Going Bananas in Coffs Harbour-Day 194

What a day! We packed so much into it knowing it was all the time we had in the area and there was stacks to see.

We started at the Clog Barn looking through the souvenirs and waiting for the clog making demonstration to begin. We were amazed to discover a mini Dutch village through the back of the shop. The owner (Jack) has painstakingly built replica Dutch buildings from throughout Holland. Many of these we have actually visited in person when we were overseas and to see them in such a small scale was “pruchtug”. (Dutch for “pretty”)


We watched the clog making demonstration where a clog was turned from a piece of wood into a shoe, (you just never know when you might need this skill). The tourist watching who had travelled the furtherest got to keep the clog. Ray was quick in mentioning that we were from Melbourne, via Broome WA, and that we had actually travelled 35,000 kms to get here. We got to keep the clog as a souvenir! 
We then went next door to Big Oma’s Cafe. The menu reflected many traditional Dutch treats and we ordered a feast! I spent the rest of the day trying to digest it all and ended up with a severe case of indigestion. 
The pool in the caravan park is the only clog shaped pool in the world and has clog water features. It was amazing to look at and we wished the weather was warmer and we had more time to spend relaxing by it.
We also had to visit the Big Banana which was close by, everyone does when they are in Coffs Harbour and it is the main tourist attraction in the area. Apparently it was the first of the “big” things in Australia, now rivaled by the big pineapple, orange, prawn, galah, dugong, lizard, guitar, worm and many other objects. Attached to the banana shop and cafe is a toboggan ride and a small water park boasting the “biggest” available inflatable water slide in the world! Caleb had a couple of turns on the toboggan and declared it the most fun ever! We talked him out of the water park as we didn’t have his togs with us. 
We took a drive up into the banana plantation and saw how precariously houses were perched into the side of the hill. The sky jetty gave us a fantastic view of where the Great Dividing Range meets the coast, but Caleb didn’t like the height too much so he retreated to the car to wait while we took it all in.
We found the biggest Blooded Gum tree in the world and Ray wanted a photo as a “tree hugger” so we stopped. 
We just had to visit the beach as Ray likes to test the beach water temperature no matter where we are and then we headed to the Harbour for a look around the jetty. As I got out of the car, I felt something between my toes. I flicked it off and realised that it was a leech. Calling Ray and Caleb over to have a look, it was obvious that it had been sucking my blood. It was quite revolting but amused Caleb no end. 
We leave tomorrow heading up the coast a little way. Ray is hoping to drop a line in and do some fishing. Caleb just wants to stop somewhere for a while. He thinks we are much too busy for people on a “holiday”! I think I tend to agree with him but I would also like to find a spot that is a little less congested with people and vehicles to put down roots for a little while.

Leave a comment