Coffs Harbour

The Coffs Harbour coast is the country of the Gumbaynggirr people, one of the largest coastal Aboriginal nations in New South Wales, who have lived here for many thousands of years. Their name for the harbour, Gitten Mirreh, means "big moon". The English name comes from John Korff, a shipbuilder who sheltered from a storm here in 1847 and called it Korff's Harbour; the name was accidentally changed by the Crown surveyor who reserved land in the area in 1861.

European settlement grew slowly in the second half of the 19th century, drawn by the cedar and other timber of the hinterland forests. With no railway yet built along the coast, timber was carried by tramways to jetties and loaded onto coastal ships. The timber jetty, built in the 19th century as the longest of its kind on the coast by the state's public works department, became the town's lifeline and the centre of the harbour, and a breakwater was later built out to Muttonbird Island to shelter it. The North Coast railway reached the town in 1915 and gradually replaced coastal shipping.

In the 20th century bananas spread across the steep hillsides, and the region became known as the Banana Coast. Sikh families began to settle around Woolgoolga during the Second World War, when labour shortages relaxed the ban on non-European workers in the banana industry, and afterwards acquired plantations of their own. The Big Banana, opened in 1964, marked the shift towards tourism. Today, with banana farming much reduced, it lives mainly on services, health, education and tourism.

Coffs Harbour is a beach city first, built around surfing, swimming, fishing and walks on the headlands. Surf life-saving clubs anchor the main beaches, and rugby league and touch football are widely played. The city's international stadium has hosted national and international rugby and football matches, and Coffs has long been a base for sporting events and training camps.

Gumbaynggirr language and culture have been the focus of revival efforts since elders set up the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative in 1986; language classes began in 1997, and the city has a Gumbaynggirr school, the Giingana Gumbaynggirr Freedom School. Woolgoolga, to the north, was an early centre of Sikh migration and has one of the largest regional Sikh communities in Australia, and its gurdwaras and Punjabi shops are part of the coast's identity.

The hinterland adds its own character. Bellingen and the Dorrigo plateau draw artists, musicians and people seeking a slower life, and markets and small festivals run through the year. Locals tend to be informal and friendly, proud of their beaches and quick to point visitors towards a favourite headland or swimming spot.

About 79,000 people live in the Coffs Harbour urban area, which stretches along the coast from the southern suburbs and Sawtell to the northern beaches. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast and serves a wide surrounding region for hospitals, shopping, education and government services, with a university campus and a large TAFE.

The economy has moved from timber and bananas to health care, retail, construction, education and tourism. Banana plantations still cover some hillsides, but many have been replaced by blueberries, now a major crop across the hinterland. Many residents are retirees or families who moved up from Sydney for the climate and lifestyle.

Daily life starts early, with surfers and walkers on the beaches at dawn, and settles down early too. Housing costs have risen as people move from the cities, and the heavy traffic of the Pacific Highway through the city has been a long-running problem that a highway bypass is intended to relieve. Floods and heavy rain events are a regular concern.

Seafood is the heart of eating in Coffs Harbour. Local waters supply prawns, fish and other catch, and fish and chips eaten on the foreshore near the jetty is a popular way to enjoy them. Sydney rock oysters, farmed in the estuaries of the coast, and fresh local prawns appear on many menus.

The farms of the hinterland supply much of the rest. Bananas are the old symbol of the area, and locally grown ones are sold at roadside stalls and markets; blueberries, macadamias, cucumbers and tomatoes are other important crops. The weekend market at the jetty and farmers' markets in the region sell produce straight from the growers.

Woolgoolga's Sikh community has brought Punjabi cooking to the coast, and Indian restaurants and sweet shops there are a local favourite. Curryfest, a celebration of the culture of the local Sikh community, has been held in Woolgoolga since 2006. In Sawtell and around the Jetty, cafés serve the brunches and good coffee found across coastal New South Wales.