Public listings checked 25/10/2026. Dates use each event’s local time. Check organiser details before travelling.
Explore the region
Explore Coffs Harbour, Sawtell and surrounding Coffs Coast communities. Bellingen and Dorrigo are separate hinterland trips, not included as city suburbs.
Listings across Boambee, Coffs Harbour, Corindi Beach, Emerald Beach, Korora, Moonee Beach, Nana Glen, Sapphire Beach, Sawtell, Toormina, Woolgoolga.
Attractions and places to visit
79 places in this selection. Opening hours, access and admission vary; check the place details.
An amazing headland reserve found at the Southern end of Sawtell Beach, Bonville Headland has a paved walking track and plenty of grassy space to throw a picnic rug.
The headland gives sweeping views of the mouth of Bonville Creek and Sawtell Beach. Kick back and watch the waves roll at the famous 'Southies' surf break or spot a whale during whale season. You can also access the Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool from here.
The town of Sawtell just a short distance away boasts an abundance of cafes, boutique clothes shops, restaurants and cafes, reserves, barbecue facilities, showers, toilets, popular picnic areas, children's playgrounds and a variety of accommodation facilities all within close walking distance to the main beach.
Easily reached from Coffs Harbour and Sawtell, Bongil picnic area is a tranquil spot to kick back and relax beside Bonville Creek.
Enjoy a family picnic under one of the shelters, or roll out the picnic rug on the grassy clearing surrounded by tall, pencil-straight blackbutt trees.
Keep an eye out for the local wildlife. You might be lucky to see a koala or swamp wallaby. Bring your binoculars to spot cormorants, kingfishers, and waterbirds that are attracted to the bushland and waterways.
After a tasty barbecue lunch, admire the view of Bonville Creek from the nearby viewing platform. Head to the pontoon for a spot of fishing or to explore the park by canoe or kayak.
Walkers and cyclists can take advantage of the network of tracks and trails in this area of Bongil Bongil National Park. Why not stretch your legs along the 5km return walk that runs from North Bank walk to Moller Drive at West Sawtell.
Moonee Beach is a fabulous spot to spend time with friends and family soaking up the great outdoors.
Moonee Beach Reserve, where Moonee Creek meets the beach, is a shaded, pet-friendly picnic area perfect for a day by the water. Take the kayak out for a paddle or float your way day the creek while the kids play at the waters edge. The Reserve boasts a raft facilities including a playground, picnic shelters, barbecues, toilets, beach showers and a takeaway shop.
Take in the natural beauty along Moonee Creek and paddle to Moonee Beach, a highly valued Gumbaynggirr area. Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours offers paddleboard, kayak, and hiking eco-tours of this beautiful marine park creek.
Catch a wave with the local surfers, try a spot of fishing or enjoy the Moonee Creek Walk around the estuary and creek. Nature lovers, keep your binoculars out for spotting white-bellied sea eagles, ospreys and brahminy kites hunting along the coast. You may even spot a whale or two!
Reflections Holiday Park Moonee Beach is located on the waterfront and offers a variety of accommodation options. Need to head to the shops? Nearby Moonee Marketplace has a chilled vibe making shopping a breeze.
What could be more relaxing than a day paddling, kayaking or canoeing in Moonee Creek? This estuary is part of Solitary Islands Marine Park which was the first marine park to be created in New South Wales. Tranquil and tree-lined, the creek offers a way to explore the southern section of the park.
You can easily spend the whole day enjoying this beautiful estuary. Pack a picnic lunch and fishing rods for catching bream and flathead. Bring along your binoculars for birdwatching – the wildlife is plentiful. The kids can swim, lilo, or wade through the shallows, and, if you check the tides, it can be a very easy trip on the gentle current.
Different forest types can be found in Moonee Beach Nature Reserve, such as littoral rainforest, coastal she-oak and banksia woodland. Try and pick out which is which while passing on your canoe, and keep a waterproof camera handy for that sought-after photograph of a sleeping koala.
The Solitary Islands Coastal Walk is a 60 kilometres stretch between Sawtell in the south to Red Rock in the northern beaches, linking a string of idyllic golden beaches, rocky headlands, lush rainforest, and beachside villages along the Coffs Coast.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful walk on the east coast of NSW. The Solitary Islands coastal walk links a string of idyllic golden beaches, rocky headlands and lush rainforest along the Coffs Coast.
Make your way through Coffs Coast Regional Park, Moonee Beach Nature Reserve and Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve before winding up at Sawtell, near Bongil Bongil National Park.
Solitary Islands and Muttonbird Island are picturesque and make for perfect birdwatching, so bring your binoculars; little terns and white-bellied eagles are often seen along the shores. Dolphins surf the waves of these beaches all year round and the headlands are ideal for whale watching.
There are plenty of options for picnicking, swimming and water sports. And with loads of nearby cafes and accommodation to suit any budget, you’ll want to keep coming back to discover all the charms of this beautiful walking track.
If you’re feeling energetic, pack your backpack and do the whole walk and camp over four days.
Look At Me Now Headland walk is a short, easy walking route with fabulous scenic views far out to sea, a lookout and beach access. Keep your fingers crossed for a breaching whale during winter and early spring. All year round, you can see eastern grey kangaroos nibbling on the grass and white-bellied sea eagles, ospreys and brahminy kites soaring above the coastline on the hunt.
Take a picnic lunch and sit between the dwarf grassy and rocky heath, which have adapted to these exposed conditions. You may spot a threatened zieria, which flowers pink and white in spring with glossy, tough leaves.
Look At Me Now Headland is an important Aboriginal site of deep significance to local Gumbaynggirr people. Preservation of this natural environment is also important to the broader community, and in 1989, over 5,000 people marched in a rally in Coffs Harbour to prevent destruction of the headland and adjacent beaches. It worked.
When the Dammerel family took the job as full-time operators of the signal station here in 1884, they could not have known what lay ahead over the next 40 years. Apart from extremely hard work, which the daughters took on as well, the family had their fair share of tragedy, mishap and love stories.
Dammerels history walk is a short easy stroll with a superb view out to Solitary Islands, named by Captain Cook. Learn all about the workings of an historic 19th century lighthouse with a kerosene light and the signal station that provided its only link to the mainland. Hear the story of the Dammerel family and of the collision in 1886 of Keilawarra and Helen Nicoll. Only two bodies of the 48 who died in the accident washed ashore, and their graves are on Dammerels Head.
Watch for wildlife like grazing eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, goannas and pythons. Pack a picnic and enjoy the scenic views and this fascinating portion of Australian history.
