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The small Historical Museum , at 191 High St (Tues-Thurs & Sun 1.30-4pm; $2), has a collection of relics and tools owned by early pioneers and cedar-getters, as well as local Aboriginal artefacts of the Gumbaingirr , whose boundaries extended from the Nambucca River north to the Clarence River, and inland to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. From the museum, it's only a short distance to the magnificent North Coast Botanic Gardens , with an entrance on Hardacre Street, just off High Street (daily 9am-5pm). These delightfully tranquil subtropical gardens are located on a triangle of land surrounded on two sides by Coffs Creek and feature a mangrove boardwalk and a slice of rainforest. A charming creek walk and cycle trail begin just near the town centre at Rotary Park on Coffs Street and head 5.4km to Muttonbird Island; the final thirty minutes are along the northern breakwater - detailed maps are available from the visitor information centre. The new development of Coffs Promenade , along the creek towards Coffs Jetty, contains crafts and speciality shops as well as an ice-cream parlour, a café and restaurant, the last two with outdoor tables overlooking the tranquil, tree-lined creek. You can rent bikes here, as well as canoes ($15 half-day, $30 full day).

The Fishermen's Co-op , on the northern breakwater of the harbour, sells fresh fish; the wharf here is also the departure point for most of Coffs' cruises. Beyond the boat-filled marina is Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve , high enough to offer fantastic views of Coffs Harbour and the southern and northern beaches. There's plenty of birdlife too, with an interpretive walk describing the lifestyle of the oily, migratory birds who come here to nest in summer. The best time to come is at sunset, when you can watch the muttonbirds return to their nests. You can sometimes see dolphins frolicking close to the island. If you want to see domesticated dolphins (and seals) being put through their paces, visit the misleadingly named Pet Porpoise Pool , between Coffs Jetty and Park Beach (performances 10.30am & 2.15pm; 1hr 30min; $15.50), which seems stuck in a 1970s time warp; there's also a small aquarium with sharks, other marine animals and a reef tank.

Banana plantations indicate that at Coffs you're entering a subtropical climatic zone. The cultural influence of nearby Queensland becomes apparent, too, in tourist attractions such as the Big Banana (daily 9am-5pm), a huge, bright-yellow concrete banana, 3km north of Coffs on the Pacific Highway, advertising a "horticultural theme park". It's free to walk through the banana and look at displays dealing with early pioneer life in the district and Coffs Harbour's $70-million-a-year banana industry. There are monorail tours of the plantation (1hr 30min; $11), which show you packing sheds and hydroponics glasshouses, as well as a space station and an Aboriginal Dreamtime Cave. A newer attraction is a toboggan ride ($4.40), which whizzes 720m down through the steep hillside plantations. For the complete banana experience, stop in at the milk bar, which serves bananas in every conceivable way.