The next stop on our East Coast Itinerary was Coffs Harbour, a mere 6 or so hours on the coach from Newcastle. We also realised on this long journey that we had little to no clue how we were going to get to the hostel when we exited the bus, as it was around a 45 minute walk away (with a backpack weighing the equivalent of a small child....just no).
When we arrived in the Bus ‘station’, we envisioned finding a building, with maybe a cafe and most probably some taxis parked outside...problem solved? Sadly, this didn’t happen and the ‘bus station’ was a tiny bus SHELTER, if anything at all. Luckily, there was a shuttle bus to take us to the YHA Coffs Harbour and we ended up arriving about 4pm.

That afternoon, we settled for a coffee near the sea and a short walk, before chilling out for the rest of the evening in our messy, BOILING, but overall fairly okay room. We woke the next morning ready to make the most of our only full day in Coffs Harbour. The first outing of the day was climbing Muttonbird Island, quite a steep hill but not too far, to get amazing views of the whole of the harbour. We carried on slightly don the other side of the island and found a secreted bench to eat our picnic on, with no one to be seen or heard, just the serene sound and view of the ocean. After our walk down from the island, and being another amazingly warm New South Wales day, we decided to skip our next planned walk, and instead spend the afternoon swimming and lounging by a small creek, just in from the sea. Sadly, I got sun burnt, despite plenty of sun cream, but David was pleased to try out a snorkel borrowed from the hostel, and I enjoyed relaxing in the shallow water of the creek, without the fear of a shark that usually accompanies swimming in Australian waters!

Our final activity of the day was taking part in the Coffs Harbour tour, ran by the YHA hostel, which for just $10, you got a mini bus tour of the town. Our first stop was the ‘big banana’, just one example of Australia’s love of oversized fruit! Followed by a trip to a viewing platform, and finally seeing the wild kangaroos near the beach. As it had cooled down a bit by this time, it was perfect weather for exploring and felt like the perfect summer’s evening. One more night in the hostel (when some people spotted multiple huntsman spiders! Thankfully not us!), before the early morning call to, once again, get back on the bus up the coast.

Highlights: The beach day in the sun!

Accomodation: Coffs Harbour YHA