Coffs Harbour is a city on the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, north of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The

Gumbaynggirr The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

are the original people of the Coffs Harbour region. Coffs Harbour's economy was once based on timber and agriculture. Over recent decades, tourism has become an increasingly important industry for the city. Once part of a region known as the Bananacoast, today the tourist city is part of a wider region known as the Coffs Coast. The city has a campus of

Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is ranked in the top ...

, and a campus of Rural Faculty of Medicine

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

, a public and a private hospital, several radio stations, and three major shopping centres. Coffs Harbour is near numerous

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

s, including a marine national park. There are regular passenger flights each day to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

departing from

Coffs Harbour Airport Coffs Harbour Airport (formerly ICAO code of YSCH until November 2007) is the only airport located in and serving the regional centre of Coffs Harbour, Australia. The airport is located near Boambee, south of Coffs Harbour. Coffs Harbour Reg ...

. Coffs Harbour is also accessible by road, by

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

, and by regular bus services.

Geography

Coffs Harbour is a regional city along the Pacific Highway between

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. It has become a major service centre for those living between

South West Rocks South West Rocks is a town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby. The population of South West Rocks is 5,313 peo ...

in the south and Grafton to the north. Sawtell, south along Hogbin Drive from the city has become a satellite suburb of Coffs Harbour; it is increasingly referred to as being part of the city instead of its own entity as a town. The surrounding region is dominated by coastal

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

s and

apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

s with hinterland hills and mountains covered by forests,

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

and

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, and other farms. It is the only place in New South Wales where the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

meets the Pacific Ocean. The greater Coffs Harbour city is broken up into several suburb and precinct areas, including: * Red Hill * South Coffs * West Coffs * Coffs Harbour Jetty * Park Beach * Diggers Beach *

Korora ''Korora oliveri'', also referred to as Oliver's penguin, is a genus and species of extinct penguin from the Waitakian Stage (Late Oligocene to Early Miocene) of New Zealand. It was relatively small and slender, similar in size to one of the l ...

, West Korora * Sapphire Beach *

Moonee Beach Moonee Beach, Australia, is a small town on the Mid North Coast of NSW. It is located along the newly upgraded Pacific Highway. It is 13 km out of Coffs Harbour CBD, 543 km north of Sydney and 378 km south of Brisbane. Faciliti ...

* Emerald Beach * North Boambee Valley * Boambee, Boambee East * Toormina * Sawtell * Bonville The city is surrounded by many towns and villages in the Coffs Coast region, including: * Coramba * Nana Glen * Corindi Beach and Red Rock * Karangi *

Ulong Ulong may refer to: * Ulong Island, in the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean, sometimes called ''Aulong'' and originally written ''Oroolong'' in English * Ulong channel, a gap in the reef to the west of Ulong Island, popular with divers. * Ulo ...

* Upper Orara *

Woolgoolga Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway (Australia), Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 365 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is ...

History

The traditional inhabitants of the Coffs Harbour region are the Gumbaynggirr people, who have occupied the land for thousands of years, forming one of the largest coastal Aboriginal nations in New South Wales. Their nation stretches from the

Nambucca River The Nambucca River is a river located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Nambucca River rises below Killiekrankie Mountain on the Dorrigo Plateau, part of the Great Dividing Range, and flows general ...

in the south to around the Clarence River in the north and to the

in the west. By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast railway line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast were dependent on jetties either in rivers or off beaches for exporting their timber. Timber tramways were constructed to connect the timber-getting areas, the sawmills and jetties built into the ocean at Coffs Harbour.

Etymology

Coffs Harbour owes its name to John Korff, who named the area Korff's Harbour when he was forced to take shelter from a storm in the area in 1847. The name was accidentally changed by the surveyor for the crown when he reserved land in the area during 1861.

Heritage listings

Coffs Harbour has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 1 Breakwater Road:

Ferguson's Cottage Ferguson's Cottage is a heritage-listed residence at 1 Breakwater Road, Coffs Harbour, City of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the New South Wales Department of Public Works. It was added to the New Sout ...

