Coffs Harbour - Flora And Fauna

Today we began with an trip to Dolphin Marine Magic at Coffs Harbour. Although pricey, and very touristy, this attraction was a lot of fun. We got to have seal and dolphin kisses, watch the sea-life show, feed the fish, seals and penguins.

After a quick stop to find another geocache we headed off to the Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens for a picnic and walk. Lots of different habitats are displayed here including rainforest and mangrove swamp. We walked through the glass-houses and along the boardwalks spotting birds and interesting plants. There was even a maze to explore.

Later in the afternoon we drove down to Mutton Bird Island.

We didn't see any mutton birds but we did spot this heron.

After that it was time for freshly caught and cooked, fish n chips by the marina before heading back to camp.

Coffs Harbour - Butterflies, Adrenalin and Relaxation

Today the children woke hideously early without their back-out blinds to the sound of birdsong (and Mum moaning about morning!). Out on our cabin veranda L made friends with a cheeky Rainbow Lorikeet.

First stop of the day was the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House. Here we spent a good while watching the butterflies flutter about from tree to tree. Outside there was a maze to get lost in. We also managed to do a little geocaching as there was a cache hidden at the attraction.

Next it was time for us to get our adrenalin pumping at Raleigh International Raceway. No one wanted to go in the go-cart with slow old Mum, but a toss of the coin sorted that out. Girls vs boys. We got lapped 3 times!

For something a little more relaxing we headed into Bongil Bongil national park for a picnic and stroll.

A short drive from the picnic area, in another section of the park, we took the rainforest walk. There were lots of amazing plants along the way including huge Staghorn Ferns clinging to trees, fan palms and strangler vines.

Close to the car-park there was also access onto the beach.

Our last stop for the day was Boambee Headland. Here there were great views across Sawtell and the national park surrounding the area. We clambered down onto the beach to get a close look at the lichen encrusted rocks. Along the cliff top path we made our second geocache discovery of the day and released one of our trackables.

Once back at the cabin we discovered L had picked up a tick on her back. Assisted by Google and the tweezers (a permanent fixture in out first aid kit since "the cactus incident") Dad removed the bug and flushed it down the loo! Just time for a quick go on the playground before crashing into bed.

Coffs Harbour - The Journey

We decided to have a week away exploring parts of New South Wales we haven’t visited before. We picked Coffs Harbour as it has a nice mix of natural and tourist attractions. It takes around 6.5 hours to drive up to Coffs Harbour so we decided to break the journey and see some national parks on the way up.

Our first stop was Crowdy Bay National Park. Here we took a short stroll through the rainforest onto the beach. We spotted this goanna up a tree searching for ants. There were many, many types of birds in the forest and we recognised the call of the Lyrebird although we didn't see one.

We took the gravel road up through the park spotting more goannas and some kangaroos along the way. 

We stopped again at Diamond Head for a stroll along the beach to some interesting rock formations surrounded by bright blue water. As usual L collected lots of shells.

Further up the coast we visited Kattang Nature Reserve for some spectacular views back across the national park.

Our last detour was an upward spiralling drive over 490m above sea level to the lookouts in Dooragan NationalPark. Here we took a stroll through more rainforest to lookouts over the many lakes in the region. After that it was back on the highway again for the rest of the trip to Cofffs Harbour.

We stayed in cabins at Sawtell Beach Holiday Park and were pleasantly surprised by the weather which is a great deal warmer than Sydney. The children were hoping to see possums around the camp-site but our torches revealed nothing. 

Peak Pursuits

Yesterday we joined friends for a trip to Peak Pursuits climbing centre. I was climbing too so I didn't get any pictures but here's one a friend took.