It was early on a foggy Sunday morning we set off to drive to Urunga. The frozen 2 soundtrack was playing “Into the Unknown” which was exactly how we felt on our first trip away since Covid. Urunga is a small coastal town on the mid-north coast of NSW, about 30minutes south of Coffs Harbour ( the biggest town in this area). As a family we have been visiting this area for many years since my Aunt and Grandmother moved up there when I was young.
Table of Contents
Breaking up the trip
Urunga is about 500km ( about 7 hr drive) north of Sydney, so we usually stop twice on the trip to stretch our legs and have toilet breaks. Over the years the Pacific Motorway has been upgraded and many towns that used to be on the main road are now bypassed. It has made the trip shorter and safer but the road is a lot less interesting than it used to be. Leaving the main road to visit these towns breaks up the monotony of the trip but also supports these businesses that don’t get the passing trade they used to.
Our first stop was at Taree to get a coffee and have a run around at an oval. Our Lunch stop was at Flynn’s beach just south of Port Macquarie. We were familiar with this area as when Miss 10 was a baby we had a family holiday with the grandparents here.
Urunga
We reached the town of Urunga in the early afternoon and after checking into our accommodation we headed off for a stroll around the town. Urunga is a small town of about 4 main streets and a population of about 3000 people that expands greatly in holiday times. It is the kind of town that if you can’t park in front of the shop you are going to you know it is a busy day.
Urunga boardwalk
The main highlight in town is the Boardwalk. Urunga is known as the town where “the rivers meet the sea”. The Bellinger and Kalang river empty into the ocean between Mylestom headland and Hungry Head beach.
The Urunga Boardwalk is 1km long and takes you all the way to the beach with beautiful views in all directions. It can get quite busy especially at sunset but is definitely worth making the trip. From the boardwalk you can watch the changing water levels with the changing tides.It is also a good place to spot local wildlife like Stingray’s, dolphins, sea birds including the Pelicans and closer to the beach there are sometimes Wallabies.
Hungry Head beach
Hungry head is a very rough beach and only patrolled in summer holidays. We don’t swim there but we do love to walk up and down collecting interesting shells and pebbles. There is often lots of driftwood washed up on the beach so we made our own tepee/beach hut. It was a fun activity and looked great when finished. Unfortunately it only lasted a couple of days due to some really large tides and big surf. One day it was there and the next it was like it had never existed. The beach was a great break at the end of the boardwalk each day to use up some energy.
Sunrises and Sunsets
Staying by the river meant that in the morning when we woke up we just had to open the curtains to watch the sunrise over the water. The Sunsets each day were spectacular and made a walk on the boardwalk in the evening a very nice but busy thing to do. Even though the sun was setting behind the mountains the light would still reflect in the clouds and onto the sea when you were walking out on the boardwalk and then returning home you could watch the sun dip behind the mountains in the distance behind the town.
Another run for Mr OTC
During our time at home Mr OTC has kept up with his running by signing up for some of the virtual events that have popped up with the COVID lockdown. While we were away he used Hungry head beach to complete another virtual half marathon. Although the boardwalk gets busy the beach doesn’t get as many visitors. Especially as we were here in winter so he had lots of space to run around and keep safely distanced from others. Also as Urunga itself is not a big town he had to find a longer distance to run to get his 21.1km.
Valery Trails
As a family we hoped to do a trail ride on this trip. I had done quite a bit of horseriding when I was young but it was a first for the rest of the family. I was excited that my girls were now becoming interested in Horses as well.
Valery Trails was just 10 minutes north of Urunga along Valery road in Valery. This company has been offering trail rides for years and also runs Riding for the Disabled so the horses are very calm and great for first time riders. I called on Monday and was able to get a booking for the 4 of us for Wednesday afternoon for a 2 hr trail ride.
We arrived about 30mins early to sign a waiver and a covid declaration and were allocated horses based on our experience and sizes. Cruiser and Stormy ( ex trotters) for myself and Mr OTC, Maggie for Miss 7 and Woody for Miss 9. The horses were well matched and we had no issues on the trail at all. The horses for the girls were happy to trail along at the back even when we had a trot up the front.
The trail through the bushland includes a few creek crossings and low branches and even a couple of sections where a few of us could take the horses for a trot. The trail guides were very confident and helped everyone have a great ride providing instruction when needed. At the end there were a few wobbly legs but definitely a very positive first riding experience. At $300 for the whole family for a 2hr ride it also seemed a very reasonable price for the experience.
Tree tops Coffs Harbour
Our girls were keen to do Tree Tops ( a high ropes course) while we were away. We noticed that there was one at Sealy Lookout over Orara East state forest just north of Coff’s Harbour. After driving along another windy road with banana plantations on each side we reached the top about 20 minutes before our session. Tree Tops was quite busy and so it took a few days to find an available session to book online. When we arrived we had a waiver to sign and our temperatures were checked before waiting to get harnessed up.
