One region, five road trips. Five North Coast and tablelands councils have joined forces to give visitors more reasons to stay longer and see more, from the Solitary Islands to the high country.
The new campaign, The Ways, was launched at Coffs Harbour Airport on Wednesday, 28 October.
It is the first move by a new alliance between the City of Coffs Harbour and the Bellingen Shire, Clarence Valley, Nambucca Valley, and Armidale Regional councils. The five councils have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the wider region together.
Together, the five council areas cover a patch larger than Wales.
“This initiative celebrates the bigger picture of what we have to offer,” said City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams.
“Our beaches are as famous as the Big Banana, but there’s so much more: World Heritage rainforest on our doorstep, cultural experiences, Grafton’s Instagramable jacarandas, and the waterfalls and rugged beauty of the high country.”
The campaign is built around five touring routes:
- Solitary Islands Way: beaches, marine park, and coastal villages
- Orara Way: quiet hinterland roads, villages, and forest adventures
- Giinagay Way: welcoming river towns, coast, culture, and hinterland
- Waterfall Way: World Heritage rainforest, waterfalls, and the high country
- Big River Way: the mighty Clarence River, heritage towns, and jacarandas.
Solitary Islands Way and Orara Way both start in Coffs. Giinagay Way runs through Bellingen Shire and Nambucca, Waterfall Way climbs from Bellingen Shire to Armidale, and Big River Way follows the Clarence Valley.
“Our Shire holds eco-destination certification for very good reason,” said Bellingen Shire Council Acting General Manager Todd Williams.
“From the lush river flats and green pastures of the Bellinger Valley to ancient World Heritage Gondwana rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and the majestic gorge country of the plateau, there’s an incredible diversity of landscapes to discover.”
Two of the five routes, Giinagay Way and Waterfall Way, pass through Bellingen Shire.
“But sometimes the most memorable part of a journey isn’t the scenery you came to see, it’s what you stumble across along the way,” Mr Williams said.
“An unexpected roadside food experience, a conversation over great coffee, live music or a hidden creative space.”
“From our seaboard hamlets of Mylestom and Urunga, Bellingen and Raleigh to Thora and Dorrigo, it’s these little discoveries that become the stories we share, the memories that stay with us and the reasons we come back.”
“It’s fantastic to see councils coming together in this way. Visitors don’t see boundaries,” said Destination North Coast General Manager Michael Thurston.
“By working collaboratively, the region gets more marketing bang for its buck, and we can tell a stronger, more compelling story about the diversity and appeal of the entire region.”
With household budgets under pressure, the campaign targets travellers who want rich, multi-stop road trips close to home.
The Ways will roll out across digital and social media and electronic signage, including a lightbox billboard in the arrivals hall at Coffs Harbour Airport. The airport has provided the space at no cost.
“The partnership aims to see more visitors staying longer and spending more across the region, and that in turn supports local jobs, accommodation providers and our small business economy,” Mayor Williams said.
The councils and Coffs Harbour Airport are already finalists in the Outstanding Visitor & 24-Hour Economy Collaboration category of the Business NSW 2026 Business Awards. The winner will be revealed in Sydney on Friday, 30 October.
Nambucca Valley Mayor Gary Lee and Mayor Williams were among those at the launch.
Plan your road trip at theways.com.au.
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