Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal 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, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, north of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, and south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr people are the Traditional Owners of Coffs Harbour and the surrounding area, they have occupied this land for many thousands of years. 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. In 2019, it was ranke ...

, and a campus of Rural Faculty of Medicine

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, 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 designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

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

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and

departing from

Coffs Harbour Airport Coffs Harbour Airport (formerly ICAO code of YSCH until November 2007) is the only airport serving the City of Coffs Harbour, in the New South Wales Mid North Coast region in Australia. The airport is located south of Coffs Harbour and is o ...

. Coffs Harbour is also accessible by road, by

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

, 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, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and the Gold Coast. 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 5,443 peopl ...

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 aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

s and

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

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 treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

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'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s, and other farms including macadamia nuts, cucumbers, and tomatoes. 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. It runs roughl ...

meets the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. 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 * Sandy Beach * Diggers Beach * Korora, West Korora * Sapphire Beach * Moonee Beach * 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 * Upper Orara *

Woolgoolga Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 365 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 24 ...

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 genera ...

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.

Origin of place name

The Gumbaynggirr language name, for the harbour for which the town is named, is ''Gitten Mirreh'' which translates as 'big moon'. Coffs Harbour, the town, owes its name to John Korff, a ship builder and ship owner, who named the area Korff's Harbour after he was forced to take shelter from a storm there 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, New South Wales, Coffs Harbour, a city in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the NSW Public Works, New So ...

*Coffs Harbour timber jetty, Jordan Esplanade

Demographics

According to the 2021 Census the population of suburban Coffs Harbour is 78,759. This is an increase from 72,944 in 2016. 52.6% 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, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(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 subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'' according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system) with hot, wet summers and short mild winters, 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 The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

. Summers are moderately hot, wet and humid. Winters are mild, albeit featuring cool nights, with light to moderate rainfall. There is a history of floods in the city, with major flooding occurring in the years 1917, 1938, 1950, 1963, 1974, 1977, 1989, 1991, 2009 and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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 The Big Banana is a tourist attraction and amusement park ('The Big Banana Fun Park') in the city of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The grounds of the park are set amongst a banana plantation, featuring a large walk-through 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 sculptures. In Australia, big things have come to be seen as a uniquely Australian phenomenon, although they emerged at the same time as the so-c ...

(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 (disambiguation), diving, an ambiguous term with several possible meani ...

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 component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

. 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 Bindarri National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 431 km northeast of Sydney. It is considered the epicentre of biodiversity, due to the rare and endangered species found here, such as fish bone fern, southern quassia ...

(20 km west of the city, near Ulong and Dairyville) * Bongil Bongil National Park (south of Sawtell) * Cascade National Park (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 Dorrigo National Park lies within Gumbaynggirr country and has great significanc ...

(just south of the Dorrigo township) * Hayden Dent Nature Reserve (northwest of Coffs Harbour) *

Junuy Juluum National Park Junuy Juluum is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, northeast of Sydney. Positioned on the slopes of Campion Mountain, this remnant of warm temperate rainforest is a haven for paradise riflebirds and Greater sooty owl, sooty ...

(north of Dorrigo) * Moonee Beach Nature Reserve (Moonee Beach-Emerald Beach) * Nymboi-Binderay National Park (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 (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 Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...

and the Coffs Harbour Senior College. 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 – 1920–1949 * Bucca Central Public – 1910–1963 * Bucca Lower Public (Formerly Bucca Creek until May 1919) – 1896–1978 * Corindi Creek Public – 1920–1962 * Timmsvale Public – 1928–1970 * Yalbillinga Special School (Amalgamated with Coffs Harbour PS) – 1965–1993 Other schools * Giingana Gumbaynggirr Freedom School * 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.

