I too was one of the many who feared I wouldn't live to see a Coffs Harbour bypass. I love a bypass. Who doesn't? There's nothing better than fully and deeply appreciating not being in a place, and this bypass will establish Coffs Harbour as one of Australia's premier places not to be. We locals have always known the value of not being in Coffs Harbour, and it is exciting that we are finally unlocking the potential for so many others to enjoy this experience. In fact, if I sit down and think of all the places I've been, it's Coffs Harbour that stands out as the place I will always miss the least — and I've been to Newcastle!

But it would be naive to think that progress ends here. Yes, we will for a time have a smooth, clear driving experience purged of the inconvenience of destinations. But nature abhors a vacuum, and around these parts she chooses to fill them with coffee shops. These will be unobtrusive at first, briefly glimpsed in a wing mirror, but in time they will sprout specials boards and street furniture. Where highly-caffeinated life coaches and social media gurus go, organic produce and alternative medicine will follow, provoking an equal and opposite reaction of warehouse happy-clappy Christian churches and op-shops. As this ecosystem fills out with a panoply of professions of dubious value, we will find that the main street of Coffs Harbour has ultimately been bypassed by the main street of Coffs Harbour, presenting us with one compelling course of action: bypass the bypass! One bright, shining day, there will be no towns anymore. It will be bypasses all the way down!