For those of you who haven’t seen Tree tops it is a high ropes obstacle course with 5 different levels with progressively more difficult obstacles and longer flying foxes. Our girls were big fans having tried it out a few times at home. There is a safety briefing then each child in the group starts on the white course and once they are confident with that they are allowed to start on the harder courses. It is a challenging activity that helps children to build confidence while they have fun. There is also a course for older children and adults which crisscrossed over the carpark. The cost of treetops for kids ( 3-9years) was a very reasonable $28 each for 2hr of swinging from the trees.
On our way home we were able to stop at one of the roadside stalls to get some fresh bananas and avocados. Fresh Coff’s harbour Bananas are so much better than the supermarket ones at home.
Big Banana Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is famous for having the very first “big thing” in Australia. For those of you who have travelled in Australia, you will know we are fond of a “big thing” or two. There is the big Prawn in Yamba, the Big Merino in Goulburn, Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. But it is The Big Banana that started it all back in 1964. At that time the owner John Landi wanted something to get people to stop at this roadside banana stall. Originally there was just a giant banana and banana plantations behind it. Not long after it got a café and visitor’s centre but now it is a huge fun park with a giant water park, ice-skating, laser tag, toboggan ride, mini-golf, theatre experience, plantation tours, giant slide, cheesemaking, a candy shop and even a reptile park.
We were short of time and so we stopped at the Café to get a chocolate coated banana on a stick. We had to register with a SMS to be able to be tracked in case of Covid outbreak and then were able to sit and enjoy the bananas. After a walk through the Big Banana and some photos and a visit to the gift shop that had every possible banana related souvenir option we headed to the Candy making. Unfortunately we were too late to see them making it but we were able to buy some rock candy which came in all sorts of flavours and made the decision of which one to get extremely difficult.
Dorrigo
About 45 minutes from Urunga along the Waterfall way roads brings you to Dorrigo. The road is very windy and has a few single car bridges and is not for the faint hearted. At the top of the mountain the small town is dominated by the Dorrigo Hotel which has food, drinks and accommodation. The town is even smaller than Urunga with a population of about 1000. The tourist office was very friendly and gave us quite a few suggestions of what we could do in the area. We also stopped at the Woodfired bakery to get some treats to sustain us after the drive and walking around the town we found Pam’s fruit and Veg shop which had lots of delicious fruit and vegetables and large tubs of local honey.
Dangar falls
Travelling about 10 minutes north of town we came to Dangar falls. There is a small lookout not far from the carpark where you can get a view of the falls. Walking further into the park there was a Labyrinth to walk around and relax and the entrance to a track down to the bottom of the falls. We weren’t sure how long the walk would be and still needed to go to the national parks so we didn’t do the walk.
Dorrigo National Park
From Dangar falls we came back through town and then back towards Urunga to get to the Dorrigo National park. It has a visitors centre with a large gift shop that kept the girls interested in the many options available and also a video screen plating movies about the park.
Outside the visitors centre is a short Skywalk that has a view over the valley and also a café. We stopped at the Rainforest café to get some late lunch before we embarked on a bushwalk. The circuit from the visitors centre was a 2-3hr circuit but the information desk had suggested we could drive further up the road to the Glade picnic ground and do a shorter section of the “Wonga walk” to visit the Crystal Shower falls.
The walk to the falls was beautiful with the giant trees around us making us feel very small indeed. The slope downwards was easy going to get to the falls. Not so appealing when trying to get back to the car. The suspension bridge at the end gave a great view of the Crystal shower falls. Crossing the bridge there was then a short track to follow to go behind the falls. Dorrigo is known for being quite wet. With an annual rainfall of about 2000mm, the falls look spectacular at most times of the year.
Watching the stars
Urunga being a small town on the coast means the stars are amazing. There are so many more visible than at home in Sydney with all the light pollution. The Milky Way was clearly visible just outside our apartment. Even in winter, the temperature was comfortable to be outside to look at them. Astrophotography is something I am still trying to learn. Unfortunately, I forgot my tripod so it was difficult to get really good photos. Certainly easier than in Scotland, where it was so cold and windy my tripod was almost blown over.
Swimming in the Lido
Swimming at the beach in Urunga is a bit rough but the Lido is a tidal “pool”. The new Lido was officially opening in November 2019 and has a short boardwalk with a floating pontoon. There is another Pontoon about 25m away so that you can swim between them. The water level varies a lot due to the rivers. The area around the pontoons was dredged to make sure that it remains deep enough to swim. The girls did wear their wetsuits as the wind was a bit cool. They did say it was warmer than the swim they had at the pool where we were staying. Mr OTC and I waded in the water to take photos of them jumping off the pontoons. We didn’t brave a proper swim on this trip.
