Moving south and running parallel to an approaching storm front, I realized that the eternal blue skies of outback Queensland had indeed come to an end. The wipers whined after their hibernation as the red dust drizzled off the Jeep. But then it dawned on me that I was about to see another blue – the Pacific. I hadn’t seen the ocean for nine months and had an opportunity to metaphorically, put my toes back in the water, before spearing off to explore a couple of National Parks in central NSW.
Coffs Harbour is my old stomping ground, but before that, I stopped in at a little village called Coramba, where I lived for more than two decades. Caught up with my old neighbours and dear friends Gary and Merryl whom I hadn’t seen in over ten years, and took a walk around the town, trawling through the memories. Spent the night roadside just on the edge of the town limits and headed into Coffs the next morning, where I caught up another bestie, Jeannie. I wasn’t going to navigate holiday traffic to see any more of Coffs, but it was her suggestion that I take a fresh look at the Jetty Precinct. But before I did a ‘review’, I needed a place to park, not easy during school holidays.
Being an ex-local does have it’s advantages. I suspected that the old quarry on the south wall of the harbour might work out, and it did. Five huge concrete slabs, water views and take your pick. Just in time for lunch. Two lessons here that I’ve learnt over four years. Firstly, If there’s no sign that says you can’t, you can. Secondly, the general public doesn’t give a tinkers cuss about where you’ve parked. So, I was pretty confident that this little spot would become an overnighter.
Around 4:30, I looked out the front window to see a couple of yachts gliding past. What a nice bonus I thought. Then, as I got closer, it came back to me in a flash. Thursdays is racing day at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. I had sailed in many of these events back in the day and I knew there’d be more than just a couple. These yachts were taking practice runs inside the harbour, to figure out wind direction and strength in the crucial minutes after the start. More joined, and they began to mill around the starting line, jostling for position, anticipating the starters gun.
In all that excitement, many would not have noticed or paid much attention to another part of the harbour, where the next generation of sailors were honing their skills on somewhat more modest vessels.
Seeing the yachts on that painted sea was like being reacquainted with an old friend. Sailing out to the lighthouse at Split Solitary Island on a pleasure cruise will a ways be remembered. However, not all the experiences were fun or pleasant. Being caught in a southerly buster and pelting rain, with the yacht leaning perilously to the right, is not a scenario that you signed on for.
A coffee later, I decided to take that walk and have a look at what had changed around the harbour. The clouds had started to drift away and the late afternoon sun made a welcome appearance.
I gotta say, the Council have done a huge job of turning what was once a fairly disparate area into a world class recreation venue. Boardwalks and amphitheaters, sculptures and cultural displays. The highlight, is still of course, the historic Coffs Harbour Jetty, and in the twilight of the evening it was something special.
