Mid-North Coast

The Mid-North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales stretches for some 300 km along the Pacific Ocean shoreline from Port Stephens (north of Newcastle) in the south to Coffs Harbour in the north and inland to Dorrigo and neighbouring towns. It is bordered by the Hunter Valley region to the south, by the Northern Rivers region to the north and New England to the west.

Towns

Settlements in this list are listed from north to south, not alphabetically.

Coffs Harbour–Nambucca Valley

Along the M1 Pacific Motorway:

• 1 Coffs Harbour – the banana capital of New South Wales, most known for the Big Banana
• 2 Urunga – sleepy coastal town at the mouth of the Bellinger and Kalang Rivers

Along the B78 Waterfall Way (listed from east to west):

• 3 Bellingen – most known for its greenery, and being close to some of the world's oldest rainforests
• 4 Dorrigo – the waterfall capital of Australia, and only 2 km from the most visited Gondwana Rainforest of Australia - Dorrigo National Park

Port Macquarie–Kempsey region

• 5 Kempsey – quiet town, popular with stopovers from Sydney to Brisbane
• 6 Port Macquarie and Wauchope – known for its wildlife and its colonial convict history
• 7 Kew – another stopover town along the Pacific Hwy, home to the Big Axe.

MidCoast

Along the A1 Pacific Hwy (or with slight detours):

• 8 Taree – historic town on the banks of the Manning River
• 9 Old Bar – sleepy coastal surfing town
• 10 Nabiac – home to the National Motorcycle Museum
• 11 Coolongolook – a small highway town of 382 on the Pacific Highway. It is one of only three towns on the highway yet to be bypassed.
• 12 Forster – popular fishing spot

Inland (still listed north to south):

• 13 Gloucester – regional centre of the Avon Valley and otherwise a prominent country town
• 14 Stroud – stopover town en route to Barrington Tops National Park.

Other destinations

• 1 Seal Rocks – a small village near Myall Lakes.
• The Gloucester Tops and Polblue Honeymoon sections of 2 Barrington Tops National Park are in the Mid-North Coast.
• 3 Booti Booti National Park – small national park nudged between two bodies of water but has plenty to see and do.
• 4 Cottan-Bimbang National Park – a national park at the midpoint of the Oxley Highway between Walcha and Wauchope.
• 5 Crowdy Bay National Park – a mid-sized coastal national park near Port Macquarie.
• 6 Dorrigo National Park – the most visited part of the world-heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
• 7 Myall Lakes National Park – large sand dunes and lakes characterise the park, popular for water recreation and camping.
• 8 Nowendoc National Park – a national park along Thunderbolts Way, home to Callaghans Canyon.

Get in

By plane

The two biggest airports in the region are Coffs Harbour Airport (CFS ^IATA), and Port Macquarie Airport (PQQ ^IATA). Qantaslink and Rex have flights to both these destinations daily.

By train

There are several railway stations on the Mid North Coast serviced by three trains; the Grafton, the Casino and the Brisbane XPT trains. Each run north and south once a day. Heading north from Sydney Central, the first station on the mid north coast is Gloucester followed by Wingham and Taree. Further north are Kendall, Wauchope (for Port Macquarie), Kempsey, Eungai, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Urunga, Sawtell and Coffs Harbour. There is no station for Forster-Tuncurry.

Rail is the fastest and cheapest way to get to either Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

By car

Given that this region is huge, getting into different parts of the area massively differs by time. However, the two main ways to get into this region is either via the M1 Pacific Motorway from the north, or via the A1/M1 Pacific Highway/Motorway from the south. The closest point of the Mid-North Coast from Sydney takes about 2.5 hours to do, but the furtherest point can take about 7 hours non-stop but the closest point of the Mid-North Coast from Newcastle is only 15 minutes away. There's similar times from coming up north, taking about 3 hours from Brisbane, but it can take up to 8 hours non-stop depending on location.

Other ways to get into the Mid-North Coast include using either the B56, or the B78, both taking about 2 hours from New England Highway, but are not that significant.

By bus

You can get in by Greyhound or Premier bus.

Get around

The Pacific Highway (A1) and Motorway (M1) pass through most of the population centres on the coast.

By bus

Three bus services run throughout the region; Sawtell Coaches, Busways, and Ryans Bus Service. Sawtell Coaches run various services throughout Coffs Harbour city and to the suburbs of Boambee and Sawtell. Busways run services throughout Coffs Harbour city down south as far as Scotts Head and west into Bellingen. Ryans Bus services run throughout Coffs Harbour City and run North to Woolgoolga on a regular basis. Busways also operate services in the Port Macquarie region.

See

Given that the Mid-North Coast covers quite a large area, what you see in the different areas differ. In the southern areas of the Mid-North Coast, it's more associated with lakes and sand dunes, while some of the central areas are mostly known for its fishing areas and the northern areas are mostly known for its Gondwana Rainforests, and known for raining nearly every day.

Do

Since the Mid-North Coast is a particularly large area, what's in the different parts vary significantly. However, hiking trails can be found nearly everywhere you go, regardless of where you are. Forster is somewhat known for its fishing spots, although it's not the most popular thing in Forster.

Eat

Food also varies from where you go in the Mid-North Coast, but most of the region has some good seafood. Coffs Harbour, arguably has some of the best Punjabi food outside of Sydney in New South Wales due to its high Punjabi population.

Stay safe

Normal beach safety precautions apply at beaches. Many beaches, especially outside Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie, lack lifeguards – enter the water at your own risk, and check the Bureau of Meterology (BOM) for up-to-date weather conditions.

In higher-elevation areas, such as the Gloucester Tops section of Barrington Tops National Park, or the easternmost fringes of New England National Park (both of which creep into the Mid-North Coast), it may snow. Combined with gravel roads, make sure you are equipped and are able to drive on such conditions. Wikivoyage's article on winter driving may be of some use; otherwise check with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.