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Coffs Trails

menu_book picture_as_pdf bookYvonne Everett Blog Resource Web Australia New South Wales
Issue_45_Feb_2021-52

When the COVID lockdown shut down the country in 2020, Yvonne Everett and Alan Whitelock-Jones put on their boots and went exploring on the coast and in the hills near their home in Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales.

Alan on End Peak trail in Ulidarra National ParkAll pictures by Yvonne Everett

Coffs Trails - Discover Walks on the NSW North Coast

Yvonne Everett

52 | BWA February 2021


New to the area, having recently left corporate careers in Sydney, Yvonne initially struggled to find information on local Coffs walks. Guidebooks were few, not readily available and 20 years out of date, while websites such as Wildwalks or AussieBushwalking tend to focus on walks near the cities. What trails were documented were scattered across different websites organised by landowner - national parks, state forest, council.

A glance at the map shows a vast area of green surrounds Coffs, both national parks and state forest. The coast is walkable from the Clarence River in the north to the Macleay River and beyond in the south. The region’s biodiversity is significant with world heritage rainforest and sclerophyll forests, heathland, mangroves and salt marshes, sedge lands and sub-alpine woodland. Even the rocks are interesting with ancient jasper at Red Rock, the Ebor Volcano and Demon Fault inland.

Starting close to home, Yvonne and Alan stepped out on the Solitary Island Coastal Walk from Red Rock to Sawtell. Their active boxer dog Nuka was delighted when she

heard the tell-tale jangle of the leash and joined them on some sections.

To build their fitness, they tackled Mount Coramba next, finding at least five different routes through rainforest and eucalyptus on old logging trails up this 590 metre peak.

It turns out repetition in walking is a great way to understand a new landscape - how a mountain looks when approached from a number of different ridge lines, or the dynamic changes to a beach visited before and after storms. The iNaturalist app and active community was also a helpful resource to put names to new flora or creatures.


Meanwhile, Yvonne’s obsessive map reading and irrepressible curiosity meant the list of future trails to explore was growing longer. Even the dog began to be suspicious when her leash jangled yet again and a collapsible dog bowl was clipped onto the outside of Alan’s day pack. Where to next?

In the quiet of lockdown, Yvonne used her technology skills to set up CoffsTrails.com as a self-funded personal project. CoffsTrails organises and shares their trails with both

Slingsbys Trail, Dorrigo National Park

... the list of future trails to explore was growing longer.

The region’s biodiversity is significant ...

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the local community and visitors who are rediscovering the joys of holidaying locally with international borders closed.

CoffsTrails now has over 100 trails on the north coast of NSW, from the Clarence River to the Macleay River and inland to the New England plateau. There is a diverse selection of trails - family-friendly walks, café strolls, short and multi-day bushwalks, forest and beach, and of course some hill climbing challenges and dog walks. All trails have been walked by Alan and Yvonne and include a map and GPX to download.

CoffsTrails suggestions for visitors

Children will love Red Rock River walk with its secret Gnome Home, or riding their bike around Coffs Creek.


For a caffeine fix, combine the short rainforest walk to Bangalore Falls or Battery Falls with Ulong Café in the Valley.


Hill climbers and peak baggers might tackle Glenugie Peak, Mount Coramba via Rocky Trail, or Syndicate Ridge.


If you enjoyed Yuraygir Coastal Walk, don’t stop! Four days on the Solitary Island Coastal Walk with a light pack will take you from Red Rock to Sawtell, another four days pleasant walking will get you to the Macleay River and up onto the granite Smoky Cape.

Yvonne and Alan thank the locals of Coffs Coast who have generously shared trail information or joined them on some of their explorations.

Secret Gnome Home on the Red Rock River Walk

Yvonne is an experienced bushwalker, happy camper and adventure motorcyclist. Her first multi-day walk was with her father on the Otter Trail in South Africa, age 12. More recently, she loves walking with the fit and fabulous Sydney Sole Sisters. She created CoffsTrails during lockdown in 2020. Alan was cajoled into a hiking honeymoon many years ago, and in turn coaches Yvonne that it is easier if you go faster when out exploring on their BMW GS bikes.

Alan and Nuka on Solitary Island Coastal Walk

Battery Falls

54 | BWA February 2021