Last year in August, Greg and I were in Coffs Harbour with Leanne’s mum. On this last visit we also went to the Butterfly house in Bonville. So we were excited to come back again for another visit this time.

The butterfly house is located in Bonville and is only a short drive south of Coffs Harbour. It takes approximately 15 minutes by car from Coffs.

There are three main features that the Coffs Butterfly House offers to its guests. These are the butterfly glasshouse itself, the Wooden Maze complete with a fun questionnaire and then an outdoor, garden-setting cafe where you can order morning or afternoon tea or light lunches.

Last August we enjoyed a lovely morning tea, which comprised of scones, jam & cream as part of the Devonshire tea and a hot drink. The homemade scones were some of the very best that we had ever enjoyed so it was with delight that we looked forward to a Devonshire tea again on this vacation.

Greg and I purchased our tickets and then went straight into the butterfly house to start enjoying the butterflies. There is always a guide inside the glasshouse who is happy to explain all about butterflies and to answer any questions that visitors may have.

There are many different species of Australian butterflies that happily fly around this subtropical rainforest setting. Visitors are free to walk around the paths inside the glass-house and to view the hundreds of different coloured butterflies.

It is important to keep alert and watch out for any butterflies that may be resting on the path, so that they are not stepped on and squashed.

Greg was blessed to have multiple butterflies over the hours that we were there land on his head and arms.

Leanne had one butterfly land on her arm and it stayed there for around 5 minutes. This butterfly could have been drinking the perspiration that was on Leanne’s arm as they find sweat sweet to the taste and enjoy drinking it, according to the guide.

It is a lovely experience walking among the hundreds of live butterflies in many varied colours and patterns. It is even more exciting when they decide to land and have a rest on our heads, arms or bodies.

We love watching the butterflies and highly recommend the Butterfly House to anyone planning a vacation to the Coffs Harbour region of the Mid-North Coast of NSW.

In our next post we will take a look at some of the individual butterflies that we saw first-hand on our visit to this well-loved and enjoyed holiday destination.

Until then, remember to enjoy life and enjoy travelling the world, no matter which part of the world you are in.

Leanne <><

On our first day in Coffs Harbour we planned to go to the Pet Porpoise Pool. We woke up to find it pouring rain with no sign of any blue sky or any break in the weather coming.

Greg and I decided to still drive down to the Pet Porpoise Pool to see if we could still enjoy it even with all of the rain. When we arrived the rain was still not letting up, but we went inside to enjoy the seals and dolphins.

We were pleasantly surprised to see how this Marine Park is perfectly set up for visitors to enjoy the animals no matter what the weather is doing. It is officially a Wet Weather Friendly Tourist Destination!

There are covered walkways all of the way from the entrance up to the back of the park where the seating area is for the marine magic presentations that are shown twice a day during most of the year at 10am and 1pm. During NSW school holidays there is an additional show later in the afternoon at 4pm.

Greg and I were still able to enjoy the Dolphin and Seal Marine Magic Presentations with the awning above the seating area so that the rain didn’t make us wet. The Seals and dolphins were not affected by the weather in the slightest.

Before the show we each received a kiss from the seal under a covered area to the side of the park. Then we went over to the dolphin pool and got a dolphin kiss right on the cheek.

After the show we went to feed the small penguins also known as fairy penguins. It was so much fun! I have never been so close to penguins. To be able to feed them little fish by hand was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.

So no matter what the weather may be, don’t let the rain stop you from enjoying your visit to the Pet Porpoise pool.

Coffs has so many different things for you to do that there are fun activities for all of the family for any Coffs Harbour holiday.

Next time we will talk about our visit to the Butterfly House at Bonville just 15 minutes south of Coffs Harbour.

Until then, Enjoy Life and Enjoy the World around you!

Leanne <><

My husband, Greg, and I have just returned from our week away in Coffs Harbour in the Mid-North Coast of NSW, on the East Coast of Australia. In total we traveled 942km over the week.

Over the coming days we will be sharing with you some of the fun places we visited and the different activities that we enjoyed.

Here is a list of some of the places we were able to go to:

• Pet Porpoise Pool
• Big Banana
• Butterfly House, Bonville
• Jetty at Coffs Marina
• Carobana
• Fredos Pies, Frederickton
• The Honey Place, Urunga
• Urunga Boardwalk
• Macadamia Castle, Knockrow near Byron Bay

We had such a lovely time over these few days.

• A Relaxing walk on the beach that looks out over the Solitary Islands marine park.

• A Sunset walk out on the Marina Jetty in Coffs.
• Another sunset walk on the Urunga Boardwalk that ends where the river mouth meets the ocean.
• Receiving Dolphin and Seal kisses at the Pet Porpoise Pool.
• Enjoying toboggan rides down the hill at the Big Banana.
• One and a half hours of ice skating also at the Big Banana.
• Having gorgeous butterflies landing on us in the Butterfly House at Bonville.
• Finding our way through the Maze also at the Butterfly House.
• A scrumptious Devonshire tea with home made scones at the Butterfly house.

These are just some of the highlights of our trip to Coffs and the surrounding region over this past week. We look forward to going into more details of each place we visited.

So keep your eyes open and check back for updates as we release them over the coming days.

In three weeks time we fly down to Hobart to enjoy 8 nights in Australia’s beautiful State of Tasmania. We will also have lots to share with you from this upcoming holiday.

Until then, Remember to Enjoy Life, Smile at a stranger and Make a Difference in the World.

Leanne Annett <><

The video above shows aerial shots of locations around Coffs Harbour on the North Coast in eastern New South Wales.

These locations are as shown below:

Sawtell is approximately 12 km south of Coffs on the coast in North NSW. It is lovely coastal town that is surrounded by golden beaches, mountains and beautiful creeks.

Sawtell is also almost the midpoint between Sydney and Brisbane.

Boambee Creek is just north of Sawtell with the creek opening out into the Pacific Ocean.

Coffs Harbour is located approximately 534 km north of Sydney and approx. 420 km south of Brisbane. It is well known for the iconic landmark of the Big Banana that was officially opened in 1964. The Big Banana has been a popular tourist attraction for over 4 decades now.

Muttonbird Island is located on one side of the harbour at Coffs and it provides protection and shelter to the harbour. The island is connected to the mainland via a breakwall that runs along next to the International Marina.

The muttonbirds return to Muttonbird Island each August after spending the Australian winters in South-East Asia.

Coffs Harbour Marina is an International Marina with 165 berths and a 100 tonne slipway. Just a few minutes away off shore is the Solitary Islands Marine Park with a vast range of marine life.

Park Beach is close to the Jetty in Coffs.

Diggers Beach is perhaps Coffs Harbour’s best loved beach due to the fact that it is a safe beach due to the headlands that offer protection. It is a patrolled beach during the summer months and school holidays.

South Solitary Island is approximately 18 km off the coast from Coffs Harbour and approximately 6 km from Emerald Beach.
The Jetty storehouse was Built 1880 with the first headkeeper appointed in March 1880.

Charlesworth Bay offers sensational views of Solitary Island off the coast.

Some of the other beautiful beaches to the north of Coffs include: Korara Bay, Sapphire Beach, Moonee Beach, Emerald Beach and Sandy Beach.

Woolgoolga is just north of Sandy Beach and around 23km north of Coffs.

Opal Cove Resort is located about 5km north of Coffs on absolute beach front in Korora Bay.

Pacific Bay Resort is part of the Novotel chain and is about 3km north of Coffs.

Botanic Gardens is located in Hardacre Street, in Coffs Harbour, with free entry and is open from 9am to 5 pm daily.

Coffs Harbour also offers a local racecourse & Golf Club for those golfing enthusiasts.

We are looking forward to our week away in Coffs Harbour. It is only 2 weeks from today until we leave for our 4 hour drive south to Coffs.

Traveling is fun and seeing different places in our world is something that I am passionate about. I look forward to continuing to share our trips with you.

It is only 3 weeks away now that Greg and I head off to drive down to Coffs Harbour in New South Wales for a romantic 5 nights away. I am so looking forward to just being able to kick back and to see some local sites.

There are many fun things to do in the area around Coffs and I want to share some of these with you on our return.

We are considering as some possibilities the following tourist activities:

• Big Banana Tour and Toboggans
• Butterfly House
• The Clog Barn
• Pet Porpoise Pool
• Bruxner Park Flora Reserve
• Coffs Harbour Jetty Strip
• National Marine Science Centre Aquarium
• Red Rock/Corindi River
• Yuraygir National Park
• Orara Valley in the Coffs Hinterland
• Coffs Harbourside Markets (Sunday mornings)

We will also be able to relax in the heated spa, even though the swimming pool will be too cold to swim in! We just have to be sure to jump out of the spa and quickly wrap the towel around as the air temperature is sure to be quite cold.

We may even go to the local Coffs Harbour cinema and see a new release movie. Greg and I can take our pick from this list.

Some possible movies are:

• Something Borrowed
• Source Code
• Fast And Furious 5
• Water For Elephants
• Pirates Of The Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides
• X-men: First Class

I am already getting excited about our trip. No kids or anyone else this time. Just the two of us. It will be fun and a nice break from the busyness of our every day lives.

I will share more with you on our return and possibly even a post while we are away if we go to Maccas for a meal to use their wifi.

Until then enjoy yourself and enjoy the world around you.