Coffs Harbour Waterways

The Coffs Harbour Waterways are all short catchments. The coastal catchments, fro Bundageree Creek to Station Creek, begin at the coastal range of hills in the west. The upper parts of each catchment have steep, dramatic topography, flattening out as the creeks become estuaries and then flow to the ocean. The most distinctive features of these coastal catchments are the estuaries and lagoons, with impressive headlands and many beaches.

Climate in Coffs Harbour is a very important consideration, since rainfall is high and variable, but also with a surface runoff nearly double the average for coastal NSW. Risk of soil erosion is high, and broad lower floodplains are an important part of the natural drainage system.

This coastal area has been recognised as having a high biological diversity, with significant ecosystems in rainforests, most eucalypt forests, coastal heaths, estuarine wetlands, headland rock platforms and the coral and alga marine habitats. The area is particularly rich in wildlife and includes several threatened species of plants and animals.

Human settlement has tended to follow the flatter coastal plain, headlands and valley floodplains. Forests in the valleys were logged, followed by farming and banana growing. Approximately 54,000 people live in the urban areas of these coastal catchments, mostly in Coffs Harbour, Sawtell/Toormina and Woolgoolga.

 

Area (km2)	508
Number of sub catchments	13
Tree Cover	59%
Major Land Uses	Grazing, Urban and Horticulture