*Coffs Harbour timber jetty, Jordan Esplanade

Demographics

According to the 2016 Census the population of the suburb of Coffs Harbour is 25,752. This is an increase from 24,581 in 2011. 52.5% of the population is female in contrast to the national average of 50.7%. The average age is 43, which is higher than the national average of 38. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.6% of the population. 75.5% of residents reported being born in Australia; higher than the national average of 66.7%. Other than Australia the most common countries of birth are England (3.2%), New Zealand (1.3%),

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

(1.1%), India (0.9%) and Germany (0.5%). 62.2% of residents also reported both their parents being born in Australia, considerably higher than the national average of 47.3%. 82.1% of people spoke only English at home. The top religious affiliations in Coffs Harbour are Catholic 20.0%, Anglican 17.9% and Presbyterian and Reformed 3.9%. 29.3% declared no religion and 11.1% did not submit a response.

Climate

Coffs Harbour has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'' according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system) with marked seasonality of rainfall. The city is relatively sunny, receiving 122.1 clear days annually, higher than Brisbane and Cairns but not as sunny as

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. Summers are moderately hot, wet and humid. Winters are mild with moderate rainfall.

Attractions

The Bunker Cartoon Gallery Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour was the hub for a thriving banana industry. One of the biggest attractions is the Big Banana, one of the first of

Australia's Big Things The big things of Australia are large structures, some of which are novelty architecture and some are sculptures. There are estimated to be over 230 such objects around the country. There are big things in every state and territory in Australi ...

(it celebrated its 50th birthday in 2015), with the World's Largest Banana celebrating the region's best-known export. There is also a popular

underwater diving Underwater diving, as a human activity, is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment. It is also often referred to as diving, an ambiguous term with several possible meanings, depending on context ...

spot on a small natural

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

. The Coffs Harbour Jetty is an historically important timber wharf where coastal shipping once moved the timber from the hinterland. It was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 25 June 2021, recognising its significance "as the longest coastal timber jetty built by the Harbours and Rivers Section of the NSW Public Works department in the 19th century." The jetty area is the subject of planning from 2018 by Council and consultants to develop a cultural precinct and rejuvenated residential area. Nearby, the Solitary Islands Marine Park preserves a diverse underwater ecosystem that mirrors the terrestrial biodiversity, covering the southern limit of northern tropical species and the northern limits of the southern temperate species. Muttonbird Island is accessible by walking along the breakwater from the harbour, with the nature reserve protecting a significant

wedge-tailed shearwater The wedge-tailed shearwater (''Ardenna pacifica'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a muttonbird, like the sooty shearwater of New Zealand and ...

breeding site. The Muttonbird Island footpath leads to a viewing platform where whales are often spotted between June and November. There are many national parks, reserves and marine parks surrounding the city, including: * Bellinger River National Park (west of Bellingen in the Bellinger headwaters) * Bindarri National Park (20 km west of the city, near Ulong and Dairyville) *

Bongil Bongil National Park Bongil Bongil National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 427 km northeast of Sydney. Many migratory birds and animals have found refuge in the Bongil Bongil National Park, and the surrounding forests are home to one of ...

(south of Sawtell) *

Cascade National Park Cascade National Park is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, northeast of Sydney. The park covers 3,700ha of temperate and subtropical rainforest. See also * Protected areas of New South Wales The Protected areas of N ...

(north of Dorrigo) * Coffs Coast Regional Park (beachside reserves and parks along the Coffs Coast) *

Dorrigo National Park Dorrigo National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney on Dome Road off the Waterfall Way, east of the town of Dorrigo. History The park is part of the New England Group of the World Heritage Site Gondwana ...

