To get there, drive north from Coffs Harbour, take the Emerald Beach turnoff from the Highway onto Fiddaman Road and turn right at Dammerel Crescent to the carpark at the foot of the headland.

Look At Me Now Headland is part of Moonee Beach Nature Reserve. There’s a short walking trail that takes you up and around the headland,  which is a significant Aboriginal site.

Start of short walking track at Look At Me Now Headland

At the start of the walking trail, there’s a National Parks & Wildlife Services information panel with plenty of interesting facts about the Aboriginal heritage and the flora and fauna of the area.

You can first take the 100m side track to Moonee Lookout for expansive views south over Moonee Beach Nature Reserve and out onto Mount Coramba in the western distance.

South Solitary Island and its Lighthouse as seen from the headland

Back on the main paved walkway over the headland, you’ll get amazing views over the Pacific Ocean, South Solitary Island with its heritage lighthouse (still working but now automatically operated), usually deserted Moonee Beach to the south and the village of Emerald Beach to the north.

Don’t be startled if you see a bunch of Eastern Grey Kangaroos grazing or lazing around the headland – they actually live there and as long as you leave them be, they’ll hardly take any notice of you. I’ve taken lots of kangaroo photos there because, being so out in the open and up on the headland, they make a great contrast with the blue sky or ocean behind them.

Kangaroos at Look At Me Now Headland with Moonee Beach behind

Between May and November, there’s also a good chance you’ll spot migrating humpback whales from here.

You can return to the carpark the same way you came or take the stairs down onto Shelley Beach and at about two-thirds of the length of the beach, take the track leading back to the other side of the carpark (that’s a 700m circuit in all, according to the info panel).

There are two very nice restaurants, a general store and an art gallery on Fiddamans Road, in case you were looking at staying on in Emerald Beach a while longer.

The World War II Bunker has been turned into a fabulous gallery space

It’s a unique and funky little art gallery housed in an authentic, underground WWII bunker. It’s also Australia’s first and only dedicated cartoon gallery and has the largest collection of contemporary cartoons in the Southern Hemisphere (around 18,000 works at last count in December 2008).

Around 11,000 cartoons, caricatures and comic strips have been catalogued and are available in folders at the reception area for viewing at your leisure (in addition to the ones that are on the walls, which rotate every couple of weeks and usually follow a theme).

The gallery is also used as an art exhibition space, with exhibitions changing about once a month so there’s always something new on show.

If you’re in for a chuckle and just something a bit different, the Bunker Cartoon Gallery is well worth a visit.

The historic but quirky Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour

Essential info: Entry is only $2 for adults and $1 for children. The gallery is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. It’s located on John Champion Way, corner of Hogbin Drive and Albany Street, just a few blocks from the Coffs Harbour CBD. 

More information about the cartoons, the bunker’s history and the changing exhibitions is available on the Bunker Cartoon Gallery website. Enjoy!