The NSW coast between Sydney in south and the Queensland border in north is full of wonderful beaches known for good surf and golden sands, but there are also some nice coastal towns and vineyards, the beautiful Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Brisbane Water National Park, Tomaree National Park, and some lovely beaches at Fingal Bay, Stockton Bight and Bennetts Beach. In Coffs Harbour is the Big Banana, and in Port Macquarie is Australia's oldest koala hospital. Here is some information on the area, and in the end of the page is an interactive map.
NSW Coast North of Sydney North of Sydney are Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Sydney Northern Beaches that get crowded with Sydney families during school holidays. Further north along the NSW coast you pass the small coastal towns Gosford and Swansea before you come to Newcastle – home to the popular Aussie band Silverchair. The town is also worth a stop if you want to get close to some Australian animals - Blackbutt Reserve on Carnley Avenue is free to visit and koalas are fed between 2pm and 3pm every day; and the Wetlands Centre on Sandgate Road is home for over 200 species of birds and animals. Newcastle also has some lovely beaches, and if you stay over night, there are Newcastle Beach YHA, Stockton Beach Backpackers, Backpackers by the Beach, Newcastle Backpackers, Crown & Anchor and Stockton Beach Tourist Park.
NSW Hunter Coast and Hunter Valley Wineries Inland from Newcastle on the NSW coast are the famous Hunter Valley Wineries – Australia’s oldest wine district, where you can taste some top quality wines for free at the different vineyards’ cellar doors. You don’t have to buy any, but it can be hard to resist, and most of the Hunter Valley Wineries have outdoor picnic areas or small outdoor restaurants with views over the vineyards, where you can enjoy a bottle with a nice lunch. The cellar doors are open from 10am to 5pm and there are different tours offered by Grapemobile, Wine Rover, Grape-X-pectations and Hunter Valley Day Tours which will take you around in case you need a sober driver. Find out more at the Hunter Valley Visitors Centre. There are plenty of hotels and caravan parks in towns throughout the wine district.
NSW North Coast Beaches North of Newcastle on the NSW coast is the Newcastle-peoples’ getaway Port Stephens. Port Stephens is a lovely sandy bay with Jimmy’s Beach, Bennett’s Beach, Fingal Bay and One Mile Beach, the favourite one of surfers. In the south is Anna Bay with the amazing Stockton Bight, a 35km-long barrier sand dune, Australia’s largest. Dolphin tours are offered by Moonshadow, diving by Hawks Nest Dive Centre, and horse-riding across the sand dunes by Horse Paradise - find out more at the Nelsons Bay Visitor Centre. Some of the better sleeping options are Shoal Bay Holiday Park and Port Stephens YHA Samurai Beach Bungalows.
Port Macquarie New South Wales and Koala Hospital North of Port Stephens on the NSW coast are Myall Lakes National Park and the small towns Bulahdelah, Forster-Tuncurry, Taree and Kew, before you get to Port Macquarie – a friendly town with lovely beaches, wildlife sanctuaries and a laid-back feel. North of the Port Macquarie's town centre is the Town Beach, with the famous Breakwall full of “I was here-s” from previous visitors. South from here are Oxleys Beach, Rocky Beach, Flynns Beach, Nobbys Beach, Shelly Beach, Miners Beach and Lighthouse Beach. Between Shelly Beach and Miners Beach is Sea Acres Nature Reserve - a pocket of coastal rainforest. South of the city centre is the Koala Hospital – Australia’s oldest koala hospital which takes care of injured koalas. You can check the outdoor enclosures, but if you want to get really close to koalas, there is the Billabong Koala Park about 10km south of the town on the Pacific Highway. If you stay over night, there are Ozzie Pozzie Backpackers, Lindel Port Macquarie Backpackers, Port Macquarie YHA and the Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park.
Coffs Coast NSW and the Big Banana The next larger town north on the NSW coast is Coffs Harbour – mostly known for its main attraction – the Big Banana. Australians have always liked to make Big Things, so across the Australian countryside you’ll find Big Lobsters, Big Pineapples, Big Mangoes, Big Bulls, Big Crocodiles, Big Barramundis, you name it, there are hundreds, there is even the Big Wine Cask, the Big Captain Cook and the Big Joint – but what is special about the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour is that it was the first – it has been here since 1880s! And the Big Banana is more than just any other Big Thing. Behind the Big Banana itself, there is banana viewing on a skywalk, waterslides, banana plantation tours and a souvenir shop full of - all things bananas. As most Australian coastal towns, Coffs Harbour has some lovely beaches, and the opportunities to see australian wildlife in North Coast Botanic Gardens. Marine wildlife can be watched in Solitary Islands Marine Park and the birdlife is great on the aptly named Muttonbird Island. Diving is offered by Jetty Dive Centre, white-water rafting by Liquid Assets and surfing can be learned at East Coast Surf School. If you stay over night, there are plenty of good places: Aussitel, Caribbean Motel, Barracuda Backpackers, Coffs Harbour YHA Backpackers Resort, Plantation Hotel and for caravanners there is the Park Beach Holiday Park.
Byron Bay and Byron Bay Markets North from Coffs Harbour, after a few small towns along the NSW coast and Yuragir and Bundjalung National Park is Byron Bay – the former sleepy township on the NSW coast that has turned into one of the most touristed places in New South Wales, probably the second after Sydney. You can see the influence of its hippie past: even though the streets are crowded with backpackers today, modern Byron Bay still enjoys the alternative lifestyle with yoga classes and alternative therapies such as Ambaji, Samadhi’s, Medicine Wheel, Relax Haven, Yoga Arts, Yoga with Flo and Intouch Yoga and Massage. A nice place to visit is Byron Bay Markets.
Byron Bay Restaurants and Byron Bay Beaches Byron Bay's town centre is packed with surf shops, diving and other adventure companies, restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs, hotels and backpacker hostels such as Arts Factory Lodge, A Peaceful Place, Main Beach Backpackers, Cape Byron YHA, Aquarius Backpacker Resort, Backpackers Holiday Village, Belongil Beachouse, J’s YHA and First Sun Holiday Park. East of the town centre is the beautiful Cape Byron with its famous Cape Byron Lighthouse, surrounded by deep blue waters frequented by dolphins.
North of the town centre are Belongil Beach, Main Beach and Clarks Beach, and on the Cape Byron are the best surf beaches The Pass, Watergo’s and Little Watergo’s. Further out of town along the east coast are Tallow Beach and Seven Mile Beach. You can learn to surf with East Coast Surf School, Blackdog Surfing and A Real Surf Journey; kite-board at Byron Bay Kiteboarding; abseil, cave and mountain-bike with Rockhoppers, Peterpan Adventures and Wicked Travel. Byron Bay is a great place on the NEW coast where to spend at least a week and I've heard some people get stuck here until their visas run out.
Here is a map of NSW coast, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
