Coffs Harbour

Getting a kiss from a dolphin at the amazing Pet Porpoise Park

We arrived in Coffs Harbour expecting a small, coastal town, with not much going on (as our guidebook had suggested) and, while the former is true, we found that we loved it and would have happily stayed for longer than we did.

The marina

We stayed in Coffs Harbour YHA which was a lot nicer than the YHA we were housebound to in rainy Byron Bay.

Luckily for us, the sun remembered it was summer in Australia, meaning Pam and I could enjoy the beach, blue sky and a walk to the top of the nearby Muttonbird Island where we enjoyed a great view along the coast with the mountains visible behind the town.

Playing catch with a dolphin

For us, the highlight of our time in Coffs Harbour was definitely going to Pet Porpoise Pool. It's basically a much smaller, more interactive version of Sea World without the queues.

As soon as we got there, we aimed straight for the dolphin pool and discovered there were only a handful of other people there, so we got to play catch with the friendly creatures for a nearly an hour. They seemed really happy to be stroked and would literally throw the ball to someone with their nose (or rostrum as I later learned it is called) if no-one had thrown the ball to them for a minute or so.

"Hurry up and feed me!"

We were offered the chance to be kissed by a sea lion and a dolphin and were more than happy to oblige. The kiss/headbutt from the dolphin was ok, but the smooch from the whiskery, fishy-breathed sea lion was far from enjoyable!

In the underwater viewing area

After a brilliant dolphin show, Pam and I got to feed a seal, a turtle and even baby penguins in between taking a million photographs!

Randomly, there was a huge peacock who strutted around the grounds of the park as though he owned the place. He even strolled into the shop, much to the confusion of the customers, but the staff didn't bat an eyelid.

At the top of Muttonbird Island

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing on the beach, which we felt a bit guilty about after learning about the snow chaos back home!

So, Coffs Harbour, hardly endorsed by our guidebook, gets a glowing review from the two of us!

James