Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COF : Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
''For the state electoral district, see Electoral district of Coffs Harbour.
Coffs Harbour is a coastal city and Local Government Area in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is a popular holiday spot for locals and tourists because it is far enough north to be semi-tropical, but relatively close to Sydney (a mere 550km along the Pacific Highway).
The resident population was estimated at 62,902 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics at the August 2001 Census, and this has grown to nearly 67,000 (2005). The local government area has recently expanded to include the localities of Red Rock, Corindi and Upper Corindi, previously part of the former Pristine Waters local government authority (LGA), the balance of which has been amalgamated into the Clarence Valley Council to the north. Since this amalgamation the Coffs Harbour Local Government area has expanded to cover 1,163 km².
The surrounding region is dominated by coastal resorts and apartments with hinterland hills and mountains covered by forests, banana plantations, and other farms. It is the only place in Australia where the Great Dividing Range meets the Pacific Ocean.
Coffs Harbour owes its name to Captain John Korff, who named the area Korff's Harbour when he was forced to take shelter from storm in the area in 1847. Its name was accidentally changed by the surveyor for the crown when he reserved land in the area during 1861.
Coffs Harbour is the hub for a thriving banana industry. One of the biggest attractions is the Big Banana, the first of Australia's Big Things (it celebrated its 40th Birthday in 2005), with the World's Largest Banana celebrating the region's best known export. There is also a popular underwater diving spot on a small natural reef.
The Coffs Harbour Jetty is an historically important timber wharf where coastal shipping once moved the timber from the hinterland. The Jetty area is the subject of current planning by Council and consultants to develop a cultural precinct and rejuvenated residential area.
Nearby the Solitary Islands Marine Park preserves a diverse underwater ecosystem that mirrors the terrestrial biodiversity, covering the southern limit of northern tropical species and the northern limits of the southern temperate species. Directly out to sea from Coffs Harbour adjacent to the man-made breakwater is Muttonbird Island. The island is a nature reserve protecting a significant Wedge-tailed Shearwater breeding site.
On 9 May 2000 the Coffs Harbour City Council brought into effect the Coffs Harbour City Koala Plan of Management which was prepared to arrest the decline in koala numbers that has arisen from land clearing and habitat disturbance.
The well-known film actor Russell Crowe lives inland from Coffs Harbour at his 320 hectare property in Nana Glen.["Russell in village he calls home"], Sun-Herald, Retrieved 16 April 2006
Coffs Harbour is home to the Coffs Harbour Education Campus (CHEC), a unique concept which is a partnership between the Southern Cross University, TAFE and the Coffs Harbour Senior College.
Coffs Harbour's sister city is Sasebo, Japan.
Although the Pacific Highway cuts through the centre of the city, much attention has recently been focused on obtaining state government commitment to determining the routes of proposed highway deviations at a number of places including Bonville, the North Boambee Valley to the west of Coffs Harbour and north of Arrawarra to Wells Crossing. The town is served by the North Coast railway line and is served by 3 Countrylink passenger XPT services each way daily.
The town's water supply comes from the nearby Orara River at Cochranes Pool and the city hosts the Coffs Harbour Regional Botanic Garden.
Coffs Harbour claims a place in the FIFA World Cup records as the venue for the highest scoring match in World Cup history. It hosted the match in which Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 on 11 April, 2001.
Annual events
- [Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race] (January)
- [Coffs Coast International Buskers Festival] (October)
- Schoolies (November)
External links
- [Coffs Harbour City Council]
- [Coffs Coast] - tourism website
- [Coffs Harbour Business & Tourist Links]
- [Big Banana]
- [link] - Coffs Harbour Education Campus
- [AV Corporate] - Conference resources and support
Radio Stations
- 2CS FM 106.3 (commercial)- Converted from AM 639. Relays popular AM talkback shows from Sydney, the rest of the time it is an "Adult Hits" station.
- Star FM 105.5 (commercial)- Hot AC station that is networked. Commenced in 1997 as a 3rd commercial license for the Coffs Coast.
- Easy Listening 639 AM (commercial)- Converted to an EL station when 2CS went FM.
- JJJ 91.5 FM
- Radio National 99.5 FM
- Classic FM 97.9 FM
- ABC Mid North Coast 92.3 FM
- 2CHY FM 104.1 (community)
- Racing Radio 107.1 FM
- 2AIR FM 107.9 (community)
Notes
|
Cities of New South Wales
| Capital: |
Sydney
| Cities: |
Albury |
Armidale |
Bathurst |
Blue Mountains |
Broken Hill |
Cessnock |
Coffs Harbour |
Dubbo |
Gosford |
Goulburn |
Grafton |
Griffith |
Greater Taree |
Hawkesbury |
Lake Macquarie |
Lismore |
Lithgow |
Maitland |
Newcastle |
Orange |
Queanbeyan |
Shellharbour |
Shoalhaven |
Tamworth |
Wagga Wagga |
Wollongong
| |
|---|
| Countrylink North Coast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawtell | ↔ | Coffs Harbour | ↔ | Grafton |
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.