Pacific Highway Upgrade

The Pacific Highway cuts through the centre of the city of Coffs Harbour. As a part of the Pacific Highway Upgrade (organised from the NSW government), has started working on building a deviation containing three interchanges and three tunnels through the ridge line. The new highway starts at Englands Road, runs west to Coramba Road, and joins near Campbell Close and Solitary Islands Way, Korora. Key features at the Englands Road are include: *The separation of the old Pacific Highway *A new service road running from Lindsey's Truck Depot to the south roundabout of Englands Road Interchange *A new interchange at Englands Road which separates the old Pacific Highway *A new set of lights which replace the existing roundabout on the old Pacific Highway *New access to the local Waste Service centre for all workers and residents, and new access to Ozgroup, Isles Drive and Englands Road. The North Boambee Road/Roberts Hill areas include: *Bridges going over Newports Creek and North Boambee Road *A new tunnel going through Roberts Hill (Mccans Road) The Coramba Road areas include: *Bridges going over Coffs Creek and other catchments *A new interchange at Coramba Road in which will look similar to the Sapphire Beach interchange at Solitary Islands Way *New service road access from Coramba Road Interchange via western roundabout Coffs Bypass

The Shepards Lane area includes: *A new bridge for access via Shepards Lane *An overpass bridge going over the North Coast Railway *A new tunnel just north of Shepards Lane and the North Coast Railway *An overpass bridge going over Mackays Road The Gatleys Road areas include: *A new tunnel going through the Gatleys Road Hill *A new overpass bridges going over Jordans Creek and West Korora Road *A new interchange at Korora Hill which meets, but doesn't join the old Pacific Highway The Korora Hill areas include: *New access to Bruxner Park Road and James Small Drive *A new set of lights which connect Charlesworth Bay Road and the nearby Caravan Park *On/off ramps continue via the old Pacific Highway *A new service road that goes through the Kororo Public School areas Luke bowen pedestrian bridge lift jpg

The Kororo Public School areas include: *A new bus interchange for Kororo School students/residents *New footbridge access which will stand as a memorial for the beloved Luke Bowen who tragically died in a motorbike accident. *A new service road which may or may not be known as the new Kororo School Road The Korora/Sapphire Beach area include: *A new roundabout intersection at James Small Drive, which as of 2025 is an intersection going across the old Pacific Highway *3 new overpass bridges going over Pine Bush Creek (which 2 of them meet the old Pacific Highway) *New bridge upgrade for local residents and road traffic on Old Coast Road opposite Kororo Basin Road *A new service road connecting Old Coast Road, Campbell Close and Seaview Close *An overpass bridge which connects Solitary Islands Way, Old Coast Road, Campbell Close and Seaview Close Upgrades to Campbell Close including: *The connection of the existing Pacific Highway, which north of the new bypass, was previously upgraded by the NSW Government in 2010 and finished in 2017 *A new noise wall on the western side of the highway *The connection of a new noise wall to the existing noise wall that was completed in late 2013 - early 2014 by the NSW Government during the Pacific Highway Upgrade in 2010 – 2020 *The connections of the existing Solitary Islands Way and the new service road *A new grey support wall that will support the new Campbell Close entrance The Coffs Harbour Bypass achievements to motorists will accomplish: Saving up to 12 minutes of driving time, bypassing up to 12 sets of traffic lights, (14 including the 2 new marked sets), making trips from and to Coffs Harbour easy for local residents, saving time driving through Coffs for local residents and improving safety for all motorists. However, trucks with hazardous chemicals (HAZCHEM) must use the existing highway for safety reasons and concerns. APRIL 30 - MAY 15 UPDATE Traffic changes have been placed along Englands Road and Korora Hill involving local and Pacific Highway changes, stage 1 had been completed at both interchanges, including new lanes of traffic for the Pacific Highway, and local traffic changes on new service roads, some are permanently while others are temporary. Stage 2 and 3 at Englands Road and stage 2 at Korora Hill are yet to be completed. As of May 23rd, 2025 that date is yet unknown when they will be open. Stage 2 at Englands Road will include opening the 2 dumbbell roundabouts for both Englands Road and Isles Drive. Stage 3 at Englands Road will include moving the southbound Pacific Highway traffic onto the existing northbound lanes. Stage 2 at Korora Hill will involve moving Bruxner Park Road traffic completely moving them onto 2 roundabouts, for James Small Drive, the existing road will then be closed leaving the new one being open for both lanes of traffic. The Pacific Highway will then be moved onto new lanes yet again going over 1 bridge at Pine Bush Creek and continuing up the future service road for Old Coast Road and Campbell Close traffic. The southbound exit for Solitary Islands Way will be a "cul-de-sac" meaning the road will lead to nowhere. Remember to DRIVE WITH CAUTION when travelling through roadworks. The new noise walls on the Coffs Harbour Bypass will represent Gumbaynggirr based "Dream Time Stories" as the theme for the whole bypass, from South to North. The first design is known as the "Childs Journey" dreamtime story, which will resemble the colour Yellow, and is based on a mother and child on a journey across a day and into the Dreamtime, discovering special places, creatures, and new things (according to Google AI Overview), it will be featured only around the Englands Road area. The next cultural Theme is called the "Golden Waanji" The colour for this story is Blue, slightly darker than Cyan. The dreamtime story represents a Dingo forming the creation of the sea and the creation of the Seven Sisters constellation, and how the two jiinda (sisters) became part of the Pleiades constellation, (according to Google AI Overview), it is featrured around Coramba Road interchange and Shepards Lane area. The next cultural theme will be known as the "Yuludarla Creation" which will resemble the colour of a slightly darker Orange. The story is about the "Man Shining Like the Sun" who created the land and people by dividing it with rivers, forming different clans, and giving them their languages, (according to Google AI Overview). It will be seen around the Gatleys Road Tunnel area only. The last and very North dreamtime story recreation will be the Gumgali Stories, otherwise will be known as the Goanna Stories. The colour of these noise walls wil be Green. These stories will tell the story about the Gumgali, a black goanna, and the formation of the Korora ridge. The stories are shared through sculptures, murals, and soundscapes, it is also shared along the Gumgali Track in the Orara East State Forest. The project was approved in November 2020, and the contract by the NSW Government was given to Ferrovial Construction and Gamuda Construction in June 2022. The project is due to be open to traffic in late 2026 and completed in late 2027 at a cost of $2.2 billion dollars AUD ($1,387,386,000 USD) Construction Updates, Resource Libraries and more of the Latest News are kept at th
NSW Government Boating and Transport Websitethe Final Place Design and Landscape Plan
/nowiki>] is shown for local transportation such as buses and impacts as a result of constructing the entire Coffs Harbour Bypass.

