Woolgoolga to Coffs Harbour

33 km (359 km) | 8 hr

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ~ Helen Keller

And so, to the final day for this phase of my NSW coast walk. Today is from Woolgoolga to Coffs Harbour. Coffs is known as a place where the mountains meet the sea - and while they are Aussie size mountains (hills with delusions of grandeur) it certainly makes for amazing scenery while ambling along the beaches.

It is a longish walk of 33kms or so (and the official guides recommend doing this over two days), but there is 'civilisation' along the way for refuelling stops. This part of the Solitary Islands Way is an incredible stretch of coastline and includes Woolgoolga Back Beach, Dammerel Head, Sandy Beach, Bare Bluff, Fiddamans Beach, Diggers Point, Emerald Beach, Serenity Bay and Shelly Beach.

My lunch stop is at the wonderfully named Look-At-Me-Now Headland with its myriad kangaroos lazing about on the enormous grassy headland. Moonee Beach, Green Bluff, Sapphire Beach, White Bluff, Campbell's Beach and Pelican Beach are next. Pelican Beach is difficult to access except at a very low tide. Otherwise, it is a long trip back up to the road to walk around the resorts that restrict access to the beach. Then it’s on to Hills Beach, Korora Beach, Charlesworth Bay Beach, Little Diggers Beach, Diggers Beach, Gwiddy Beach and McCauley's Headland.

The town of Coffs Harbour is now well and truly in sight and after another few kms via Horne Beach, Park Beach and North Wall Beach I am finally at Coffs Harbour Jetty Beach. Outstanding variety, great tracks over the headlands and just enough bush-bashing to wear a tired bushwalker out.

I was doing the walk on St Patrick's Day, and it got me thinking about my long ago ancestors from County Leitrim in Ireland. They jumped on a ship into the unknown of New South Wales nearly 200 years ago. It must have felt like going to Mars - imagine the goodbyes to loved ones knowing you would never see them again. I feel so lucky they made that choice, however, even though it was no doubt forced by poverty and desperation. I feel truly blessed to have this astonishing thousand-mile coastline almost as a birthright. Every bit of beach is publicly owned and accessible, the geological variation is incredible, the wildlife both terrestrial and marine is amazing and the restorative effect of simply being by the sea is exquisite.

I arrive in Coffs Harbour as darkness falls. A swim and a shower and then I sink a Guiness or two in honour of those Irish forebears and their choices. I make my way to Coffs Harbour station. I catch the night train back to Sydney and, after a blissful week of ‘coast-questing’ through Yuraygir National Park and the Solitary Islands Way, I agree with Helen Keller "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ...”