Tradewinds Holiday Apartments

Places where you can entertain grandchildren

by unravelau

There are a number of places to recommend and it very much depends upon your interests where you might go but, with grandchildren or children you need a little more entertainment I think.

Over the December Jan break I took my grandchildren to a NEW place that has a variety of entertaining things to do for children while providing air conditioned waiting and eating areas for grandparents and adults. TABATINGA is located next to the Greenhouse Tavern and is accessed off Bray Street Coffs Harbour right at the lights on the Pacific Highway. You can while away some hours while they mini golf in the glow in the dark or play in the Ball blaster fun shooting gallery. There is also a climbing jungle for two age groups which allows the really little ones to have a fun climb too.

Contact them on 02 66 580924 or check out their website. Great fun and reasonably priced food available.

THE WATERFALL WAY

by balhannah

The 191 kilometre Waterfall Way scenic drive begins in Coffs Harbour and finishes in Armidale. This spectacular drive has been voted the third most scenic in Australia
Once you have done it, you will understand why, as this road encompasses several national parks, waterfalls and gorgeous little villages. Dorrigo National Park is on the northern side of the Waterfall Way, Bellinger River National Park lies to the south.

I will drive carefully as the road is narrow with numerous sharp corners and steep descents, and in some places only one lane.

So, how about coming for a VT drive with me?....Just hop in the passenger seat, put the seatbelt on, get the camera out, and off we will go!

We are heading south along the Pacific Highway from Coffs Harbour until we reach Urunga, here, we turn right and continue through the lush Bellingen Valley to the small village of Bellingen. In a delightful location beside the Bellinger River, this town has quite a few art & craft shops, so we stop here for a walk and a look at the interesting shops. Lucky we are not here in extremely wet weather, as the road gets flooded and unpassable then!

Leaving the pretty valley behind, the road is climbing up the Great Dividing Range, now we are getting into the waterfalls area, with the Newell and Sherrard Falls being the 1st. They are accessible from the small town of Thora. It's so pretty now, tall gum trees, Cycads and heaps of tall Tree ferns on either side of the road.

Just before the town of Dorrigo, I take the turn into Dome Road which gives access to Dorrigo National Park. He we stop and do the Skywalk, a timber boardwalk built above the rainforest canopy, with spectacular views across the Dorrigo National Park all the way to the coastline, well worth the detour.
Another stop is at the pretty Dangar Waterfalls.

Now we are crossing the New England World Heritage National Park reaching the village of Ebor and the Great Escarpment, where there are rugged rocky cliffs, steep valleys, spectacular waterfalls and World Heritage rainforests stretching for over 100 kilometres.

A little past Ebor, is Point Lookout. Stopping here, we head to the viewing platforms, great distance views and of the near vertical cliffs.

Cathedral Rock National park and Wollomombi follow Point Lookout.
The Wollomombi Falls are one of the highest in Australia. , spectacular when there has been rain, as its a long single fall plunging into the Wollomombi Gorge, sometimes shrouded in mist, unfortunately, no water, so no photo!
The old gold mining town of Hillgrove and the Baker Creek Falls are the last places we stopped before entering the city of Armidale.

What a drive this has been, now we need to stay, and have a look at Armidale!

Close encounters

by iandsmith

Yuraygir is touted thus, "..provides excellent fishing and surfing opportunities and is said to contain some of the best beaches in the country." Personally, I think that's a bit over the top. There are definitely some areas on the north coast that are certainly its equal or better.
Having said that, the northern end probably has the better of it. Wooli and Minnie Waters offer some great fishing, especially if you have a boat, and Sandon Point is a noted surf spot while at the very north, Angourie is world renowned for its epic waves.
On my last visit I pushed the boundaries a little further and took the walk to Freshwater Beach, the next one up from Pebbly. (pic 4)
Since I didn't have my shoes there were some sharp moments and I managed to get a couple of small cuts in my feet, notably on the headland at Pebbly where the geology means that the striations are near vertical which has made for some nasty edges where the soft rock has left sharp ridges exposed. (pic 3)
At one stage I came across a lovely small branch that had yellow on it and some silver grey. Might get a close up of that I thought. Then it moved. Snakes do that. Lucky it was in an away direction!
On the return journey I saw 17, though none of them turned out to be snakes. It's amazing how much more aware you become after a close encounter.

ELLIS` KNOB LOOKOUT

by BerniShand

the lookout point gives stunning views over the Orara valley, you cannot see Coffs Harbour as Mount Coramba hides it, but you an see South Solitary island in the sea, the villages o Glenreagh and Nana Glen, and on a clear day we are told you can see the television tower on Mount Moombil

the altitude is 2000 feet above sea level, you can see for miles and miles..........

there is a picnic area here with a barbeque

Banana Plantations, Forests and Whales

by Favzoz

"A Bit of the Subtropics in Winter"

My week at Korora Bay in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia was delightful. You can see the banana plantations on the drive up to the Korora Scenic Lookout in the nearby State Forests of NSW and hike a short distance to view them and the ocean at Coffs Harbour. This picture shows why this area is referred to as the place where mountains meet the sea. Splendid! Listen and watch carefully. You might catch sighting of wildlife and interesting flora!

"Whale Watching in Coffs Harbour"

My son and I took a whale watching cruise off Coffs Harbour. Although my photo is not clear, I tried to capture the whale as it came up, unexpectedly, to the side of the boat and swam right underneath. It is amazing how graceful these large creatures are!

My son said that seeing the whale was THE most awesome thing. He also took much better photos than me!

"The Splash"

I wasn't quick enough with my camera to capture the whale jumping out of the water. I did manage to get the "splash."