Destination guides > Australia > New South Wales > North Coast > Coffs Harbour > Sights & activities
Coffs Harbour
Sights & activities
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
Big Banana
One of the more famous of Australia’s big things, this huge concrete banana is the focal point of a tourist complex that features monorail tours of a banana plantation.
Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour
Tel (02) 6652 4355
Website www.bigbanana.com
Admission free; charge for tours
Open 9am-4.30pm daily
Coffs Harbour Historical Museum
This small museum focuses on the region’s history.
191A High Street, Coffs Harbour
Bus 365 (Busways)
Tel (02) 6652 5794
Admission $3
Open Tue-Sat 10am-4pm
Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve
Overlooking the harbour and marina, Muttonbird Island is a great retreat and ideal spot for whale watching. It is accessible by foot via the causeway from Marina Drive.
Pet Porpoise Pool
This marine-themed animal park has performing dolphins and seals as well as native fauna such as cockatoos and kangaroos.
Orlando Street, Coffs Harbour
Bus 365 (Busways)
Tel (02) 6652 2164
Website www.petporpoisepool.com
Admission $28 ($22 HI/YHA, Nomads, VIP; $20 students)
Open 9am-4pm daily
Activities
Diving
Coffs Harbour is a popular place to learn to dive. Diving here is considerably cheaper than in Queensland and the nearby Solitary Islands Marine Park is a top diving spot.
Expect to pay around $395 for a four-day PADI dive course although shorter courses are also available. Dive courses are run by Jetty Dive Centre (tel (02) 6651 1611; website www.jettydive.com.au).
Sea kayaking
Liquid Assets (tel (02) 6658 0850; website www.surfrafting.com) run good value sea kayaking trips to the Solitary Islands Marine Park that give you the opportunity to see dolphins, turtles and whales. Half-day trips cost $50.
Skydiving
Coffs is a popular skydiving destination. Coffs City Skydivers (tel (02) 6651 1167; website www.coffscentral.dnet.tv/CoffsCitySkyDivers/) offers tandem skydiving.
Surfing
There is good surfing available around Coffs Harbour. East Coast Surf School (tel (02) 6651 5515; website www.eastcoastsurfschool.com.au) offers how-to-surf lessons for $50 for one lesson or $200 for a five-day course.
Whale watching
Up to 4,000 hump back whales migrate through the Coffs Coast. Cougar Cat 12 (tel (02) 6651 6715; website www.cougarcat12.com.au) run whale watching cruises between June and November that cost $44 for a 2½ hour cruise.
White water rafting
There are several companies operating white water rafting trips on rivers between Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay with pickups from Coffs Harbour hostels. The Nymboida River is the closest to Coffs Harbour and is a popular river for rafting. A one-day rafting trip on the Nymboida River costs around $160. White water rafting companies include: Liquid Assets Adventure Tours (tel (02) 6658 0850; website www.surfrafting.com), Rapid Rafting (tel (02) 6652 1741; website www.coffscentral.com/RapidRafting/) and Wild Scenic Rivers (tel (02) 6651 4575; website www.coffscentral.com/WildScenicRivers/).
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