A Morning Out in Woolgoolga
The Coffs Harbour region includes many little beachside towns, and it could be easy to think that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. This is the mistake I make all the time, even as someone who should know better. To be honest, it’s hard to leave our little piece of paradise, to drive half an hour north to…another beach.
Today however, on the school holidays, with plenty of free days to fill in, we took up a friend’s offer and went for a drive to Woolgoolga. The town is 20mins north of Coffs Harbour and the drive in is entertaining for the kids, going past the Sikh temples with their huge statues, and past the RAAF helicopter memorial.
Tip: Locals call Woolgoolga ‘Woopi’. It’s an affectionate nickname, and not an actual name of an actual place (I tried Googling it many years ago when we moved to Coffs Harbour, because I kept hearing about this so called Woopi I had to visit)!
Woolgoolga is a popular destination because it has some really nice cafes and restaurants, is famous for being the home of Coff’s Sikh community, and the sheltered beach is stunning. We met with friends for a play at the new(ish) beachfront playground, which also happens to be right across the road from previously mentioned cafes. Perfect.
The playground got an awesome review with my kids, and me, because they didn’t ask me to play with them once. They laughed and played and I got to actually enjoy my coffee. The stuff of dreams.
I also loved how the whole area was fenced, which meant not having to constantly keep an eye on everyone. And the other bonus was that the toilet block was inside the play area. That meant I could take one kid to the toilet while the other still played. And we didn’t need to rush out of the playground to walk 200m to some far off amenity block. Such a simple idea, but I still can’t believe the toilets were located so easily for parents. Mind blowing design right there. (Although it does mean you get all sorts of people coming and going through the playground.)
After morning tea with beach views, watching the dolphins out past the surfers, we were all keen to get down to the sand. There is concrete ramp access to the beach, and a shower at the entrance too. The kids played in the shallow, crystal clear water. It was a nice change to swim at such a calm beach, not having to worry so much about rips, swells, tides and rocks. Swimming with kids at Woopi was easy.
And that’s why we are keen to go back. My friend and I talked about how good it would be to camp/stay at the beachfront caravan park for a weekend, in the centre of the café – playground – beach triangle. However, I think we are onto something with the short day trips too. It was so much fun and the perfect spot for a morning out with friends.
Your Turn:
Have you been to Woopi? If so, let me know what’s your favourite thing to do there with your kids! Leave a comment below.
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