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North Coast NSW is one of my favourite areas in Australia.
It’s lush, hilly, filled with ancient rainforests, magnificent views, stunning coastline and beaches, and alternative lifestyles. It’s where my soul comes to breathe and just be.
From the hinterland to the coast there are plenty of beautiful places to enjoy on this drive. It’s worth spending a day or two to explore the area, although we recommend anything over a week.
Here are a few of our favourite spots on the North Coast of NSW.
North Coast NSW
1. Lennox Head
If you’re a keen surfer, the long right-hand break at Lennox is pretty famous. (Rumour has it Jack Johnson and Ben Harper like to surf here!)
Drive up to the headland to the Port Morton Lookout for some stunning views back down the Lennox Coastline and Seven Mile Beach.
Take the stairs at the top and turn right. Follow the track through the farmland and along the cliff face – it’s a stunning and peaceful walk. You can walk all the way around to Skennars Head, we made it just to Boulders Beach.
2. Broken Head
Broken Head is the perfect place to camp if you want a holiday focused on relaxing on the beach.
It’s only about 7kms from Byron Bay so you have easy access to a bit of vibrancy, but there isn’t much else to do at Broken Head but chill out at this pretty beach area.
3. Tallows Beach
I love watching the surf at Tallows Beach from the Byron Bay lighthouse. Tallows is a huge stretch of white sand and thunderous surf at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach.
We actually watched a surfer rescued by Jet Ski who was caught in a rip and taken way out around the lighthouse headland. It’s the surfing place for those who know what they are doing.
4. Byron Bay Lighthouse
Sunset is the time to visit the Byron lighthouse.
Here’s a tip – don’t park in the lighthouse car park. They close it right on sunset, so you miss the afterglow of colours. Park just below, or walk up from Wategos Beach.
The lighthouse is good at any time to visit, but sunset is especially beautiful.
We also highly recommend walking from Byron Bay to the lighthouse. It’s only a short 3.7 km loop, but the views are beautiful and it’s easy to do – we’ve done it twice with the kids. (Just bribe them with an ice-cream at the Lighthouse Cafe.)
5. Byron Bay
I could easily never leave Byron.
It has this wonderful Asian feel to the energy and lifestyle – it’s eclectic, alternative, accepting and slow pace. (There’s also a bit of up-market if that’s your vibe?)
It’s on a crystal bed AND has been a sacred healing ground for over 20,000 years. It has always been a place for ceremony, dancing circles, birthing rituals and spiritual respite and dreaming. Can you see the effect this place has on people then?
We have several posts on Bryon Bay, so for now all we recommend you do is enjoy the beach lifestyle, try out some of the amazing cafes, do a little shopping, and soak up every magnificent sunset on the beach.
6. Belongil Beach
The next beach from Byron is Belongil, which we only discovered on the day we left. We got a hot tip from a local who said stop for breakfast at Belongil Bistro.
There’s not much here in this charming one street village – which is all the more reason to soak up the serenity.
7. The Byron Bay Hinterland
Take a detour into the sub-tropical hinterland in the Northern Rivers, where you’ll find rolling hills, pristine rainforest, secluded waterfalls and spectacular views.
It’s a stunning area to visit.
Our top tips are head to the Crystal Castle at Mullumbimby – you’ll get beautiful views, awesome food, and some crystal healing. Tell me you don’t walk out of here feeling calm and happy.
Also visit Bangalow for lunch, or when the Sunday market is on (fourth Sunday of every month).
8. Cabarita Beach
Cabarita is a place I want to return to explore more. We only stopped in on a short morning drive.
The surf here was amazing and there is a lovely short walk to Norries Headland for spectacular views of Diamond Beach.
9. Salt Beach, Kingscliff
We love Salt and always stay at the Mantra when we go. We could easily spend a couple of weeks relaxing here. The sunrises are some of the best I’ve seen.
We definitely recommend walking from Salt around to Kingscliff through the bush track and around the creek. It only took us 40 minutes with the girls.
10. Kingscliff
Cudgen Creek is the highlight of this lovely small town close to the border.
The water is crystal clear and perfect for stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming, especially for families. Watch this space for a more in-depth post on things to do in Kingscliff.
11. Fingal Head
There’s a short walk through remnant coastal rainforest to the headland and lighthouse in Fingal. There are also great views to Fingal Beach and Dreamtime Beach.
And now you’re crossing over into Queensland.
We’ll have a lot more posts coming up sharing with you the drives and amazing things to see and do in Queensland!
The North Coast NSW region is spectacular and deserves a devotion of your time exploring!
What places do you recommend seeing on this North Coast NSW drive?
I’ve heard such great things about Byron Bay – I’m glad to know it’s living up to expectations!
OMG it’s the best! Seriously top 5 Aussie favourites so far. You must visit!
A fantastic round-up of beaches and beautiful places! Never been to Australia but I could use this as my guide someday! 🙂
I so hope you come down under to visit us!
The most beautiful beaches. I’m feeling just a little nostalgic having scrolled through this post. Broken Head remains my favourite beach after living up north for almost 10 years. There’s a great walk through the rainforest to a small secluded beach which you can reach from the road to Broken Head. The name of the beach escapes me.
Oh wow! That sounds really good. We had a quick fly by but I’m keen to return to explore more.
All of these beaches look like a real dream to me! Gorgeous photos! Your posts always fuel my wanderlust to finally visit Australia!
When are you coming? We have the most amazing beaches you ‘ll ever see and I mean that as a global traveller not as an Aussie!
I wish it was just a bit cheaper to fly from Eu to Oz. So, I’d love to stay for a few month for sure, so kind of thinking about applying for Holiday Travel Visa next year and make a grand detour 🙂
Of for sure, makes it much cheaper to do the working holiday thing and it’s such great fun
Ahh love this area and what a great wrap of places to visit. Can’t wait to return one of these days.
The beaches in Australia… they certainly are not ugly.
Oh that is such a fun drive! I particularly love Fingal. Such a hidden little slice of paradise. Not too touristy and not too obscure – just right 🙂
Great post, guys.
We’ve been living in Canada and the US for a couple of years, and we’re considering Byron when we move back to Australia. But you’ve now given us a few other places in the area to consider now, too!
I’ll sign up to your newsletter to make sure I don’t miss out on your Byron posts. 🙂
You have showcased this stretch of the coastline beautifully. We live in Brisbane but venture down along the Northern NSW coast regularly for day trips. We absolutely love Byron and Cabarita Beach. The coastline is stunning though all along there.