What's on: Coffs and Clarence

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS are upon us, at least until October 8, but there is plenty to entertain all ages and some warmer weather to enjoy it in, plus plenty of water both sweet and salty to dip your toes in.

COOL POOL

YAMBA'S popular ocean pool has been reopened to swimmers just in time for the arrival of warmer weather. Clarence Valley Council staff closed the pool in early August after leaks saw the water drop to an unsafe level. Fillers and sealers have provided a short-term solution but longer-term options are still needed.

NOIR ET BLANC

BLACK and white feature strongly in an exhibition on show at The Arts Factory in Coffs Harbour, with work by Terri Butterworth, Raymond Mather and Heather McKinnon.

DRAG IDOL

DRAG IDOL at the Coffs Hotel on September 25 will see hosts Madame Glorious Mountains and Miss Cara Van Park on the judging panel for a night of fun and feather boas, dinner and a seated show. Book via stickytickets.com

STREET THEATRE

PERFORMERS will be everywhere in Coffs Harbour until-October 1 with the 2017 Buskers and Comedy Festival taking to the streets as well as the clubs and pubs every day. See coffsharbourbuskers.com

GREAT SEA TURTLE ADVENTURE FOR KIDS

GRAB a school holidaying grandkid and join a 1.5km guided coastal walk at Look at Me Now Headland on Tuesday September 26 to hear all about these mysterious creatures, who have survived and made their great maritime migrations since the days of the dinosaurs. Coffs Ambassador tour. Book via ourlivingcoast.com.au

UNDERSTANDING YOUR PENSION, ESTATE PLANNING

FREE government seminars on understanding your pension and estate planning for older people will be held on September 27at 3.30pm (pensions) and 5.30pm (estate planning) at Community College rooms, 11B Park Ave, bookings essential phone 136357 or e: fis.seminar.bookings@humanservices.gov.au

DIGITAL MEETS TRADITIONAL

ARTISTS Deb Mansfield, Alex Riske and JP Willis blur the boundaries between the digital and the hand made in new exhibitions of their work which open at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery on Friday, September 29 and will remain on show until November 18.

NAMBUCCA HOT ROD PARADE

HOT RODS will sparkle in Nambucca on September 30 when the machines of the Drag-ens Hot Rod Club parade down Bowra St and line up from 9am to noon. This year's Valla Rod Run from September 24-30 will include a billycart derby at Bowraville, belt sander racing and a shoebox swap meet.

GARDEN GALA

MACKSVILLE Showground will be the venue for the Garden Gala and Market Day on September 30. A family day with a variety of plants, produce, stalls, arts and crafts, gifts, rides and activities for kids, live music, food and refreshments

BRIDGE TO BRIDGE SKI RACE

GRAFTON's 108km Bridge to Bridge Ski Race from the Crown Hotel to Harwood Bridge and return on September 30-Oct 1 is a leading event in the water-ski racing calendar which attracts competitors from around Australia and overseas in powerful boats. Plus markets, kids' rides and evening entertainment.

MEDLOW GROWERS MARKET

SAMPLE local produce in a beautiful country setting at Medlow Public School, Upper Taylors Arm, on the first and third Sunday each month (October 1 and 15). All-weather venue; make it, bake it, grow it producers market 8am -noon.

GOANNA PULLING

SUNDAY October 1 is the date for the Australian goanna pulling championships at Wooli (think of people on all fours, pulling against each other using a strap around their heads. No animals are harmed during this event) plus the annual Goanna Festival Market at Wooli Sportsground, with woodchopping, novelty races, tug of war and market stalls.

EAT ST YAMBA

Yamba's Coldstream St becomes Eat St Yamba from 4-8pm on Oct 1. Music, kids' fun, food stalls, Rotary bar. Showcasing local food vendors and restaurants.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

UNSULLIED nature is on show in the Marnie Yeates Nature Photography Prize exhibition at Coffs Harbour's Bunker Cartoon Gallery October 6-22.

FRAZZLED

PRIMARY school aged grandchildren will enjoy Frazzled, a one-hour show full of young local talent at Coffs Harbour's Jetty Theatre from October 14-22.

BCAC MEMBERS ART PRIZE

BELLINGEN Community Arts Council members have their work on show in this annual exhibition at the Nexus Community Gallery until October 13. Combine your visit with a café lunch and a wander through the other galleries and shops at the Old Butter Factory beside the Bellinger River.

KOALAS IN OUR BACKYARDS TOUR

TOORMINA'S bushland reserves provide vital habitat for an endangered koala population and other wildlife. Walkers on this guided 2.6km Coffs Ambassadors tour 10am-noon on Sunday October 1 will explore the tranquillity of these urban bushland pockets as well as learning about these koalas and their habitat. Book via ourlivingcoast.com.au

GEM SHOW

GRAFTON Gem and Craft Show will be held on October 7 at Grafton Showground, with opals, fossils, gems, jewellery, lapidary supplies, timber craft, handmade gifts. Grafton Scout Group fundraiser.

