Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The best stops to add to a Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes road trip itinerary include Emerald Beach, Grafton and Gibraltar Range National Park. By car, the Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes distance is 239km and driving time around 2h45m.
A Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes road trip heads from the largest city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales to one of the more interesting towns in the New England region.
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.
This guide should help you plan a great Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes road trip itinerary.
Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes is 235km. This makes for a driving time of around two hours and 45 minutes.
Excellent road trip stops between Coffs Harbour and Glen Innes include Emerald Beach, Grafton and Gibraltar Range National Park.
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.
Good things to do in Coffs Harbour include Jetty Beach, rainforest tours, whale-watching cruises and skydives.
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 Glen Innes road trip: The Coffs Coast
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.
Coffs Harbour to Glen Innes drive: Arrawarra to Grafton
The Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre just north of Arrawarra is worth a look if you want to understand local Indigenous heritage, but otherwise this is where the Pacific Highway heads inland.
Much of the rest of the Coffs Harbour to Grafton leg is wild and rural. The Yuraygir State Conservation Area to the north of the highway is not set up for tourists.
You branch off the Pacific Highway at the junctions with the Big River Way, which heads into Grafton over the Clarence River.
Grafton’s attractions are mainly handsome heritage buildings such as Schaeffer House and the Christ Church Cathedral, although it is also famed for its jacaranda trees.
Top Grafton accommodation options
The best places to stay in Grafton are:
- For central location: Civic Motel.
- For charm and personal touch: Andavine House Bed and Breakfast.
- For a relatively cheap, good quality motel with a pool: Grafton Lodge Motel.
Click through to the next section: Across the Great Dividing Range.