(just south of the Dorrigo township) * Hayden Dent Nature Reserve (northwest of Coffs Harbour) * Junuy Juluum National Park (north of Dorrigo) * Moonee Beach Nature Reserve (Moonee Beach-Emerald Beach) *

Nymboi-Binderay National Park Nymboi-Binderay is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney. It is located north of the town of Dorrigo. This park surrounds the granite gorges and banks of the rugged Nymboida River. The Nymboida rapids are us ...

(north of Dorrigo, east of Glenreigh, on the Nymboida River) * Solitary Islands Marine Park (in the Tasman Sea from Coffs Harbour to Wooli)
South Solitary Island
(18 km NE from Coffs Harbour in the Marine Park) * Ulidarra National Park (Bruxner Park and Mount Coramba area) *

Yuraygir National Park Yuraygir is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, located northeast of Sydney. It was created in 1980, a result of the merger and enlargement of two national parks, Angourie and Red Rock National Parks, both of which had been establis ...

(stretching from Yamba to Red Rock and west along the Coast Range) The town's water supply comes from the nearby

Orara River Orara River, a perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Orara River rises on the eastern slopes of the Dorrigo Plateau, Great Dividing Range, ...

at Cochranes Pool and is supplemented by the Nymboida River. The city hosts the Coffs Harbour Regional Botanic Garden.

Education

Coffs Harbour is home to the Coffs Harbour Education Campus (CHEC) which is a partnership between the

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

and the

Coffs Harbour Senior College Coffs Harbour Senior College is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Mixed-sex school, co-educational Comprehensive school, comprehensive Senior college, senior secondary school, secondary day school, located within the ...

. Other universities include the University of New South Wales Rural Clinical School located on the Coffs Harbour Health Campus. Australian Catholic University, Rural Education (REZ). Local state and private high schools include Coffs Harbour,

, Orara, Toormina, John Paul College, Coffs Harbour Christian Community, Bishop Druitt College and the Coffs Harbour Senior College. Primary schools include; Boambee, Bonville, Coffs Harbour Public, Coramba, Corindi, Crossmaglen, Karangi, Kororo, Lowanna, Mullaway, Nana Glen, Narranga, Upper Orara, Sandy Beach, Sawtell, Toormina, Tyalla, Ulong, William Bayldon and Woolgoolga Public School. Private primary schools in the area include; Mary Help of Christians, St Augustine's and St Francis Xavier's. Defunct primary schools * Brooklana Public – 1920–49 * Bucca Central Public – 1910–63 * Bucca Lower Public (Formerly Bucca Creek until May 1919) – 1896–1978 * Corindi Creek Public – 1920–62 * Timmsvale Public – 1928–70 * Yalbillinga Special School (Amalgamated with Coffs Harbour PS) – 1965–93 Other schools * Casuarina School for Steiner Education * Bishop Druitt College * Coffs Harbour Bible Church School * Coffs Harbour Christian Community School Special schools are public schools designed for children or youth with chronic disabilities or who for other reasons cannot be accommodated in the comprehensive school system. Coffs Harbour Learning Centre is available for these students.

Bypass

The Pacific Highway cuts through the centre of the city. Work has commenced to build a deviation. The project was approved in November 2020.

Local media

Newspapers

* ''News Of The Area'' - Printed and on-line publications. * ''Coffs Coast Advocate'' – The ''Advocate'' newspaper was until 2019 published on Wednesdays and Saturdays and delivered free to all homes. The newspaper is now online only. An online index of articles between 1993 and 2004 and selected articles dating back to 1900 is maintained by the Coffs Harbour City Library, though only articles relating to Coffs Harbour and its people are indexed. Historical: * ''Coffs Coast Independent'' – Weekly full-colour newspaper delivered free each Thursday to all homes in the Coffs Harbour district, closed 2012.

Television

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

ABC TV Plus ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

ABC Me ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

(public broadcaster) * SBS,

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS ...

SBS Food SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first revealed it would laun ...

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

(multicultural commercial broadcaster) *

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

(

NBN Television NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Nort ...

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History Nine N ...

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anim ...

9Life 9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scripp ...

(

Nine Entertainment Nine Entertainment (registered as Nine Entertainment Co. Pty Ltd) is an Australian publicly listed media company with holdings in radio and television broadcasting, newspaper publications and digital media. It uses Nine as its corporate brandi ...

owned and operated) *

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...

, 7two,

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

(

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

owned and operated affiliate) * 10, 10 Bold, 10 Peach, - (Owned by

WIN Corporation WIN Corporation is a private Australian media company, that owns assets including the WIN Television network, Crawford Productions and several local radio stations. The company is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. History Founding The WIN b ...

), (

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

affiliate) *

Sky News Regional Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

Of the three main commercial networks: *

airs ''NBN News'', a regional hour-long program including opt-outs for the

, every night at 6pm. It is broadcast from studios in

with reporters based at a local newsroom in the city. *''

Prime7 News ''Prime7 News'' was a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by Prime7. A statewide national bulletin, 5 full local news bulletins, and news update services was presented from Prime Media's National Headquarters in ...

'' airs a half-hour local news bulletin for the North Coast at 6pm each weeknight. It is broadcast from studios in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

with reporters based at a local newsroom in the city. *

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Netwo ...

airs short local news updates throughout the day, broadcast from its

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

studios.

Radio

Commercial

* 2HC 639 AM and 100.5 FM – talkback, news - including local, national & international; sport; and music. Part of the

Broadcast Operations Group Broadcast Operations Group is an Australian media company, operating radio stations across various centres across regional New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. Branded as the Super Radio Network, stations carry one of two formats – a n ...

's Super Network relaying a majority of programs from

2SM 2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group. The SM call sign is taken from the initials of Saint Mary's. 2SM's progra ...

in Sydney and 2HD in Newcastle. The station was purchased by Bill Caralis in 2005. *

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to th ...

106.3 FM – Part of

Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Australia, operating 86 radio station ...

, Triple M has limited local content - with shows such as ''Moffee For Breakfast'', as well as networked programming - like ''The Ray Hadley Morning Show'', and ''The Marty Sheargold Show''. The station was formerly known as 2CS FM until 15 December 2016. * Hit 105.5 (105.5 FM) – Part of Southern Cross Austereo, Hit 105.5 has a local Coffs Harbour Breakfast Show called the ''A.B & Ben Show''. It began in 1997 as a third commercial licence for the Coffs Coast. The station was formerly known as Star FM until 15 December 2016.

Government

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

91.5 FM *

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

99.5 FM *

ABC Classic ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...

97.9 FM *

ABC Coffs Coast ABC Coffs Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Coffs Harbour and broadcasting to the Coffs Coast region in New South Wales, Australia. History Originally part of ABC Mid North Coast, the ABC set up a bureau at 24 Gordon Street in Co ...

92.3 FM *

ABC NewsRadio ABC NewsRadio, since 2017 broadcast under the ABC News brand and for a short time known as ABC News on Radio, is a 24-hour news radio service broadcast by the Australian public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). ABC ...

90.7 FM

Community

CHY FM CHY FM is a youth-run community radio station located in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban ...

104.
CHY FM website
* Racing Radio 107.1 FM * 2AIR FM 107.
2AIR website

Narrowcast

* RawFM 88.0 FM

Transport

Bus

Beaumonts,

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Great Lakes, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia. History The ...

Forest Coach Lines Forest Coach Lines is an Australian bus and coach operator. Founded in 1930 in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney, since 2016 it has expanded with purchases in the Mid North Coast and North West Slopes regions in New South Wales. It is a subsidiar ...

, Newcombe and Sahdras all run service throughout Coffs Harbour and the surrounding areas.

