Stargazing in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia

Dark-sky rating for Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia is a small city (population about 78,759). A place this size typically has a rural to suburban transition: the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. That is an estimate of Bortle class 4–5 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

No certified dark-sky place or observatory in our registry lies within 150 km of Coffs Harbour. Our list only includes genuine, publicly documented sites, so none is shown rather than guessed.

Milky Way season in Coffs Harbour

The bright core of the Milky Way passes almost directly overhead. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in April at about 87°.

• The south celestial pole stands 30.3° above the horizon, so stars within 30° of it never set from here.
• About 75.2% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 88.7° up, passing almost directly overhead.
• The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
• At 6 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of November 6, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waning Crescent at 8% illumination. Aurora at 30.3° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
• Logan City, Queensland, Australia
• Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
• Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
• Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia