To Coffs' Credit

Coffs Harbour has a more cosmopolitan air than many Australian coastal centres. Having evolved as a popular seaside spot over several decades, the multicultural destination now has many fine restaurants, trendy shops, small cafes and art and craft markets.

>> Conference venues and rooms in Coffs Harbour

Its golden beaches, rolling waves, excellent walking trails and with a growing number of scheduled air flights, Coffs Harbour is also becoming an ideal destination for delegates. Virgin Blue, Qantas/Qantaslink and Sunshine Express operate direct flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. There are gorgeous swimming and surfing beaches, including Gallows, Diggers, Sapphire, Emerald, Sawtell and Park Beach. Professional reef and deep-sea fishing charters operate, while whale watching in season is extremely popular. A range of tours runs regularly from the Coffs Harbour Marina.

While there’s much to do in Coffs and along the nearby coastline, the region also has some spectacular rural locations. The towns of Dorrigo and Bellingen present another side to the Coffs Coast, with historic buildings and a peaceful hinterland ambience.

Celebrating its 25th birthday, Quality Resort Nautilus – seven kilometres north of Coffs Harbour – has improved its popularity as a conference destination with the opening of a new conference room, suitable for smaller groups.

Three studio rooms are being converted to luxury spa suites and further room refurbishments are planned. Last year, the hotel completed refurbishment of its standard queen-size rooms; more work this year will see the remainder upgraded. The resort’s accommodation ranges from hotel-style to three bedroom apartments.

In mid 2005, the hotel introduced Club Nautilus, a membership scheme with a privilege card allowing special rates within the resort, along with various other benefits worldwide.

Late last year, the hotel opened its expanded day spa, Spa’cifique, complete with modern massage and beauty facilities and superb ocean views. The day spa offers modern Vichy showers with aroma steam, plus a steam room, large showers, change area with personal lockers, luxurious robes on arrival and three treatment rooms. The resort also has a heated swimming pool, tennis courts and a gym.

Room to move

For those seeking a spacious property, Opal Cove Resort, set on 26 hectares of gardens, has a private golf course, swimming pool and freshwater lagoon.

The resort’s state-of-the-art conference facilities were refurbished last year. There are seven rooms with ceilings reaching as high as 5.5 metres. The largest room seats 200 delegates theatre style, 300 for cocktails or 100 for a banquet. There are 130 resort rooms, five suites and 38 villas, capable of accommodating 430 people. There’s also a massage and beauty retreat, gym, spa, sauna and floodlit tennis courts.

Novotel Pacific Bay Resort Coffs Harbour is a large property boasting a $1 million sports centre with a gym, spa, physiotherapy rooms, showers, meetings room with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and a barbeque area. It has nine meetings rooms, including a Bay Marquee holding 550 delegates theatre style or 600 for cocktails.

The 4½ star resort is set on 40 hectares of secluded beachfront at Charlesworth Bay, six kilometres north of Coffs Harbour.