10 PLACES YOU MUST SEE ON COFFS HARBOUR
The Top 10 Things To Do While On Coffs Harbour
DIGGERS BEACH
Diggers Beach – Coffs Harbour NSW
Diggers Beach is located across from The Big Banana so if you go to one you might as well check out the other.
Diggers Beach is sheltered and wide making it a nice place for kids to swim and play on the sand. Since it is sheltered also a popular surfing spot for the locals or for a wind-free beach walk.
You can start at either end and the views of the ocean and of both beaches are spectacular. The spot overlooking Park Beach in the photo above is a great place If you want to sit and watch the surfers, the spot overlooking Park beach is a great place.
RED ROCKS BEACH
Red Rocks Beach – Coffs Harbour NSW
Red Rock is a small but picturesque village 40km north of Coffs Harbour. The drive is well worth it because the beach is absolutely magnificent. Climb up the cliff on the northern end for a great view looking down the beach.
While it is small enough to do in a few hours or a day, for those wanting a little more time to explore the beaches, lagoons and swamps there a Caravan Park at Red Rock.
SAWTELL BEACH
Sawtell Beach – Sawtell NSW
Sawtell is a little town 15 minutes drive south of Coffs Harbour. The main street is divided by big fig trees. Lots of cafes and shops line both sides of the street.
Seasalt is famous for takeaway fish & chips The cafe at the Surf Club on the beach is great for for some great views while sipping a coffee or having a sandwich.
Sawtell Beach is a great family beach, especially toward the southern end which has a nice tidal rock pool area. Sailors Bay, has a small island which can only be reached at low tide.
CHARLESWORTH BAY BEACH
Charlesworth Bay Beach – Korora NSW
Charlesworth Bay Beach is a a hidden gem. Tiny, secluded, and sheltered, finding it is half the battle. Once there you will be glad you came because it offers some stunning views and is a great place for kids to unwind. Sea shells literally carpet the ground and the coves hide shells in all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes.
While it all may sound a little dull, the sheer remoteness, beauty and tranquility of Charlesworth Bay Beach is the very thing that makes it special. Find it, try it, and see if you don’t find yourself wanting to go back again and again.
MOONEE BEACH
Moonee Beach – Moonee Beach NSW
Moonee Beach Nature Reserve offers fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving, whale watching and of course plenty of hiking and picture opportunities.
Rare pandanus trees flourish, environmentally threatened bats roost in seaside caves while pockets of coastal rainforest burst with life and color. On the exposed headlands of Bare Bluff and the humble Look At Me Now headland rare and endangered plants make their home.
Magnificent scenic views and a scenic coastline comprise what is the traditional homeland of the Gumbaynggirr people. They consider Look At Me Now Headland as an important and powerful Aboriginal heritage site that needs to be respected and preserved.
EMERALD BEACH
Emerald Beach – Emerald Beach NSW
Near Look-at-me-now Headland, about 20 km from Coffs Harbour, Emerald Beach is a local surfing Mecca. Residents and tourists also flock here for fishing or swimming, and barbecues in the picnic area.
Lying just south of Woolgoolga, about 15 minutes north of Coffs Harbour, Emerald Beach is a great place for family vacation.
With a vibe more subdued than most along the northern beaches it is great for kids and for swimming. When the kids are finished swimming and building sand castles, there is a playground in the park behind the beach.
Emerald Beach is awesome for surfers. It features a near perfect southern left hand reef break.
The Saltwater Cafe and Restaurant is situated just behind the beach. You can enjoy a meal while taking in amazing views of the coast, or just grab a coffee and go.
SAPPHIRE BEACH
Sapphire Beach – Sapphire Beach NSW
Sapphire Beach runs from Green Bluff for 2.3 km to 30 meter high White Bluff, which is backed by the Sapphire Beach settlement. The presence of Split Solitary Island, lying 2.5 km off White Bluff, results in lower waves than those found at Moonee Beach.
The south west facing beach still has a double bar system, with up to 10 rips cutting across the inner bar. At times the outer bar will attach to the inner bar producing stronger rips. You don’t need to know what all that means to plant a chair in the sand and have a couple of cold beers and soak in some amazing views.
KORORA HEADLAND WALK
Korora Headland Walk – Coffs Harbour NSW
The Korora Headlands Walk is a 4 km trail in Coffs Coast Regional Park as you walk from Korora Beach, through Charlesworth Bay and up to Diggers Beach headland
Korora Headland is like a fairy tale forest where you can find tiny mushrooms, protected by enormous trees. Hidden amongst those trees and mushrooms are the beautiful wallabies and the colourful butterflies. The complete lack of anything but nature in and of itself makes for a magical experience. If you ever thought what it would be like to be a hobbit and live in the shire, this forest is probably as close as you can get without building your own dell out of mud and sticks.
ARRAWARRA HEADLAND
Arrawarra Headland – Coffs Coast Regional Park
Arrawarra Headland and offers incredible views over Solitary Islands Marine Park.
Swimmers and surfers also love this beach, It’s famous for its fantastic point break so if you’ve brought your surfboard, run, don’t walk, to Arrawarra Headlands. If surfing is a bit much, a cagey fisherman can try their luck casting off from the beach. Fishing, surfing, swimming, it’s all here at Arrawarra, including those amazing views of Solitary Islands Marine Park and Coffs Harbour.
OCEAN VIEW HEADLAND
Ocean View Headland – Coffs Coast Regional Park
About 3 km south of Arrawarra Headland is a series of three headland and four exposed east-facing beaches surrounded by the rocky cliffs.
The first is Ocean View Beach which curves for 900 m between the prominent Arrawarra Head and 30 m high Ocean View Headland. The road to Arrawarra Headland runs along the rear of the beach, providing access to a southern and central parking area.
The beach faces due east, but gets protection from the southern headland. It is composed of medium sand resulting in a single bar, with rocks also occupying the northern 300 meters of surf. Combined with Arrawarra Headlands, Ocean View Headlands is the opportunity for a landscape photographer to do what they do best and grab a few keeper shots.