The on-site kiosk handles the essentials when you cannot face packing the car back up, with morning coffee, ice creams for sandy kids and a small range of grocery basics that have rescued more than one forgotten pantry item. We loved firing up the camp kitchen for a slow first night dinner, then walking five minutes through the dune track for a sunrise swim before breakfast on the deck of our cabin. The communal firepit, lit seasonally, became a favourite after-dark gathering spot where neighbours swapped tips on which Jetty restaurant to try next.

The Jetty strip, a short drive or a long beach walk from the park, is where Coffs Harbour really shows off. We made Old Johns our breakfast headquarters, returning twice for the chilli scrambled eggs and a flat white that put most city cafes to shame. Their recycled timber fit-out and eclectic playlist set the tone for the whole jetty precinct. For something a little smarter, The Jetty Pavilion does long lunches beautifully, with fennel salted snapper, share plates and the kind of breezy verandah that begs for a second bottle of local rosé.

When the kids needed feeding fast, Jetty Beach House became our go-to. Set right by the water, the menu spans crowd-pleasing wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood and pub classics, and there is enough space for prams, post-swim hair and a packet of damp towels without anyone batting an eyelid. We grabbed a sunset table on the lawn and stayed until the harbour lights flicked on.

For a takeaway feast back at the park, swing past the Coffs Harbour Fishermen's Co-Op for a paper-wrapped haul of fresh prawns and whatever has come off the trawlers that morning, then add a stop at the Harbourside Markets on Sunday for sourdough, local cheese and a coffee from one of the rotating food trucks. We lugged it all back to the camp kitchen, spread it across the picnic table and called it the best meal of the trip.

Park Beach is the obvious headline act, with the patrolled flags going up over summer and a generous stretch of soft sand and easy surf right across the road. We wandered down each morning before the heat kicked in and watched the bodyboarders work the shore break while flat whites went cold in our hands. The kids will likely disappear toward the on-site games room and firepit area the moment you arrive, so plan accordingly.

A five-minute drive north and you cannot miss The Big Banana Fun Park, a Coffs Harbour rite of passage built around the country's most photographed piece of fruit. The water park, toboggan run, ice skating rink and laser tag will swallow most of a day, and entry to the giant banana itself, the lolly factory tour and the opal display is free. Pack swimmers if the weather is warm.

For something gentler, the walk out to Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve along the marina breakwall is a Coffs Coast must. From August to April thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters nest in burrows across the headland, and the views back to the harbour at sunset are quietly spectacular. Between June and November we kept the binoculars in the car for migrating humpbacks, which often track close to shore.

Animal-loving families should set aside a half day for Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary, formerly Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. Established in 1970 as a rescue and rehab centre, it is one of the only places in Australia to meet bottlenose dolphins, Australian sea lions and little blue penguins up close, with daily encounters that sell out fast in school holidays. Round the day off with a wander down the Jetty Strip or a paddle at Diggers Beach if the swell is up.

We loved that Park Beach sits just a short walk through the dune track and that the recently completed Coffs Harbour bypass has taken much of the old highway hum out of the park, especially in the evenings.