Coffs Harbour to Caloundra road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The best stops to add to a Coffs Harbour to Caloundra road trip itinerary include Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. By car, the distance from Coffs Harbour to Caloundra is 477km and driving time around 5h.
A Coffs Harbour to Caloundra road trip connects two of the most popular spots on the east coast of Australia.
Coffs Harbour is an action-packed New South Wales city with plenty of beaches. It also offers kayaking tours with marine scientists and a treetop adventure course. For Coffs Harbour accommodation deals, ferret around here.
Caloundra brings several beaches, jetski tours, waterways cruises and kayak hire. For top Caloundra accommodation choices, hunt here.
12 fantastic Sunshine Coast experiences to book now
- Taste coffee and ginger, do rainforest walks, and visit the best lookouts on a highlight-packed hinterland tour.
- Take a serene Noosa Everglades cruise along the mirror-like waterways – or canoe through the Everglades.
- Learn to surf at a Sunshine Coast surf school – or try paddleboarding instead.
- Combine sight-seeing and thrills on a fast boat tour.
- Go e-mountain biking on the downhill trails of Tewantin National Park.
- Kayak with dolphins as part of a beach 4WD tour.
- Explore the Sunshine Coast from above on a seaplane flight.
- Take an indigenous cultural tour – with bush tucker tasting.
- Visit the region’s best craft breweries and distilleries on a drinks tasting tour.
- Go jetskiing through the gorgeous Pumicestone Passage.
- Taste wines, cheeses and chocolates on a hinterland food tour.
- Watch migrating humpbacks on a whale-watching cruise.
However, there are several excellent attractions between Coffs Harbour and Caloundra. This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Coffs Harbour to Caloundra road trip itinerary.
If you need to hire a car, find the best rental deals. And don’t forget to do all your pre-road trip shopping.
Coffs Harbour to Caloundra distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Coffs Harbour to Caloundra is 477km. This makes for a driving time of around five hours.
Excellent road trip stops between Coffs Harbour and Caloundra include Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Good things to do in Coffs Harbour include Jetty Beach, rainforest tours, whale-watching cruises and skydives.
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, consider the quirky Big Windmill Motel, the nature-flanked Sanctuary Resort, the helpfully central Best Western Zebra Motel and the well-equipped Beachpark Apartments.
Coffs Harbour to Caloundra road trip: Coffs Harbour to Corindi Beach
On the way out of Coffs Harbour, you’ll pass near the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden and the city’s cheesy tourist traps – the Clog Barn and the Big Banana.
You’ll also go near Diggers Beach and the Solitary Islands Aquarium at Charlesworth Bay Beach, plus the Forest Sky Pier and Treetops Adventure in Korora.
The Coffs Coast’s northern section brings superb beaches, with Sapphire Beach, Moonee Beach and Emerald Beach jostling for attention.
For wildlife enthusiasts, Moonee Beach Nature Reserve and the Look At Me Now Headland are home to large numbers of kangaroos.
Surf villages Woolgoolga and Arrawarra are next, and the Pacific Highway turns inland just before Corindi Beach.
Click through to the next section: Arrawarra to Ballina.