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 TV (Australian TV channel), ABC TV, ABC Kids,

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

ABC Entertains ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

(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 V ...

SBS Food SBS Food (formerly Food Network) 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 ...

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 six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent, annual films, art films and mainstream cinema and interviews with intern ...

SBS WorldWatch SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins ...

(multicultural public and commercial broadcaster) *

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

( NBN),

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 The la ...

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, anima ...

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 Scr ...

and

Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

(owned by

Nine Entertainment Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited is an Australian publicly listed company with holdings in mass media radio and television broadcasting, publishing and digital media. It uses Nine as its corporate branding. The entity is largely a succ ...

and

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

owned and operated) *

Seven 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

(formerly

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN (Australian TV station), CBN-8'' in Orange, New South Wales, Ora ...

), 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 ...

7Bravo 7Bravo is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network under license from NBCUniversal International Networks on 15 January 2023. The channel contains programming from NBCUniversal's Americ ...

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 ...

, and

Racing.com Racing.com (stylised as RACING.COM) is an Australian free-to-air standard-definition digital television channel, owned and operated by the Seven Network and Racing Victoria. The channel broadcasts live Victorian and South Australian horse raci ...

(owned by

Seven West Media Seven West Media Limited is an Australian ASX-listed media company. It is Australia's largest diversified media business, with an extensive presence in broadcast television, radio, print and online publishing. Seven West Media owns the Seve ...

and

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

owned and operated) * 10,

10 Bold Drama 10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...

10 Peach Comedy 10 Peach Comedy (set to rebrand as 10 Comedy in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture betwee ...

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

(owned by

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

) *

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 fe ...

(owned by

Australian News Channel Australian News Channel Pty Ltd. is an Australian privately held subsidiary of News Corp Australia which owns media properties operating in Australia and New Zealand. The company owns news broadcasting channel Sky News Australia, its sister ch ...

and

News Corp Australia News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp. The group's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television prod ...

) 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. *''The

'' (formerly

) airs a half-hour local

Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

(formerly Prime7 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 Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

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

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

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

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') 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 water' or 'sound ...