Urunga wetlands boardwalk
On our way out of town I quickly stopped off to have a look at the Urunga wetlands boardwalk. This was new since our last visit and I wanted to see what it was like. Apparently it was an old Antinomy mine that was rehabilitated. It is a much shorter boardwalk than that into the ocean but very pleasant. It is a circular track where you can hear the sound of frogs and birds all around you. The boardwalk itself has views over the wetlands and to the surrounding trees. On the day I went the reflections were spectacular.
Where to stay
Riverside Holiday Resort
Mogo Street Urunga
The Riverside Holiday resort is owned by the Federation of Community, Sporting and Workers clubs. By joining the Coffs Ex Services club, Urunga branch next door) ($5) per year, we were able to get the member’s rate. A very affordable $650 for 7 days. Our room was number 4 on the ground floor near the entrance and had views over the river. Being school holidays the park was reasonably full but wasn’t noisy. The room was 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry and a full kitchen. This meant we were able to make most dinners at home to save money. The Resort has about 4 trampolines and a swimming pool. Unfortunately, the pool isn’t heated and so although the girls gave it a try it was far too cold for swimming at this time of year.
It is only a 5-minute walk from the centre of Urunga town so it is quiet and convenient. There is a path that runs from the Resort to the park and around to the Lido and boardwalk.
Other options
Reflections caravan park
Closer to the water and town there is the Reflections Caravan park which has cabins, powered and unpowered sites. We have previously stayed in a cabin and found it quite comfortable. When we looked for our trip this year the cabins were much more expensive than the Riverside Holiday resort.
OVH Urunga.
There is also accommodation available at the Ocean View Hotel. No family rooms but very affordable single and double rooms. This might be an option if you weren’t travelling with the whole family.
There are also other bed and breakfasts around greater Urunga closer to the old Highway rather than the ocean.
Where to eat
Oriental Kitchen
Bowra street Urunga
Being a regional Australian town it has a traditional Chinese restaurant. The Lunch specials we ordered from here were our most affordable meal of the trip and were very satisfying. To enjoy a wider variety of cuisines you to travel to slightly bigger towns like Sawtell and Toormina. ( closer to Coffs Harbour)
Boardwalk café
Bowra street Urunga
To celebrate Mr OTC’s birthday, after a walk on the boardwalk, we stopped for coffee and salted caramel tart. The self-proclaimed favourite coffee shop in Urunga had a varied menu and tables both inside and out. The coffee was quick and tasty and the tart tasted as good as it looked.
Sea Salt fish and chips
Jetty Village Shopping centre-Harbour Drive Coff’s Harbour
After our Tree Tops adventure, we were in need of some lunch. Previously we have ordered from the Co-op on the Jetty in Coffs Harbour. With the number of cars around, we knew that we could not be able to survive the Saturday afternoon wait. We drove back off the Jetty and found Sea Salt Fish and Chips at the Jetty Village shopping centre. The grilled fish, chips and Scallops we ordered were cooked in a reasonable time and were just what we needed.
OVH pizza at the pub
Morgo street Urunga
According to the locals, the Pizza at the Ocean View Hotel had a very good reputation. We ordered from the window on the side of the pub as we walked home from the boardwalk. Then 30minutes later ( as promised) we walked back up the hill to collect them.
The gourmet Pizza’s we ordered “nuts in the hen house” a satay sauce base with chicken, capsicum bacon onion and cheese and the “pumpkin patch” pesto base with roast pumpkin onion and baby spinach, were delicious. They had no issue at all with them removing the feta, pine nuts and cheese from the pumpkin patch pizza so I could eat it. For the kids we ordered a “kids” large Cheese and napolitana Pizza. The Kids large was really standard pizza size. For the gourmet pizzas we ordered the smaller 9 inch size and combined there was easily enough Pizza for 3 adults and 2 kids with leftover the following day. Again another affordable meal.
Other options
CEX Urunga branch
Morgo street Urunga
The Coffs ex services club has a branch in Urunga that has a restaurant overlooking the ocean. Because we had a kitchen at the accommodation we didn’t eat here. They have standard “club meals” but a limited children’s menu.
Club Urunga (Bowling club)
Orara street Urunga
Club Urunga is further from the beach and offers a Chinese restaurant and also offers standard “club” meals. Again due to limited time we didn’t eat here but it does have a good reputation with the locals. Their kids menu has more choices than the CEX.
A week in Urunga gave us a chance to slow down. It was great to enjoy local travel for our first trip since COVID 19. Urunga is a great destination where you can relax and unwind locally. It is close enough to other areas if you do want to be more active. Have you ever been to Urunga? What did you think? If you are looking for a stopover on your way further north or a relaxing regional stay. Urunga might be just the place for you to leave the new highway.
