Top five highlights of the Coffs Harbour region

Coffs Harbour, home of the legendary Big Banana and stunning beaches for as far as the eye can see, prides itself on its natural coastal wonders.

However, it’s the Great Dividing Range that flows right down to the coastline that gives the Coffs coast some of the most diverse and unique areas to explore along the eastern seaboard. Much of the range behind Coffs Harbour was created more than 30 million years ago when a series of volcanoes were active, especially the Ebor volcano some 100km inland from the coast.

This volcanic activity created the rugged valleys and mountain ridges, the spectacular rivers and stunning areas of prehistoric rainforest pockets. And for four-wheel drivers it’s provided us the perfect playground to explore in so many different areas.

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Make sure you do your research before hitting the Coffs Harbour region as the tracks are like a giant maze criss-crossing through the forested areas.

Driving through this area can be as hard or as easy as you make it, while camping options are plentiful, from free camping in State Forests, booking online for campsites in National Parks, through to the many caravan parks in town. There are plenty of luxury accommodation options in town too.

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1. History in the hinterland

The discovery of timber (mainly red cedar) along the north coast of NSW opened up many areas deep into the thick forests and with this the flow-on effect was the discovery of gold, after which towns were born, rail lines were built and the population grew.

Up in the hills behind Coffs Harbour, history buffs will be astounded by just how much there is to explore, including the remnants of the more than 300 registered gold mines that date back to the mid-1880s, as well as the failed Glenreagh to Dorrigo rail line that covers nearly 70km, but which only ran for a few years.

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Throughout the hinterland there are some accessible abandoned structures including several tunnels, old trussed and steel bridges, various platforms, and old machinery.

Throw in the old gold mines with their tunnels, shafts and pits, where there were different degrees of success when it came to finding the shiny stuff, and the hinterland is a cool place to explore. The old rail line is marked on the topo maps with plenty of access roads leading to it.

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2. Off-road tracks

With more than 200,000ha of State Forest and National Parks to explore, getting lost is always a fun way to spend the day on the array of tracks around the Coffs coast.

If you don’t want to get lost you will need a decent GPS or good selection of maps. Along the Great Dividing Range you’ll need to use 1:25,000 topo maps with every bit of detail you can find.

The tracks around Coffs area range from easy forest roads with stunning views to technically challenging off-road tracks that are best left for the hardcore 4x4 clubs.

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One of the great things is that no matter how much or how little experience you have, the Coffs region is a great playground to get dirty in.

There are enough tracks here to whet your appetite with coastal sea views and through old-growth forests, many that meander their way to little villages along the way, to loops on which you can explore a mix of everything… all in one day.

Quite often you won’t see another vehicle all day simply due to the huge number of tracks there are to explore.

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3. Pebbly Beach area

Pebbly Beach has to be one of the most sought after beach camps along the eastern seaboard. What makes this place so special is that it’s only accessible during low tide, and there are limited campsites.

To access this special spot, peel off the Pacific Highway midway between Coffs Harbour and Grafton, after which you’ll meander along nearly 20km of dirt roads with several creek crossings and a mix of pine plantations and dry gum forest.

It’s then a 2km drive along a designated track through sand dunes before you pop out onto a stunning beach, and then head north for a further 2km with the ocean on your right and the dunes on your left.

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It’s at the end of the beach run that you have to cross the tidal creek, preferably at low tide, in order to access the stunning Pebbly Beach camping area.

If you want a spot, you’ll need to book well in advance through the NPWS website.

After a good night’s rest there’s no better place to wake up with beautiful sunrise views and salt air in your lungs, followed by a magical beach stroll. If by some chance you’re not keen to head up the beach, station creek camping area provides another option where you can base yourself and explore the area on foot.

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There are some pretty good 4x4 tracks that follow the ridge lines through the pine forests and incorporate powerline tracks. For something quirky head out to the Key Man statue on Yellow Cutting Road. What’s the Key Man all about?

It was created by Jonaas Zilinskas, who was born in Lithuania in 1919, and who migrated to Australia where he was involved in the timber industry. He was a performer with a circus and did many stunts on the high wire, and even today if you look up in the trees here you can spot several cables above.

He built the Key Man statue in 1957, and he was known to work in the nude while in the forest.

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4. Rainforests and waterfalls

With so much fertile soil, decent annual rainfall and plenty of warm sunshine, the rainforest in this area is lush and there are plenty of stunning waterfalls.

Most people head an hour away from Coffs to explore the Dorrigo region, with its world-class heritage-listed rainforest, complete with suspended walkways and cafes. But closer to Coffs in the hinterland there are many more rainforests that can only be accessed by 4x4.

The Orara River just west of Coffs flows 100km north to join other rivers before it heads east to the ocean. One of the river’s most popular spots is Bangalore Falls.

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Access is via 4x4 tracks and then a short five-minute walk to the falls, and it makes for a fabulous day out for anyone with a 4x4.

Because the range tracks along the coast, there are a number of other waterfalls wherever the terrain gets steep. Grab a detailed map and create your own adventure by discovering the Coffs hinterland.

There are dedicated roads to access many of these waterfalls, to either their base or top of the falls, which makes finding and enjoying them heaps of fun.

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5. Mount Coramba and tracks

The Coffs region is now regarded as the 4x4 capital of NSW with its range of challenging tracks that will test most skill levels.

At nearly 700m high, Mount Coramba is the ultimate four-wheel driver’s playground, with never-ending hill climbs and a variety of rocky and clay-based tracks. The mountain demands respect even in the dry, with track names like Rocky, Commando, Army, Morbid, Cyclone and more.

If you want hardcore off-roading, this is the place to come to, and you can easily spend a day on Mount Coramba traversing tracks to the top, and then do another run back down to the base.

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But be warned, when the weather turns, as it often does here, the rain turns the tracks to pure slop, and often traction is little to none which will have you reaching for the winch. It’s seriously steep country in here; grab a local topo map and look how close the contour lines are!

So what’s so good about Mount Coramba? Well when you get to the top there’s rugged views to the west towards the plateau regions, yet down below you the coastal ranges give you an indication just how close the mountains are to the sea.

Ironically, you can’t see Coffs Harbour from up here as the city was built in a bowl with the mountains as a close backdrop. Conveniently, Mount Coramba is only a 10-minute drive to the city centre, which makes it perfect for a quick drive… and if you get into strife it’s not too far to access recovery or parts.