We left Brisbane on 28 December, which is that odd window where Christmas is done, everyone’s a bit fried, and the idea of planning anything feels worse than staying home. We didn’t want flights. We didn’t want a schedule. We didn’t want to feel like we needed another holiday to recover from the first one.
We just wanted to go somewhere.
So we drove to Coffs Harbour.
It’s about four hours from Brisbane, depending on how often you stop and how dramatic the snack situation gets. Long enough that it feels like a proper trip, short enough that it doesn’t turn into a full endurance test. We stopped at a servo somewhere past Grafton. I bought a coffee I didn’t really want. One kid wanted chips, another wanted a frozen drink, and the third changed their mind halfway through ordering. Nothing memorable, which is kind of the point.
By the second day, we’d stopped checking the time so much. Mornings started with a swim because it felt right, not because it was on a plan. We’d do one proper thing each day, usually before lunch, then end up back at the beach. Nobody was rushing. Nobody was counting activities. It felt easy in a way that’s hard to manufacture.
A Full Day at The Big Banana
We set aside one full day for The Big Banana, and that was the right call.
If you’re standing at the ticket counter debating passes, get the full-day one. The shorter passes sound sensible, but they turn the whole day into a mental checklist. With the full pass, nobody cared. The kids bounced between things, left halfway through, came back later, and didn’t feel like they had to “choose wisely”.
They kept going back to the toboggan.
Then the giant slide.
Then the water park.
Not in that order. Over and over.
We took breaks. We ate. We sat down. Then they went again. The ability to stop and restart without feeling like you were wasting money made the day feel far more relaxed than most theme-park-style outings.
Most of the attractions work for mixed ages too. Younger kids could ride with a parent, which meant no one was stuck waiting around watching everyone else have fun.
Big Banana – Full Day Pass Prices (as shown)
Prices shown are from our visit/photo and may change. Check the official website for current pricing.
One thing the kids loved more than expected was the bananas. Eating bananas at The Big Banana shouldn’t be funny, but apparently it is when you’re there.
Facilities were solid. Clean toilets where you actually need them. Enough food options that leaving mid-day never crossed our minds. Parking gets messy later in the day, though – arriving early made everything easier.
Laser Tag Almost Got Skipped
Laser tag nearly didn’t happen.
It ended up being one of the better parts of the day.
The arena is huge, which changes the experience completely. It didn’t feel cramped or chaotic – just loud, fast, and surprisingly fun. Older kids loved it, and adults didn’t feel ridiculous joining in. One of those things you don’t expect to enjoy as much as you do.
Jetty Beach – Calm, Easy and Perfect for Families
Jetty Beach was supposed to be a short visit. Swim, dry off, move on.
We didn’t.
The water was calm enough that the kids could swim without us hovering constantly. That alone changes the whole mood of a day. We stayed longer than planned, then longer again. At some point I realised I hadn’t checked my phone in a while, which doesn’t happen often.
We walked out along the jetty and over toward the headland. It’s not a big hike or anything just a nice walk with a good view back over the beach. One of those moments where nothing exciting happens, but you remember it anyway.
Facilities at Jetty Beach
There are showers, shady picnic spots, cafés close enough that you don’t have to relocate the entire family just to get food, and parking that didn’t feel like a competitive sport. All the boring things that make it easier to stay longer than you meant to.
The Pace Was the Point
What worked about this trip wasn’t how much we did. It was how little pressure there was to do anything.
We stayed too long at the beach one afternoon and paid for it later when dinner plans fell apart. No one starved, but no one was particularly happy either. Still worth it.
At one point we talked about staying an extra night. We didn’t. But it came up and that doesn’t always happen.
Some parts of the trip blur together now. Others stand out for no obvious reason. That’s usually how holidays look in hindsight, and Coffs Harbour fit into that pattern without trying too hard.
It didn’t demand much from us. We didn’t demand much from it. And that was enough.