HIGH TEA

CLARENCE River High tea at Calliope Hall on October 15 - high tea, live music and good company for this charity fundraiser. Clap on your tea hat- there will be prizes for the best-dressed. www.clarenceriverhightea.com

MIDNIGHT OIL

MIDNIGHT Oil, with guests Jebediah and Jack River will bring their Great Circle tour to Coffs Harbour hockey fields on October 19. Classic rockers back on the road again. Book via Ticketek.

JOHN WITZIG: THE PHOTOGRAPHER

CO-FOUNDER of Tracks magazine, John Witzig was an early pioneer of surf photography and this Maclean based artist tells compelling stories in this tribute exhibition at Grafton Regional Gallery, on exhibition until October 21.

THE LADY AND THE UNICORN

ALSO on show at CRG until October 21 is The Lady and the Unicorn, a travelling exhibition from the Bundanon Trust, with 24 bold and evocative etchings by artist Arthur Boyd in response to poems by Peter Porter. The London-based Australian poet collaborated with the artist on four significant limited -edition books of prints and poems.

BRUXNER RAINFOREST WALK

MAJESTIC rainforest giants and a crystal-clear stream just 15 minutes from the centre of Coffs Harbour is what you will find on this 2km Coffs Ambassador guided walk through the Bruxner Park Flora Reserve on Saturday October 21. Learn about the animals and plants that inhabit this ancient connection to Gondwana. Bookings ourlivingcoast.com.au

WOOPI WANDER

TRY out the Woopi Wander signposted bike route between Arrawarra and Woolgoolga via residential streets, footbridges, shared paths and bike lanes. A map of this 17km return ride and other cycling maps for the region can be downloaded from ourlivingcoast.com.au

COUNTRY MUSTER

CLARENCE Valley Country Muster, with headline acts Jett Williams and Tania Kernaghan, plus a long list of other performers from Chad Morgan to the Gunbarrel Highwaymen will be held from October 23-29 at 11 Coulters Lane, Calliope. www.cvcmuster.com.au

DORRIGO FOLK

DORRIGO folk and Bluegrass Festival will be held October 27-29, with the inaugural Dorrigo Old-Time Music School held October 25-27. Featured artists include Foghorn Stringband and Mile Twelve.

ESCARPADE

SEE the Camp Quality Escarpade cars in Grafton on October 23-24 as the madcap motor heads show off the lavishly-decorated 20-year-old vehicles they are driving on this 2188km backroads trek to raise money for kids with cancer.

CLARENCE VALLEY INDIGENOUS ART AWARD

OCTOBER 25 will see the winner of the 2017 Clarence Valley Indigenous Art Award announced. Held every two years, finalists in this year's award will be on show at Clarence Regional Gallery until December 9, as will Yiiy: A Method to Decolonize, a solo show by the 2015 winner of the award, Penny Evans, plus the entire Lindt Collection of photographs. Landscapes of the Clarence and work by members of the Grafton Art Club from the collection will mark 50 years of work by members of the Grafton Art Club.

BIRDS OF THE COFFS COAST

BRING your binoculars and discover the amazing variety of birds that call the Coffs Coast home or holiday stopover on this interactive 3km bird-watching walk from Moonee Estuary to Sapphire Beach on Saturday October 28. Coffs Ambassador Pauline will guide you through a variety of different habitats. Bookings ourlivingcoast.com.au

STARS OF THE COAST

STARS of the Coffs Coast, the brave couples who put their hands up to raise money and dance their feet off to help support the Cancer Council, will flash their bling and strut their stuff at C.ex Coffs on October 28 and need a paying audience to cheer them on. Tix club or www.cex.com.au

GRANDPARENTS DAY

SUNDAY, October 29 is a day to celebrate the life, times and achievements of grandparents and all older people.

TENORI AT ANCHOR

FOUR of Queensland's powerhouse singers, David Kidd, Andrew Pryor, Craig Atkinson and Jason Turnbull will perform at Anchors Wharf Café at 6pm on Saturday, October 28 and 2.30pm on Sunday, October 29. Tenori will bring their sense of fun and sophistication to classics from opera, music theatre, jazz and everything in between, from the soaring heights of Puccini to the glitz and swagger of Elvis. Bookings Anchors Wharf Café.

HARBOUR HISTORY WALK

WALK and learn the Aboriginal and European history of Coffs Harbour on this relaxing 3km walk with Coffs Ambassador Adrian from 10am to noon on Sunday, October 29. Bookings ourlivingcoast.com.au