The Great Dividing Range rolls down to the sea at Coffs Harbour and you notice the countryside changing as you get closer to the town. The scenery gets greener - probably all those waving banana fronds and avocado plantations - and the hills and valleys are more pronounced.
The country and coastline around Coffs is scattered with national parks, bushland areas and beachside reserves making this a really pretty part of the world. Exploring on foot is just one way for you to get in amongst all that natural beauty.
Two easy walks start close to the centre of town - Coffs Creek walk and Muttonbird Island.
The first is a gentle stroll that is great for those who can't manage a rugged wilderness walk - it takes between one and two hours and is suitable for wheelchairs. It takes you from Coffs Street just off the Pacific Highway in the city centre along Coffs Harbour Creek which winds through the Botanic Gardens. The track passes the Pet Porpoise Pool, the old town cemetery and winds around the back of the old town centre ending up in Englands Park near where the creek flows out to sea.
The Botanic Gardens covers a huge area - you can walk for six kilometres through the woodland, rainforest and mangroves of the gardens. Because the gardens are close to the cafes of High Street you can stop anytime for an ice-cream or coffee.
Muttonbird Island walk is a more natural experience and it starts from the Yacht Club on Jetty Beach - the closest beach to the High Street - and finishes on the island.
This walk has a really romantic start - you make your way along the breakwater past the bobbing yachts and fishing boats in the marina. Then it's up the hill to the island where signs tell you about birds and plants unique to the area. It's a bit of a climb, but well worth the effort for stunning views down the coast and across the hinterland.
Don't visit the Coffs area without taking the 'sea to the rainforest' drive and exploring at least part of Dorrigo National Park. The drive takes about an hour along the Waterfall Way. For a one-hour walk try the spectacular Walk with the Birds boardwalk, with longer walks starting at the Rainforest Centre. Straight out the back is the Skywalk - a dramatic boardwalk above the rainforest canopy that leads out over the edge of the escarpment. The World Heritage Wilderness Area and coastline views are spectacular from here.
If you have you children who hate to walk, the track to the Glade picnic area is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs and takes only 20 minutes. There are tables, toilets and barbecue facilities here, but be warned, the scrub turkeys are not shy and can smell a picnic a mile away.
One of the longer Dorrigo walks takes you down a steep escarpment - this is a hard walk - to a leafy valley where you'll find an old wooden railway used early last century to transport cedar logs to waiting ships at the coast. If you parked at the Rainforest Centre you'll have to climb the hill again and the round trip takes about four hours.
Bruxner Park is well known in the Coffs area for its beautiful native flowers. A collection of great walks start from here and some are well set up with signs that highlight plants and animals you might spot as you walk. Sealy Lookout walk and the Korora Lookout trail wind through the national park to seaside lookouts and spectacular coastal views.
For a more challenging walk try the Cycad track which loops back to the Sealy lookout walk taking in some unusual looking bushland on the way.
If you prefer beach walking to bushwalking, try a two-hour stomp over beach sand and rock platforms at Woolgoolga, about 25 kilometres north of Coffs.
Park in Ocean Street and walk down onto the rocks just past First Place. You'll need sturdy shoes to negotiate sharp bits on the rock platforms and to climb up some of the steep rock outcrops. Follow the rocks around Woolgoolga headland and you arrive on Back Beach, a pretty and sheltered bay where you'll soon spot a footpath taking you back towards Woolgoolga town centre.
Accommodation in Coffs Harbour ranges from camping and caravanning to motels and highly luxurious resorts. There are plenty of eateries too so you can end a hard day's walking with anything from a cheap counter meal at one of the town's hotels to a swanky dinner at a resort restaurant.
NSW National Parks can be closed at times of bushfire and bushfire danger. It is advisable to check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. Either phone 1300 361 967 (within NSW) or (02) 9253 4600 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
Don't forget your water and mossie repellent, the two musts for walking in this region.
Tom, Mudgee.
The best time to spot the waterfalls is after heavy rain when there is lots of water throughout the park system.
Ann, Brisbane.
4WD