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 Radio 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 prog ...

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 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

106.3 FM – Part of

Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, Trade name, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and Terrestrial television, television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Au ...

, 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 is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

91.5 FM *

Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

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

Narrowcast

* RawFM 88.0 FM

Transport

Bus

The Coffs Harbour bus network extends from Grafton and Red Rock in the north to Macksville and Grassy Head in the south. Regular route services are operated by Busways and Forest Coach Lines. Forest Coach Lines also operate the Woopi Connect On Demand bus service in the Northern Beaches area.

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 Link Airways,

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

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 rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

. 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 New South Wales Country Rugby League, Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton, New South Wales, Grafton in the ...

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 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 man ...

* 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

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 Harbour ...

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 som ...

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, currently known as the C.ex Coffs International Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the coastal city of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. The stadium was opened in June 1 ...

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

Matildas The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) s ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

as well as some

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

(NRL) pre-season fixtures and domestic one day

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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 Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

through the 1970s through to the early 1980s. After that time, the events became part of the

Australian Rally Championship The Motorsport Australia Rally Championship, also commonly known as the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), is Australia's premier gravel rally competition. A multi-event national championship has been held each year since 1968, excepting 202 ...

and NSW Rally Championships. It was the host city for

Rally Australia Rally Australia is an Rallying, 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. ...

, a round of the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. In

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

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

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. 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 (16 August 1946 – 6 July 2023) was a soccer manager and player. Born in Hungary, he played for the Australia national team. Abonyi made his senior international debut for Australia in 1967 at age 20, and had earned 61 caps, i ...

– former Australian international

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who was capped 61 times for the Socceroos * Kevin Bartlett – racing driver *

Liz Cambage Elizabeth Folake "Liz" Cambage ( ; born 18 August 1991) is a British-born Australian professional basketball player for the Sichuan Yuanda of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association. She won the Women's National Basketball League in 2011 and ...

– basketball player *

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...

– 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 S ...

– 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. A New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales State of Origin series, State of Origin representative ...

– 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 Rug ...

– rugby league footballer *

Clint Greenshields Clint Greenshields (born 11 January 1982) is a former France international rugby league footballer who played as a for the St George Illawarra Dragons and the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, and for the Catalans Dragons in the Super Leagu ...

– 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 Helfgott ...

– concert pianist *

Deborah Knight Deborah Knight (born 23 November 1972) is an Australian television and news presenter, radio host, and journalist. Knight is currently host of ''Money News'' on Nine Radio and host of '' A Current Affair'' on Saturday. Previously she has been ...

– 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 (band), Models and Absent Friends (band), Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in th ...

– singer *

Mark McGowan Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is an Australian former politician and naval officer who served as the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 until his retirement in 2023. He was the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Austr ...

– 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 br ...

Luke Metcalf Luke Metcalf (born 1 March 1999) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL. Early ...

– 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 in ...

– 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 M ...

– 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 (13 March 1942 – 15 October 2024) was an Australian journalist, author, television and radio presenter specialising in international affairs. He was a pioneer of Australian broadcast journalism, first appearing on the ...

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

Melinda Pavey Melinda Jane Pavey (; born 1969), is a former Australian politician. Pavey had been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2023, representing the seat of Oxley for The Nationals. She was previously a member of the Ne ...

– NSW state politician * Nathan Quinn – rally driver * Dick Smith – entrepreneur * Jack Thompson –

AFI award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

-winning actor *

Clare Wheeler Clare May Wheeler (born 14 January 1998) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Everton and the Australia national team. She has represented Australia on the under-20 team. Early ...

– soccer player for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 and touch football affiliates from across Australia to compete in tw ...

(March) * "International Charity Football Match", 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 City of Coffs Harbour Coastal cities in Australia Marinas in Australia Mid North Coast

Geography

History

Origin of place name

Heritage listings

Demographics

Climate

Attractions

Education

Pacific Highway Upgrade

Local media

Newspapers

Television

Radio

Commercial

Government

Community

Narrowcast

Transport

Bus

Train

Taxis

Air travel

Sport

Notable residents

Annual events

References

Further reading

External links