Dubbo to Coffs Harbour road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Dubbo to Coffs Harbour road trip: Armidale to Ebor Falls

You’ll need to peel off the New England Highway at Armidale, and head down the B78 – also known as the Waterfall Way.

Unsurprisingly, the drive from Armidale to Coffs Harbour features many, many waterfalls. First up is Bakers Creek Falls, which should be treated as an amusé bouche for what’s to come.

Shortly afterwards, in the northern section of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, it’s a short branch-off to the Wollomombi Falls Picnic Area. Here, a walking track takes you to the lookout over Wollomombi Falls. At 220 metres, this is the highest waterfall in New South Wales.

Cathedral Rock National Park comes up to the north a little further on. Here, a challenging walk will take you to a natural mountaintop throne of giant stacked boulders. 

South of the highway, it’s a short detour to the moderately attractive Serpentine Falls. Waterfall lovers with limited time are better off continuing to Ebor Falls in Guy Fawkes River National Park, however.

Ebor Falls is more about width than height, with an impressive amount of water cascading down the rock face.

Dubbo to Coffs Harbour drive: Ebor Falls to Dorrigo

The Waterfall Way then continues to Dorrigo, where Dangar Falls plunges 30 metres into a seductive pool.

Dorrigo is often used as a base for seeing the waterfalls in the surrounding area. Those who fancy a good walk can turn off west towards Red Cedar Falls and Casuarina Falls.

But the Waterfall Way continues past several of the top attractions in Dorrigo National Park. The Walk With The Birds Boardwalk, Tristania Falls, Crystal Shower Falls, the Skywalk Lookout and the Hardwood Lookout are all close to each other.

Then, further along on the drive from Dorrigo to Coffs Harbour, you’ll reach photo stops at Sherrard Falls and Newell Falls.

Click through to the next section: Bellingen to Coffs Harbour.