Since the official start of the Christmas holiday period on December 20 more than 8000 tourists have visited the centre, up approximately 200 at the same period last year.

On Friday (2nd) and Saturday (3rd) alone, more than 700 people took advantage of the Urunga-based Driver Reviver service.

“We’ve been just so busy,” Bellingen Shire Visitor Information Centre president Maureen Cruikshank said.

“A lot of people know that we are here with Driver Reviver,” she said.

According to Mrs Cruikshank, Urunga is the only site along the Mid North Coast which provides the service seven days a week.

“The others (Driver Reviver) on the coast are only open on weekends.”

Urunga operates from 9am until 5pm.

However, a shortfall in volunteer numbers will force the centre to close its doors early on two Sundays this month.

Driver Reviver will operate until the end of the Australia Day holiday weekend (January 26).

“So many people who come in we see them year after year, and they are grateful for Driver Reviver,” Mrs Cruikshank said.

The site offers clean facilities, hot and cold drinks and snacks that can be enjoyed from the building’s back deck area.

Mrs Cruikshank said the centre had enjoyed one of its busiest Christmas holiday periods in many years.

Visitors to the centre also were looking for accommodation – many without much luck.

“We’ve only been able to place a few because the coast is totally booked out.

“If you can get accommodation it is basically for just one night.”

Mrs Cruikshank said caravan parks, flats, holiday houses, hotels and motels were completely booked out from Grafton to Kempsey.

She believed this situation would begin to ease by the end of the week.

Now under the umbrella of the Coffs Coast tourist area, many visitors to the Bellingen Shire were keen to explore Dorrigo, look at the waterfalls and mountains, fish and swim.

One of the most popular destinations was the rainforest centre, and the skywalk, according to Mrs Cruikshank.

“Most were Germans who seemed to have got information (about Dorrigo) from youth hostels.”

The Urunga site would welcome volunteers to work from its Pacific Highway site.