Upper Orara

Upper Orara is a suburb of Coffs Harbour, located on the northern NSW coast, 540 kilometres north of Sydney. Coffs Harbour is one of NSW's most popular tourist destinations. With an average maximum summer temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, which drops to a mild 19 degrees average in mid-winter, Coffs Harbour gets the scientists' vote for the best climate in Australia. Toss in pristine beaches, a lush hinterland, fishing, challenging golf courses, cavorting whales and dolphins and a variety of theme and adventure parks, and Coffs has it all.

Families have been holidaying at Coffs Harbour since the 1880s. While its natural beauty, enhanced by the fact that it is the only point on the east coast where the Great Dividing Range kisses the ocean, remains much as it did back then, the man-made attractions of Coffs Harbour keep it in the vanguard of modern tourist destinations.

If all the action begins to take its toll, you can recharge the batteries taking time out in the regional Botanic Gardens. Located in the centre of town, the botanical park features tranquil walkways through the sub-tropical flora typical of this singular corner of NSW.

The region boasts a great diversity of landscapes, from the banana-clad hills (over 50% of the state"s bananas are grown here) of the Great Dividing Range to the west and the pristine beaches of the Pacific Ocean to the various national parks, nature reserves and state forests that occupy almost half of the city area.

Captain John Korff, who ferried timber cutters to and from the forests, first appreciated the potential in the 1840s, and the area was named Korffs Harbour in 1847, which was changed to the anglicised Coffs Harbour in 1861.

The diving is excellent out of Coffs Harbour, particularly off the Solitary Island Marine Park, where more than 100 different types of coral and numerous species of exotic fish can be seen.

A few kilometres north of Coffs is that singular attraction, The Big Banana, which celebrates and markets the product of one of the district"s staple industries.