Coffs Harbour Road Trip

4 January 2012, 02:01


OH HAI! How was your nye guys? Hope it was awesome and you’ve all recovered! The boy and I took a pretty spontaneous road trip the other day, with the main aim of getting to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour. You see, Noods has never been to the Big Banana and I felt it was my duty to educate him on the finer points of tourist attractions. So we left early in the morning and lasted a coupla hours before hitting the first pit stop on the F3 at the Caltex Stopover at Wyong.


BEHOLD THE CRACKLE ON MY ROAST PORK SAMMICH!!! I didn’t really want Maccas and went over to the trucker resto and randomly chose the Roast Pork Sandwich ($6.90) which came on good ol white bread with surprisingly tender pork nubbins with a river of gravy and topped with a glorious piece of crackle. Awesome start to the trip!


The boy has a cheeky grin because he couldn’t help but dig into his big brekkie ($16) before I took a photo. The brekkie had a generous serve of sunny side up eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausage, hashbrown, toast and fries.


Surprisingly Noods and I have never really done a long road trip before. There may or may not have been a power struggle for the music on the ipod haha


For our driver reviver stops we kept our eyes peeled for random food signs, one sign we stalked for about an hour had the claim of ‘best scones on the coast’ and well, who can pass up a scone?


Moorland Cottage was great to recharge and grab a bite to eat. The Devonshire tea ($9p/p) was a steal, 2 freshly baked scones with a pot of raspberry jam, clotted cream and a giant teapot. Our basket had plain and date scones and were super fluffy and light with a buttery crumb. Best on the coast? Quite possibly.


Of course the boy was in need of sustenance that had some form of meat and after several signs taunting us with ‘the best pies are with Marilyn’ we turned a hill and ta dah Fredo Pies (75 Macleay St, Frederickton- north of Kempsey on the Pacific hwy) complete with Marilyn Monroe statues aplenty.


There were heaps of pies available even some of the more crazier types like emu and buffalo but I stuck to a pepper steak pie while Noods went for the Crocodile pie. Pretty tops pie and super friendly staff who were nice enough to print out google maps so we could follow the back roads and avoid the horrible traffic. The lemon meringue pie was a snack for the road and it sure was tasty and the sugar rush helped us stay awake.


Woot almost to Coffs and we see a double rainbow!


Made it to Novotel (cnr Pacific Highway and Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour) and crashed for a bit of a nap.


It’s the Big Banana yo! We made it! Bahahahaha it uh seems smaller than what I remember but that’s most likely because the last time I went I was in primary school lol


Chocolate coated banana with 100’s & 1000’s ($3.95) heh heh get your mind outta the gutter!


Aaaand a banana split ($6.95) which came with banana ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce and a sprinkle of nuts. Mmm be still my lactose intolerant gut!


Heh when we saw that there were Segways available we couldn’t resist going on an hour ride ($65p/p) muahaha it was so much fun! We had a practice run around a mini obstacle course learning how to go around corners before our instructor took us past the golf course and onto a bushwalking trail that led through the beach and to a paddock where we roamed freeeee


Wheeeeeeeeee!


After a non-delicious dinner we managed to sleep thru breakfast time and drove down to Anna Bay where I found this crazy awesome cream puff ($3) at Anna Bay Hot Bread (118 Gan Gan Rd, Anna Bay) filled with a caramel so rich and thick it tasted like dulce de leche oh baby breakfast of champions!


Of course all that sugar has to go somewhere… helloooo sand dunes!


Teehee SPLAT


Yeah that was a fun morning though sand just about went everywhere :P After getting smashed by the waves we headed back and stopped at Aussie Bobs Fish and Chips (156 Gan Gan Road, Anna Bay) for lunchies. Sooo can you guess what I’m holding?


So along with their usual fried goodness of fish and chips, Aussie Bobs also had deep fried Mars bars ($4.50) AND DEEP FRIED OREOS ($1)!!! The Oreos tasted GLORRRRIOUS! Light batter, crumbly biscuit and gooey icing innards oh baby.


A couple more hours on Pacific hwy and we spot signs for Ricardoes U-Pick Strawberry Farm (221 Blackmans Point Rd, Port Macquarie) where I finally fulfil my dream of picking my own fruit ($16.90/kg)


Armed with a bucket and scissors we set off into the greenhouse to find perfect hydroponically grown strawberries. The boy is fascinating to watch, he’ll stare at a strawberry for a good 10seconds before deciding if it’s worthy for our collection lol


It was pretty therapeutic actually, super relaxing to just stare at a sea of green instead of the harsh grey of the highway. There was also tomatoes and lettuce which you could pick but we uh didn’t.


Aaaand with our bucket all filled we head home, sandy and happy in the knowledge no blood was shed over ipod control :D

 

 

  1. looks like a smashing trip suze! i can’t believe noods has never been to the big banana before, glad you remedied that! have a great year ahead!