Greyhound Australia Greyhound Australia is an Australian coach operator that ran services in all mainland states and territories until reduction of services in the 2000s. It is owned by KordaMentha (85%) and the Chapman Group (15%). The company was established ...

and Premier Motor Service long-distance coach services which run along the east coast also stop at Coffs Harbour. Forest Coach Lines runs frequent buses to the northern suburbs of Coffs Harbour and some less frequent services to Grafton. Most of the Beaumonts buses in 2011 were bought by Newcombe, originally Beaumonts bus service ran in the Orara Valley carrying high school and primary school students from the city of Coffs Harbour to their rural homes.

Train

Coffs Harbour is serviced by

. Three northbound and three southbound XPT trains stop at Coffs Harbour station each day.

Taxis

Local taxis are run by Holiday Coast Transportation and operate as 13cabs.

Air travel

is regularly serviced by Fly Corporate,

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as ''Virgin Blue'', with two ...

and Regional Express. The passenger terminal is accessible via Hogbin Drive. The Coffs Harbour Aero Club on Aviation Drive supports private pilots. Flying lessons and discovery flights, as well as air-work and charter flights are available from the club, which is also working closely with local high schools to provide flying training for students.

Sport

The most popular sport in Coffs Harbour is

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

. The city has four clubs in the Country Rugby League of NSW's

Group 2 rugby league Group 2 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales Since 1966, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton in the north to Macksville in the south. Group 2 teams played for ma ...

competition; Coffs Harbour Comets, Sawtell Panthers, Woolgoolga Seahorses, and Orara Valley Axemen. All clubs offer entries in age groups ranging from under-7s to first grade. The Sawtell Panthers are the current champions in first grade and under-18s, and Woolgoolga Seahorses were runners up to the Port Macquarie Sharks in reserve grade. Rugby League Clubs in Coffs Harbour * Coffs Harbour Comets * Orara Valley Axemen * Sawtell Panthers * Woolgoolga Seahorses There is a local

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

competition with three clubs in the city; Coffs Harbour, Northern Beaches-Woologoolga and Sawtell Saints. There is also a men's and women's soccer league, two rugby union clubs (Coffs Harlequins and Southern Cross University), junior and senior basketball competitions and the representative Coffs Suns, field hockey and netball competitions. In 2001, Coffs Harbour hosted the Oceania region's qualification matches for the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. One these matches played at Coffs Harbour was the

Australia 31–0 American Samoa ' On 11 April 2001, the Australian and American Samoan national association football teams played each other in an Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The match was played at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbo ...

game, which set a new world record for international association football's biggest-ever win. Pacific Bay Resort hosted 'Camp Wallaby' throughout the 2000s, in which the

Wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...

called Coffs Harbour home. The 2007 and 2013 City vs Country Rugby League representative fixtures were held in Coffs Harbour. The city is home to the

Coffs Harbour International Stadium The Coffs Harbour International Stadium (known as the C.ex Coffs International Stadium under a sponsorship arrangement) is an Australian stadium located in the coastal city of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. The stadium was opened in June 199 ...

, which has hosted FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and a Women's 2008 Beijing Olympics Qualification fixtures for the Matildas in

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

as well as some

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

(NRL) pre-season fixtures and domestic one day

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

matches. Coffs Harbour is also known for a great place to skydive due to the hinterland views where The Great Dividing Range meets the sea. The region has hosted international

rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

through the 1970s through to the early 1980s. After that time, the events became part of the Australian Rally Championship and NSW Rally Championships. It was the host city for

Rally Australia Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in Coffs Harbour as the final leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) until 2018. First run in 1988, the rally was held in and around Perth, Western Australia until 2006. It was par ...

, a round of the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. The rally used roads from the neighboring Bellingen, and Nambucca shires in addition to Coffs Harbour. The rally returned permanently to Coffs Harbour in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, the rally was run in November with a Super special Stage at the Coffs Jetty. It was last held in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Coffs Harbour is home to three locally grown sporting events attracting thousands of competitors each year: the Coffs Harbour Triathlon (bcu Coffs Tri), the Coffs Harbour running festival and the Coffs Ocean Swims, all raising money to local children's charities.

