Coffs Harbour (Apr 22)
Leaving Mullumbimby, we headed south again towards our destination for the day of Coffs Harbour. We did, however, deviate from the direct route (the Pacific Highway / M1) to take the more scenic, easterly route through Byron Bay and Ballina.
We headed to Byron Bay simply because we were curious given it’s notoriety, but we didn’t stop. It was also the entry point for our more coastal route.
There is a great view of Ballina on the entry into town, but you can’t stop to take a photo. Instead we have this view of the approach from a few kms earlier.
Ballina, where we stopped for a quick bite and some fuel, is the home of one of the items on our Big Things list… The Big Prawn.
The Big Prawn used to be a more prominent icon of the town, but now sites outside a Bunnings and a few other shops that looked unused at the time of our visit.
For myself, Ballina holds memories from my youth where for a couple of years myself and a mate – shout out to Roger if you are reading – came here during the summer holidays to participate in a tennis tournament. I recall my parents putting me on a bus in Parramatta that drove through the night, and being dropped in Ballina the next morning where Roger and his family picked me up. It was the first time I had travelled anywhere outside Sydney by myself. I don’t remember exactly, but I believe I was around 13 or 14.
Back from memory lane, we headed on down towards Coffs Harbour. We parked up at the Reflections Holiday Park at Moonee Beach as this was convenient for meeting up with my niece Kimberley and her boys. Dinner was at the Moonee Beach Hotel, which is apparently a favourite with Kim’s boys, and is also dog friendly as a bonus. Luke, Kim’s youngest, was quite enamoured with Neo.
The following day we made the obligatory stop at The Big Banana, one of Australia’s oldest Big Things, and a place for the boys to have some fun. Some mini golf, 4D theatre and the arcade games provided plenty of amusement.
After leaving the caravan park the following morning, we visited Kim and the boys one more time, this time at their home, before heading towards home ourselves.
