Life in Coffs Harbour

[bright.ton42]

Am thinking of doing a sea change from Melbourne to Coffs and wondering what it's like living there 

For an over 50's.  I have friends there but  would be looking to join in the community.   Don't need the night life of a big city and like the idea of much better weather (what couldn't be better than Melbourne!)   ,  less traffic,  quieter lifestyle, but not too quiet.   Anyone live there?  Pros, cons? 

Any ideas appreciated.  

[lyndal1838]

I don't have personal exprience of Coffs Harbour but I do have relatives living near Port Macquarie and the main problem they find is medical treatment.   There are long waits for GP appointments and Specialist appointments are even longer.

Here in NSW a lot of country people are referred to city hospitals for advanced treatent which can be a bit of a problem if you have no contacts in the city.

The main reason we are still in Sydney is that we both have long standing medical problems.....we are near a major teaching hospital, have a very good local GP who bulk bills and still does house calls for his long standing patients (over 30 years for us).  We can usually get an appointment on the same day if it is really urgent.  Our dentist is his daughter.....they practice in the same building.

[rose*petals]

Hi Brighton - We made the sea change nearly 2 years ago and have no regrets.  We are in our 70's and moved from Traralgon in Victoria.  Our son and family wanted to move here and insisted we come or they wouldn't leave us.  They built a new home with a granny flat attached to the back.  (we paid for it).

We are at Sandy Beach about 20 kms north of Coffs and close to Woolgoolga but the first 15 months we rented in Korara - a suburb of Coffs and found that spot really nice.  Coffs is like any other big town - has it's idiots but they haven't affected us.  The weather is nice - over winter it has ranged from 18 - 24 but the nights aree chilly.  In the summer we rarely go over 30 - mostly 28 range.  Nights are hot.

I can't speak for Coffs but in Woolgoolga there are lots of groups you can join.  Most are at the elderly citizens but also in church halls.  Frank was playing table tennis in Coffs but has now joined the Woolgoolga group which is a lot smaller but friendly.  Actually we have found most people very friendly up here - but then my husband talks to everybody.

We love the lifestyle - in fact we feel like we're on holidays all the time.  We often go for coffee where sometables are on the footpath overlooking the beautiful beaches up here and find we have no reason to go anywhere else to holiday.  The Gold Coast is only 4 hours from here and twice we have popped up there to take the grandies to a theme park.  We are just booking to go again late Oct/Nov.

Both of us have had illnesses - mine are chronic.  Frank needed open heart surgery and within 2 weeks he was in Sydney being operated on.  I have lung problems and did have to wait a little while for the first visit but now my visits are very regular.  I need to be desensitized for some antibiotics as there's not man I can take and I got into a specialist at the John Hunter in 3 months.  Being a public hospital, my specialist thought it would take a lot longer.  We've found a great gp who diagnosed Frank's heart problem and also picked up a melanoma before it spread so we are very happy with the medical side.

Hope some of this helps.  I dont usually read other posts but stawka alerted me to your post knowing we lived in Coffs, or now close to it.

[bright.ton42]

Hi rose,  i really appreciate your detailed feedback , it's just what  I was looking for and you've given me plenty to think about in a  balanced way. (Tks to stawka too    😊 )   From all the reading I've been doing Coffs is often described as either  Paradise, or a Cesspool.!    You're so  right about idiots being there , but  Melbourne has more than its share in spades!  

I get    yours and Lyndal's  comments about needing to 

 go to Sydney   for  major procedures and i'm spoilt by living virtually next  door to The Alfred,  and that I would really miss,   but in general i hear that  health care  there is good.

Apart from my  friends  I'd be looking to make more and I gather people are generally friendly with a fair amount of community activity. and groups .  .   

So far for me i think there are more pros than cons re moving up there,  and thanks again, you've been very helpful.  If I go perhaps we can meet up  for a coffee sometime.  😊.

[rose*petals]

That would be lovely.  

Before we decided on moving up here, we came and stayed a week to ascertain ourselves what we thought.  Maybe you could come up and stay with your friends and have a good look around.

Best of luck.