Deciding on an area to live and building a life with your family can be a tough choice to make. Many factors come into that process, and deciding on what your family’s priorities are, will not be the same for everyone.
So, let’s think about Coffs Harbour as a location, it ticks some pretty cool boxes, but does it appeal to everyone? Why do we want to call Coffs Harbour home? Let’s have a look at some of the key factors that make Coffs an appealing destination and a good place to live for families.
Coffs is an Outdoor Playground
You have to admire the huge variety of beautiful and natural places in our backyard. Coffs Harbour has something for everyone making it a great family destination.
The stunning beaches along the Coast each offer something different making it easy to enjoy every water sport imaginable. There are plenty of opportunities for fishing, surfing or general picnicking and relaxing with the family.
You can surround yourself with nature and enjoy the National Parks, mountain biking, walking tracks or wildlife watching.
For those that love sport and also have children, Coffs Harbour is renowned for its sporting opportunities, there is a huge variety of sports which you can get involved in on the Coffs Coast and connecting with a local club is easy. Coffs Harbour has produced a number of national and even international sporting stars.
Climate
People’s attitudes seem noticeably different from the sunshine. Research shows warm weather can have a positive influence on your mindset. In saying that, Coffs Harbour’s weather is superb and it has been assessed as being the most liable climate in Australia by the CSIRO.
Its warmest month of the year is January with an average temperate of 23.4C and July has the lowest temperate for the year of 13.1C. It offers a sub-tropical year-round climate making it easy to get out and about with the little ones.
Location and Accessibility
Coffs Harbour is located approximately halfway between Brisbane and Sydney. The local airport is only 4km away from the town centre, and one of the busiest regional airports in New South Wales. It has eight one-hour flights to Sydney daily and direct flights to Melbourne and Brisbane making it easy enough for those that want to commute weekly to major cities for work if desired. The flexibility of having both lifestyle and access to other major cities is definitely a drawcard.
Shopping
Coffs Harbour offers various shopping experiences, from boutiques to markets.
Coffs Harbour is renowned for its markets, including the Growers Markets, Jetty Markets, Twilight Markets and Uptown Markets, as well as the Car Markets, the Made with Love Markets, the Bollywood Markets and more.
Markets are also held in the towns of Glenreagh, Woolgoolga, Sawtell, Bellingen and Dorrigo. The Dorrigo Markets, on the first Saturday of the month, are known for arts, craft and fresh local produce. Bellingen Community Markets, on the third Saturday of the month, is one of the largest regional markets in Australia with 250 stalls, children’s activities, live music and camel rides.
Education
Coffs Harbour has a variety of Early Childhood Facilities. It has 21 Primary and 9 Secondary Public, Private and Alternative Schools allowing you a range of opportunities in making the right choice for your children in their Education.
For the older ones the Specialist Education Facilities including Southern Cross University, TAFE Colleges, National Marine Science Centre and the Rural Medical School.
Employment and Career Opportunities
This is, unfortunately, one of the biggest fears people have when moving and that is the availability to find work. Coffs Harbour is typical of all coastal destinations and the struggle to find work is real. So if you are looking to move here, make sure you have work lined up or understand it may take time to find employment, have a strategy in place.
Major construction and infrastructure on the highways have brought more work and job opportunities to the area, but the main key industries in Coffs are primarily Health, Education, Tourism, Retail, Construction and Agriculture.
It has been recorded for the June 2018 quarter, that the unemployment rates were 7.71%.
Something for Everyone
If you value the importance of family time, then living in Coffs Harbour is an easy choice. The relaxed lifestyle being away from the hustle and bustle of a big city, the sense of community spirit mixed with its affordability is a great motivator. Being able to nip into a sizeable town for work and shopping also adds points.
For a coastal town – Coffs really does have it all, a great balance for working and living in amongst a natural environment.