Bruxner - view from Bruxner Park - opened by the Queen in 1965 - some people have this for the view from their dining room!
A coastal area on the 30th Parallel of Latitude, roughly halfway between Brisbane (427km) and Sydney (535km). It is populated mostly by city folks, (90% of whom live on the coastal strip) attracted because it's not too hot and not too cold. With 51km of beaches, 960km² in area (that's 96000ha!), 57% is covered by forest. (Including 19ha in the Botanic Gardens - established 1981) There is an additional 3600ha in Dorrigo National Park and nextdoor to the North, the Yuragir National Park stretches for 60km along the coastline up to Angourie near Yamba In the Tasman is the Solitary Islands Marine Park - last of the warm water and home to both warm and temperate varieties.
Jetty - the famous edifice that is both the name of a suburb and a part of our history as this was how the hardwood was loaded for Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne until the 70's when road transport became more economical.
Climate: The climate in this beautiful coastal city is rated the best in Australia by the CSIRO. There are more hours of sunshine (7+) than the southern areas and less humidity than areas to the north. The average summer (wet) season day temperature is 28 degrees and what passes for winter (dry) is an average of 22 degrees! Although we do not have high temperatures often, we do have higher humidity in December, January & February. This characteristic, combining verdant sub tropical vegetation with our superb coastline and scenic countryside where the mountains meet the sea makes an ideal scenario for a wide variety of recreational activities and tourist oriented enterprises. The average annual rainfall is 1708mm (around 65ins in the old language) and mainly falls during January, February and March. The dry season is regarded as being July through till November.
Mutton - Mutton Bird Island - home to the annual migration of the Wedge Tailed Shearwaters (Mutton Birds) who fly thousands of km each year on their annual pilrimmage from the north!
Population: Coffs Harbour is the 28th largest city in Australia and growing at an average of 3.5% per annum. Currently around 65000 people, it is expected to double in the next 25 years at this rate. Coffs has a sphere of influence which cover from the Clarence to the Nambucca Valleys - about 130000 people!
Education: There are 9 pre-schools 22 primary schools 7 secondary schools TAFE College (2) Southern Cross University Southern Cross is a joint campus which is a country wide first! The university, TAFE College and the Senior High School share the central facilities. This has the makings of a landmark institution which is bringing Coffs Harbour world wide attention.
Boambee - Boambee Beach - the large, open, 4 wheel drivers beach between the Jetty & Sawtell
Airport: Coffs Harbour enjoys a jet airport located only 5 minutes from the City Centre and right next door to the Joint Education Facility and the Racecourse. Coffs' first international flight took place in August, 1993. This was a special flight from New Zealand set up to show the practicality of direct flights to Coffs as the gateway into this part of NSW. It is converted to 767 standard. Currently Saab 340, BAE 146, Boeing Dash 8 and 737 aircraft fly the Coffs-Sydney run (Ansett & Qantas) The terminal size was doubled in September 2000.
Golf - 27 hole Championship Golf Course - one of the best non resort courses in the country!
Coffs Harbour International Stadium Stage 1 has been completed of this large open air venue. Eventually to seat 15000 people, the first grandstand is now complete and ACB, ARL, ARU & AFL games have already taken place. It is hoped that this site may be part of the obvious attraction that this area will have as a training ground for Olympic medal aspirants. Tourism During the late 80's and early 90's a number of major tourist resorts were developed in this area. Equal to anywhere in the world, these properties brought Coffs Harbour to the attention of overseas visitors. In 1999 Tourism generated $400 million being 1.5 million visitors who stayed an average of 3 nights. Pacific Bay is currently the home of the wallabies Rugby Union Team!
Agriculture: There are both exotic and organic products grown for the local, national and international markets.
Banana - the famous Big Banana at Diggers Beach in the north of the City
Horticulture and Fishing: Historically Coffs Harbour was based on these industries. Today, these people are developing and changing to meet the challenges of the new century.