Coffs Harbour

We spent five days in Coffs waiting for the right window to head north to Iluka/Yamba. Several days were overcast and rainy and we spent them doing jobs on the boat; laundry, re-stitching the sail bag and organising a new anchor bridle from the chandlery. The other days were lovely and sunny and warm and Matt built the bikes so we could go exploring around the area.

We discovered a stretch of restaurants representing just about every cuisine under the sun, and chose to eat tapas at the Mexican restaurant. The local Farmer’s Market set up right near the marina, so we stocked up with lots of fresh, local produce.

Liz and Paul from Amaranth, invited us, as well as Ian and Lyne from Meltemi, onto their catamaran for drinks one evening. It was lovely to chat and to hear their stories. The main topic of conversation amongst yachties at the moment is the Queensland border. When will it open? How will we get across? Both couples had permits to cross the border and planned to leave Coffs around the same time as us, but head straight into Queensland. They would be doing two weeks quarantine once they arrived. It was certainly food for thought for us, and we did a little research on our options over the following few days.

Well, we couldn’t come all the way to Coffs Harbour and not visit the Big Banana! Matt had never been before so it was definitely one of the sights we had to see. My memories are pretty hazy (In the 80’s we visited several of the ‘Big Things’ on family holidays, and my sister and I have a clear recollection of one of them in particular being super lame.) So we cycled out to the Big Banana, discovered (unsurprisingly) that it is super touristy, took the obligatory photo, and had a nice, if slightly expensive lunch.

Then we cycled up to Sealy Lookout, which an old guy living on his boat at the marina told us about. It was six kilometres of solid uphill from the turn-off at the highway. It was like riding the 1:20 in the Dandenongs, except this time we were on mountain bikes! Suffice to say, it was quite a workout. The road wound through hillside banana plantations and avocado groves and there were the cutest little roadside stalls selling bananas and avocadoes. My kinda place!

At the top we discovered that the main lookout (the Forest Sky Pier) was closed, but we were able to sit and soak up the views at another site. Then we flew back down the hill and home to the marina.

Obligatory tourist pose at ‘The Big Banana.’

Banana plantations on the road to Sealy Lookout

At the end of the break wall that runs alongside the marina is Muttonbird Island, which is a dedicated nature reserve. The island is an important breeding site and rookery for Muttonbirds and also for the Wedge-tailed Shearwater. The eastern lookout offers spectacular views of the Solitary Islands, and is an ideal place for whale watching. We saw a few birds, including the majestic Black-shouldered Kite that Matt managed to get some good photos of.

Black-shouldered Kite on Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve

One day I cycled out to Sawtell, a little town about 12 kilometres south of Coffs Harbour. To my delight there was a bike path for pretty much the whole way. I stopped at Boambee Head Lookout for sweeping views up and down the coast. It was a gorgeous sunny day with very little wind. There were several groups of people on the track up the top and they were all gazing out at and pointing to the still, flat ocean. Whales! We could see whales swimming just off the shore and others were breaching further out. It was awesome, and it made me realise just how lucky we are to have our close encounters with the whales on our yacht!

Sawtell Heritage Village is a quaint little town, with a picturesque main street lined with enormous old fig trees. I browsed in the boutique shops, before having a delicious toastie on one of the benches under the shade of the fig trees. Then a short cycle took me out to Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool, where I had a quick dip. Even though the sun was out, it still wasn’t that warm!