Port Macquarie to Ballina road trip: Distance, drive time & stops
Attractions between Port Macquarie and Ballina: Coffs Harbour
Entering Coffs Harbour, you’ll drive past Sawtell Beach and Boambee Beach on the coast. There’s also the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House next to the highway.
Things to do in Coffs Harbour include skydives, rainforest tours, and whale-watching cruises.
6 fab Coffs Harbour experiences to book in advance
- Glide through nature – on a Boambee Creek kayaking tour guided by a marine scientist.
- Jump out of a plane – with tandem skydives that land on the beach.
- Go kayaking and wildlife-spotting – on a coastal adventure.
- Head into the hinterland – on a rainforest and waterfalls day tour.
- Test your nerve and agility – at the Treetops Coffs Harbour adventure course.
- See migrating humpbacks up close – on a whale-watching cruise.
For Coffs Harbour accommodation, go for the quirky Big Windmill Motel, the nature-lined Sanctuary Resort, the pleasantly central Best Western Zebra Motel and the spacious Beachpark Apartments.
On the way out of Coffs Harbour, you’ll pass near the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden and the city’s more gimmicky attractions – the Clog Barn and the Big Banana.
You can also make short detours towards Diggers Beach and the Solitary Islands Aquarium at Charlesworth Bay Beach, or the Forest Sky Pier and Treetops Adventure in Korora.
Click through to the next section: Coffs Coast and Yamba.