Located north of Crows Nest along the New England Highway, Cooyar is a peaceful country village where life moves at a gentler pace. The wide verandahs of the Cooyar Hotel are a welcoming place to enjoy a drink, share a meal, and pick up local tips on what to see and do around town. Nature lovers may be rewarded with a rare sighting of a platypus in Cooyar Creek, best spotted early in the morning or patiently at dusk from the suspension bridge in Swinging Bridge Park. The current bridge was rebuilt in 1988 after a major flood swept away the original structure, along with a local hall, several homes, and parked vehicles, making it an important part of the town's story.

Each February, the Cooyar Agricultural Show brings the community together with classic country competitions and crowd favourites, including a popular night rodeo that adds plenty of excitement to the festivities.

Just a short drive from town, Palms National Park offers an easy and rewarding nature escape. The park protects a rare pocket of rainforest and a beautiful stand of piccabeen palms growing in a spring filled gully. Visitors can enjoy a gentle 650 metre circuit walk, keeping an eye out for grey headed flying foxes roosting along the creek during summer and black breasted button quail in winter and spring. Along the way, you will encounter impressive piccabeen palms, towering strangler figs, bunya and hoop pines, and striking buttressed trees that showcase the area's rich natural heritage.