    — steph    Jan 4, 02:20 AM    #

  2. Oh yum, Devonshire tea. How old school it that. That cream puff looks pretty special too!

    — Andrea    Jan 4, 04:12 AM    #

  3. wow~ what coincidence! i was going to go to coffs harbour tomorrow and now i can go to the yummy places you went to on your trip
    Happy New Year!~

    — Hannah    Jan 4, 04:24 AM    #

  4. What an awesome roadtrip. Photos are so awesome. Love how you guys are full of randomness! :) Happy new year!

    — Tina @ bitemeshowme    Jan 4, 09:39 AM    #

  5. OMG, you two and your cute shirts – love Noods’ Homer t-shirt and your singlet with the camera on the front!
    All of the food looks so awesome, and those as the prettiest strawberries I’ve ever seen!
    Happy new year!

    — Suz @ thesuzchef    Jan 4, 10:03 AM    #

  6. Oh my goodness, I don’t know how you eat so much bad food and stay so beautifully slim! Looks like such a fun trip…now I really want scones with my nanna’s jam and tea for breakfast. Nom nom nom….

    — Emma    Jan 4, 10:04 AM    #

  7. Hehe, trust you to find the deep fried goodies in regional towns :) Looks like such a fun trip!

    — Tina@foodboozeshoes    Jan 4, 10:15 AM    #

  8. rofl I can hear Noods laughing in the sand dunes video, love it

    — Minh    Jan 4, 10:21 AM    #

  9. Double rainbow all the way across the sky! Eeee I want the sprinkles covered banana! Very curious to try the best scones on the coast now.

    — Steph    Jan 4, 10:39 AM    #

  10. Roll roll roll!!!!! lol

    — Ramen Raff    Jan 4, 10:49 AM    #

  11. I swear the Big Bah-nana has shrunk. Great road trip…pick your own strawberries – I’m so there!

    — Miss Piggy Eats    Jan 4, 11:03 AM    #

  12. Wow those strawberries look amazing! So much better then any in the stores around here.
    Sounds like it was a nice relaxing getaway. I’ll have to remember those stops along the freeway for my future trips!

    — Apple    Jan 4, 11:06 AM    #

  13. Wow – that Marilyn looks might uncomfortable? teehee!! What an awesome trip! Dulche de leche, truly the breakfast of champions!

    — Nic@diningwithastud    Jan 4, 11:14 AM    #

  14. What a great trip for the Aussie summer! Those scones certainly look like they were worth stopping for but what can beat those fresh strawberries?!!

    — Anna @ the shady pine    Jan 4, 11:48 AM    #

  15. Happy New Year! Looks like such a fun trip! The scones, the bananas, the strawberries… And the segway! I love segways and would so love to own one. I always look out for them now whenever I travel. So much fun!

    — bakingaddict    Jan 4, 12:10 PM    #

  16. The Big Banana banana splits are amazing. I had one for the first time since I was a kid these holidays and my goodness – yum! I can’t help thinking of GOB from Arrested Development when I see Segways, it looks like you had a bundle of fun.

    — foxdrinkwater    Jan 4, 12:27 PM    #

  17. I’m full (and feeling slightly deep fried and sugar covered) just reading about your adventure! That cream puff/cupcake looks incredible and the strawberries – yum!

    — JJ @ 84thand3rd    Jan 4, 01:03 PM    #

  18. I just got back from the same exact trip and also stayed at Novotel! I loved The Big Banana, however it was not as massive as I thought it would be…but totally worth it for the banana split!

    — Sylvia @ My Lovely Bites    Jan 4, 01:07 PM    #

  19. Happy New Year!
    DAMN!! that banana split looks so good. I’ve never been to the big banana either, so maybe I should take a trip!.

    By the way, how did you get sun burnt on the bottom of your feet?!

    — Jillian    Jan 4, 01:45 PM    #

  20. Woah what haven’t they tried deep frying o.o

    I admit I haven’t tried any deep fried sweets though in fear the sugar fat combo would pause my faintly beating heart.
    Missing out?

    — Dee @ foodinhand    Jan 4, 01:58 PM    #

  21. Nawww I miss long road trips and Coffs Harbour. But man, I wish I knew all about the food stops along the way! Your hair is just too adorable. Love it!

    — Karen | Citrus and Candy    Jan 4, 02:02 PM    #

  22. Love the vids of you man, weeeeee on the segway. Gotta love random getaways! The strawberries look good

    — Phuoc'n Delicious    Jan 4, 02:42 PM    #

  23. I was just thinking to myself where can you pick strawberries and I’ve found the answer! Looks like an awesome trip and I really wanna try the deep fried oreos now!

    — Jacq    Jan 4, 02:53 PM    #

  24. Double rainbows all the way!!! I so would have tried emu pie, lol. Great post!

    — JasmyneTea    Jan 4, 02:57 PM    #

  25. And I love your adventure there in Big Banana Yo! Lol!

    — usa bum    Jan 4, 05:58 PM    #

  26. Segway and the Big Bananananananana FTW hehehe

    — Food is our religion    Jan 4, 06:38 PM    #

  27. Suze, I grew up about an hour north of the Big Banana, and when I went back recently, I was SO disappointed that it wasn’t as BIG as I remembered. Damn :( lucky there was awesome noms to drown your sorrows, heh

    — Rah    Jan 4, 07:00 PM    #

  28. Seriously girl, how do you stay so thin?! Haha can I have your metabolism please?
    So many deep fried things drool

    — Swah    Jan 4, 08:52 PM    #

  29. Awesome road trip and lol at your vids!
    ps nice pigtails :)

    — Helen (grabyourfork)    Jan 5, 12:04 AM    #

  30. Road trips are awesome! Totally drooling looking at that pork crackling, deep fried oreo and the strawberries! :)

    — jack    Jan 5, 02:03 AM    #

  31. You and Noods do a road trip so well! We are amateurs compared with you. I love how you found so many interesting and varied places to stop along the way – we never see anything except those hideous golden arches where the kids INSIST we stop. And that banana split looks the same as the one I had there back in primary school!

    — Hotly Spiced    Jan 5, 09:01 AM    #

  32. Looks like you two had a great time. It’s been ages since I went to the Big Banana, but OMG that cream puff looks lush.

    — Dumpling Girl    Jan 5, 09:20 AM    #

  33. I love road trips! The strawberry picking looks like fun. Happy New Year :D

    — karen missklicious    Jan 5, 09:41 AM    #

  34. what a great trip, i love random stops :)

    — muppy    Jan 5, 10:29 AM    #

  35. Roadtrip + roast pork sandwich = yay!

    — joey@FoodiePop    Jan 5, 11:31 AM    #

  36. oh my – what a delicious road trip indeed!!!

    — Lisa    Jan 5, 02:25 PM    #

  37. There is so much amazingpants here that my mind went to dream-licking heaven.

    — Hannah    Jan 5, 02:45 PM    #

  38. Looks like such a fab treat!

    — Gary McCourt    Jan 5, 08:07 PM    #

  39. Hey you should have given me a shout, I could have shown you a few more of the sights in my home town!

    Pleased you had a good time, I love Ricardo’s Strawberries, YUM!!

    — GourmetGetaways    Jan 5, 09:28 PM    #

  40. Looks like you guys had so much fun! Segways weeeeeeeeeeee! Love the picture of you and Noods together. I have bookmarked this post, need to plan this trip for the boys, they will love it. Thanks Susan and Happy New Year!

    — Sneh | Cook Republic    Jan 5, 10:54 PM    #

  41. Whoah! Highlights for me were that pork crackling, the deep fried Oreo (who would have thought?!! Mars Bar, so passe! He he!) and that bucket full of freshly-picked ripe sun-kissed strawberries! Yum! Yes it’s been a while since I was at the Big Banana too!

    — gummi baby    Jan 6, 12:22 AM    #

  42. Looks like such a fun trip! The spontaneous ones are always the best =D. Im yet to try deep-fried mars bars, or anything of the sort…i’ve always wanted to, but at the same time i can’t bring myself to go get one haha…i guess its the dietitian in me =P

    — Eesh    Jan 6, 03:48 AM    #

  43. Wyong caltex stopover here I come!!!

    — Billy @ A Table For Two    Jan 6, 10:48 AM    #

  44. Aww looks like a fun and relaxing trip to start the year! Always wanted to try the Segways!! And those strawberries look yummo!! Happy new year Suz!

    — Rhonda    Jan 6, 12:07 PM    #

  45. Woohoo! A giant banana! Also, I want to go on a segway. The only two wheeled transportation device I’ve ever been on is a bicycle. Le sigh.

    — shez    Jan 6, 12:39 PM    #

  46. I want to go there too… seems like a fun road trip.

    — penny aka jeroxie    Jan 7, 01:58 AM    #

  47. I LOVE this post! This seems like old skool Suze is back again! I’m also super jealous because I live in England and the size of the country kind of limits road trip-ability….saying that, after I read your post I told my SO that this year we need to do some random spur of the moment trips! x

    — Laura    Jan 7, 09:38 AM    #

  48. Seems like you had a great new years! Haha the first time I went to The Big Banana was in primary school and it was such a LONG road trip with me in the back going “are we there yet” every 10min lol.

    — Vivian - vxdollface    Jan 9, 07:27 PM    #

  49. Hooray for strawberry-picking! And, uh, neither the husband nor I have ever been to Coffs to see the Big Banana…

    — Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse)    Jan 12, 10:31 PM    #

  50. omg! Segway!!! Totally want to do that one day. Looks like you guys had heaps of fun :)

    — squishies    Jan 13, 01:58 PM    #

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