of Melbourne and popped in a back alley of Coffs. There’s a massive Polish mural and pierogi and pork knuckle on the menu. The beers often feature a local artist’s work on the label.
We had an influx of thirtysomethings with astute business minds after Covid began who opened some great spots. On the main street of Sawtell there’s a frosted window and a little sign that says “Athletic Club”. It’s quite secret. You push the heavy door to reveal a lovely cocktail bar waiting inside. Bar Que Sera is also in Sawtell and is beautifully fitted out with delicious small plates and great wines.
Inspiration
Most people in Coffs are really sporty and into their footy, fishing or surfing. But even if you’re not sporty, the culture of Coffs is being outside. It’s swimming in beaches and rivers, paddling in creeks, mountain biking or picnicking by the water’s edge with friends. It’s eating at the Twilight food market on a Friday night in summer where you meet friends with a bottle of wine, listen to music and let the kids run around the waterfront. The Coffs Coast growers market is in the middle of town on a Thursday with local produce as well as the honey people and the mushroom guy.
The new cultural hub, Yarrila Arts and Museum is spectacular, right in the middle of town and built around a huge old fig tree. It’s a library, museum and art gallery and a beating heart for creatives to gather. Recent street art festivals including All Walls and November Reign are drawing loads more foot traffic down our alleyways too.
Neighbourhoods
Sawtell is for quality breakfasts, bars, coffee and Sawtell Memorial rock pool. Coramba is the place for a lazy afternoon at the Coramba hotel. It’s a pretty unassuming old art deco country pub but you can have a beer and a schnitzel in the garden overlooking the stunning countryside. There’s a creek nearby where you can kick your shoes off and have a paddle. Woolgoolga has a relaxed beach town vibe. There’s Sikh temples, top-notch whale watching on the headlands and Busta, the shipwreck, that emerges from the sand from time to time. You can take your dog and your kids most places and everyone’s pretty cool with it.
Stay
I’ve heard good things lately about Emerald Beach caravan park (from $40 for an unpowered campsite and from $139 for a cabin) as it’s been done up recently. Diggers Beach Cottage (from $430 a night for six people) looks lovely. It’s in between two gorgeous bays and is close to Macauleys Headland coastal walk.
Sarah Lyttle is an illustrator (known as flossy-p) who teaches art to community groups. She has several murals in Coffs Harbour
