Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 32.

Arrival and stay at Coffs Harbour.

Byron Bay is the most easterly point of the whole of Australia. While backpacking this island continent in 1997, Byron Bay, located south of Brisbane, was one of my stops. Since I arrived at Cairns, North Queensland, my direction of travel was towards the southeast. After Byron Bay, the direction took a turn as I headed towards Sydney. That direction was then southwesterly.

However, there was one more location I stopped at before reaching Sydney. That was at Coffs Harbour, a coastal town in New South Wales, which was bypassed by a majority of backpackers at the time. Unlike Byron Bay, where there was no river or harbour, the Coffs Harbour town centre was a 50-minute walk inland from the harbour itself, covering 3.5 km, or just over two miles, and following Coffs Creek as it flows to the sea.

I have no regrets about stopping at Coffs Harbour, even if the location featured low on the backpacker's map. Like all the stops along the Indo-Pacific coast, Coffs Harbour still had much to offer, especially to someone like me who has a preference for natural vegetation which cannot thrive in the UK except under glass.

Coffs Harbour is approximately 30.30 degrees south of the Equator, hence its winters tend to be similar to the British summer - mild with mixed weather patterns. Hence, while I was at the harbour, like at Seven-Mile Beach, the heavens opened and it started to rain heavily. This time, I stood under a shelter, hoping that the heavy downpour would subside similarly to how it subsides after a short while in Britain. But at Coffs Harbour, like at Byron Bay, the rain kept on pouring down relentlessly. How long I stood there, I couldn't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised that it was for a better part of thirty minutes. But the rain didn't subside. Giving up, I made the two-mile trip back to the hostel looking and feeling like a drowned rat. How I found relief in the comforts of the YHA-affiliated hostel!

This just goes to show the difference between the photos of the rich blue sky over the red desert rock, such as Urulu, featured in all holiday travel brochures enticing the British to visit Australia, and the reality of Australia during a typical winter, especially at the coastal resorts of New South Wales. Ironically, where it's summer in the UK, it's winter Down Under. Furthermore, any UK citizen hoping to "enjoy the North Queensland's summer sunshine" after arriving in January to visit the Great Barrier Reef would be in for a disappointment. It would be in the middle of the monsoon season, with Cairns being the wettest area in the whole of Australia. I know a friend who had a similar experience.

Throughout the entire 1997 Round-the-World backpacking trip, alone in the TV room at the Coffs Harbour hostel was the only occasion where I shed a tear. This was due to receiving brutal teasing from an overweight female after I lost a snooker match in the hostel's backyard. She then won the competition outright, beating all the men, whom she had contempt for. This, after suffering a defeat at table tennis at Arlie Beach, was a reminder of how incompetent I have always been at ball games. Rather, I was much happier delving into the natural beauty of this planet, whether it be the geology of the Grand Canyon, the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, or the mangroves thriving on the Australian coast.

But I could take comfort that I'm not alone. Charles Dickens was a puny boy compared to his contemporaries and lousy at school sports. But by delving into reading, under his pen name of Boz, his writings eventually became famous worldwide.

As such, the next morning, I couldn't wait to get up out of bed, make breakfast, and then set off towards Coffs Creek. Here, a boardwalk, similar to the one at Brisbane, passed through a mangrove swamp. That same morning, on the hostel radio, the times for high tide were broadcast for the local area. Whether I would consider it fortunate or unfortunate, that is a decision for the reader. The tidal range on that day was neap, not very high or low. Hence, the mangrove stems growing from the roots weren't fully submerged. On the other hand, a high spring (or king's) tide would have also submerged the boardwalk itself by a few centimetres, making it non-navigable unless I had appropriate footwear.

The Boardwalk at Coffs Creek.

Where the boardwalk juts out onto the river, there is a fishing platform which also serves as an overlook. I stood there, taking in the beauty of the scenery. Alone, and with nobody challenging me for a ball game, any game, I was content. Directly beneath, a school of fish was crowding an area where I was, I assume, in expectation of a free feed from me as I stood above. Unfortunately, I had to disappoint them, as a first-time visitor, I came unprepared. After a while, a pelican suddenly swooped down and landed in the water directly above the fish. At that instant, all the fish fled, and the bird had to fly off with an empty stomach. The fish then gradually returned. 

Also, to note, this was not the only visit to the creek. I have walked the boardwalk at least twice, once during high tide and again during low tide. The pics below are from the two visits mixed.

The river emptied into the sea a short distance north of the harbour, interrupting a strip of sand into two beaches. North of the estuary, the longer of the two beaches was named Park Beach, which ended at a stubby tongue known as McCauley's Headland. South of the estuary, the short sand strip was North Wall Beach. Offshore, Muttonbird Island was a natural rocky islet turned into a nature reserve. A breakwater joined Muttonbird Island to the mainland, thus forming the harbour. Hence, the harbour wasn't at the river mouth as many others are. At the south of the harbour, a headland, Corambirra Point, parallels Muttonbird Island.

Also in the vicinity of Coffs Harbour, a banana plantation gave partial access to the public. This was the first time I actually saw bananas grow and be harvested, all in their green, immature form.

Click here for the Index to the main Biography covering Coffs Harbour, Weeks 88-92.

Photos of Coffs Harbour, town, creek, and coast.

Coffs Harbour Town Centre.

Harbour Drive, Coffs Town Centre.

Traveller's Palm.

Mangrove root stems are exposed at low tide.

The boardwalk winds its way through the swamp.

The walkway is prone to submergence at extreme high tides.

The boardwalk veers onto the river.

The walk continues on.

Swamp details.

Mangroves at high neap tide.

Mangroves fascinated me!

Mangrove-lined Coffs Creek.

How the creek looks at low neap tide.

Ducks flourish in the river.

The riverbank at neap high tide.

A school of fish expecting a free feed?

Until a pelican swoops in and the fish flee!

One of Aussie's loveliest walks.

A view across the creek.

Calm river reflections, facing upstream.

Coffs Creek empties into the ocean.

Looking north towards McCauleys Headland.

Muttonbird Island as seen from North Wall Beach.

Corambirra Point as seen from Muttonbird Island.

Coffs Harbour as seen from Muttonbird Island.

The Great Divide Range backs the Harbour.

The Ocean crashes against the Eastern Side Lookout.

A banana plantation in the Coffs Harbour vicinity.

The bananas grow within special bags.

A close-up of the unripe banana fruit.

Dressed appropriately for the Aussie winter.

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Next Week: As we approach Sydney, I will visit the Blue Mountains National Park.