Notable residents

Attila Abonyi Attila Abonyi (born 16 August 1946 in Budapest) is a former Hungarian-born Australian soccer manager and player and played for the Australia national team. Abonyi made his senior international debut for Australia in 1967 at age 20, and h ...

– former Australian international

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who was capped 61 times for the

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...

* Liz Cambage – basketball player *

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

– actor *

Jon English Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for ...

– singer-songwriter-actor *

Michael Ennis Michael Ennis (born 16 March 1984) is an Australian sports commentator for Fox League and former professional rugby league footballer of Irish descent. A New South Wales State of Origin representative , he played for the Canterbury-Bankstown ...

– rugby league footballer and sportscaster *

Kevin Gordon Kevin Sysu Gordon (born 26 December 1989) is a former Philippines international rugby league footballer. A New South Wales Country and Prime Minister's XIII representative, he played as a er and for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Ru ...

– rugby league footballer * Clint Greenshields – rugby league footballer *

David Helfgott David Helfgott (born 19 May 1947) is an Australian concert pianist whose life inspired the Academy Award-winning film '' Shine'', in which he was portrayed by actors Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor and Alex Rafalowicz. Biography Early life Helfgot ...

– concert pianist *

Deborah Knight Deborah Knight (born 23 November 1972) is an Australian television and news presenter, radio host, and journalist. Knight is currently a radio presenter on 2GB and host of '' A Current Affair'' on Friday and Saturday. Previously she has been a c ...

– radio host and news journalist for the Nine Network *

Wendy Matthews Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including " Token Angels", " ...

– singer *

Mark McGowan Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is an Australian politician, the 30th premier of Western Australia, and the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Labor Party. McGowan was born and raised in Newcastle, New South Wales. He attended t ...

– 30th

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

* Luke Metcalf – rugby league footballer *

Emma Moffatt Emma Moffatt (born 7 September 1984) is a retired Australian professional triathlete. She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and won the gold at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in 2009 and in 2010. She was born ...

– triathlete, Beijing Olympics bronze medalist *

Tom Mooney Thomas Joseph Mooney (December 8, 1882 – March 6, 1942) was an American political activist and labor leader, who was convicted with Warren K. Billings of the San Francisco Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916. It quickly became apparent that Mo ...

– rugby league footballer *

David Mullane David Mullane is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s. He played for the Newcastle Knights from 1990 to 1993. Playing career Mullane made his first grade debut for Newcastle in Round 1 1990 against ...

– rugby league footballer *

George Negus George Edward Negus AM (born 13 March 1942) is an Australian journalist, author, television and radio presenter specialising in international affairs. He was a pioneer of Australian TV journalism, first appearing on the ABC’s groundbreaking T ...

– author, journalist, and current affairs presenter * Ben Newton – Paralympics gold medalist, wheelchair rugby player *

Melinda Pavey Melinda Jane Pavey (; born 1969), an Australian politician, is the New South Wales Minister for Water, Property and Housing since April 2019 in the second Berejiklian ministry and the Perrottet ministry. Pavey has been a member of the New South ...

- NSW state politician * Dick Smith – entrepreneur *

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

–

AFI award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

-winning actor

Annual events

National Touch League The National Touch League is a national-wide domestic competition for the sport of Touch Football in Australia. The annual four-day competition allows thirteen regional permits from across Australia to compete in twelve divisions including Open, ...

(March) * "International Charity Football Match", August 9, proceeds go to Wesley Mission for local homeless youth * Ella7s (Australia's largest Indigenous Rugby Carnival) (March) * Coffs Coast International Buskers Festival (October) * Harmony Festival (March) *

(November) * STILL: National Still Life Award (November)

References

External links

*
Coffs Harbour City Council

Our Stories: Coffs Coast Heritage
{{Authority control Cities in New South Wales Coastal cities in Australia Marinas in Australia Mid North Coast City of Coffs Harbour