Byron Bay and the North Coast

We were planning on visiting Gold Coast since quite long, But since the borders were closed due to Covid, this wasn't getting on our cards.

Finally we decided to drive till the north end of NSW - that's the Byron Bay and I must say, it was not at all disappointing. In fact, Byron Bay seemed like one of the best tourist destination place I have seen so far in Australia. 

Most Easterly Point of Australian Mainland

Day 1: Sydney to Ballina

Unfortunately our car broke down just a day before leaving for our trip. Hence we had to rent a car for our trip. Due to this unexpected surprise, few things did not go as per plan. But the vibrant blue car was enough to keep our moods up.

Sydney to Ballina is quite a lovely drive. The Upper North Coast region is full of surprises. The flora and fauna is quite different from the rest of NSW. As we approached Ballina, we could sense that we are indeed getting closer to Queensland. 

At the entry of Ballina, we spotted the Big Prawn, which is the iconic picture of Ballina. It is a quiet, small and lovely coastal town. You will fall in love with this place. In the evening, we walked to the waterfront. The waterfront is quite lively compared to the sleeping town. We grabbed some dinner and walked around the place. 

Day 2: Ballina and Waterfalls

The next day we visited the Ballina Information Centre to pick some maps and info. 

We started our day with Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum, which was next to the Information Centre. Its a small local maritime history museum.

Next we visited the North Wall. Walking the North Wall was an amazing experience. The strong waves breaking on the rocks creates a plethora of tiny blow holes. The locals say that you can usually spot the dolphins from here, but we had no luck.

Finally the most awaited destination - Protestants Falls. It is located in the Nightcap National Park. The drive to this amazing place takes you through winding and dirt roads. But once you reach there, you realize that its worth the drive. Its one of the most beautiful places, I have visited.

The walk to the Protestant Falls should take you around 45 minutes return and its an easy one, so tag your kids along. The walk takes you through World Heritage sub tropical rainforest, before arriving at the Spectacular Protestant Falls.

Protestants Falls

To conclude the day, we went to another waterfall - Minyon Falls Lookout  This one is also nestled in the Nightcap National Park. But it took almost an hour to reach this place due to the dirt roads. Initially we did plan to trek to the base of the waterfall. But since we were running out of time and its a long 4 hours return trek, we decided to skip it this time. But the lookout gives us the feeling of how magnificent the water fall is and also offers stunning views of the dense rainforests.

Minyon Falls Lookout

After a busy day, we finally headed back to Ballina, enjoyed some dinner at the waterfront and headed back to our motel.

Day 3: Ballina to Byron Bay and return

Finally arrives the highlight of the trip...Byron Bay. The coastal drive from Ballina to Byron is a must do.

On the way we stopped by a lookout, near a caravan park. We took a short walk through the forest to reach a lookout, which had a spectacular view of the North Coast beaches and its rugged coastline.

Next we stopped at Lake Ainsworth also called as Tea Tree Lake. When you enter the lake, the water doesn't look appealing, but its actually fresh and clean. In fact it has healing benefits. The tea tree lake is surrounded by Tea Trees. The oil from these trees drips into the water. Hence the water gets the tea like color. This lake is a perfect place for bodyboards and kayaks, and of coarse swimming.

Tea Tree Lake

After a wonderful swim at the lake, we headed straight to Byron Bay. Since it was already lunch time, we had a delicious Thai food. We were roaming around the streets of Byron Bay. 

After a while, we headed East to have a gorgeous walking view to the light house. So we parked the car at Massinger Street, which has 4 hours free parking. We walked along Lighthouse Road, as it was the fastest route to reach the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse looked like a postcard picture. 

Byron Bay Lighthouse

We walked further to reach the most Easterly point of the Australian Mainland. We walked along the coast  to reach the Main Beach. The whole walk might be around 3-4 hours circuit. Along the way, are stunning views of the beaches - Tallow Beach, Wategos Beach, Clark's Beach. Unfortunately we had no luck spotting dolphins this time either. The whole walk was a wonderful and amazing experience.

Once we reached the Main Beach, we went for a swim in the water. The water was quite warm, very different from the chilling cold Sydney waters. We watched the sunset from the beach. There was live music and the place looked really lively. Byron Bay is a popular tourist destination, with lots of backpackers, even during the Covid season.

Day 4: Ballina to Port Macquarie

In the morning, we decided to revisit the Tea Tree Lake once again. All of us took a dip in the healing waters of the lake. Later we went to the Lennox Head Beach to enjoy the smashing waves. After a lovely morning date with the waters, with had a nice lunch in an Italian restaurant along the Lennox Head Beach. 

Finally we started our journey back home. But there was still more on our trip. Our next destination was Port Macquarie. On the way, we stopped by the Forest Sky Pier near the Coffs Harbour. It has stunning views to the Coffs Harbour coastline as well as the city.

Finally in the evening we reached Port Macquarie. After checking in the motel, we headed to the city for grabbing some dinner. The city area was quite a happening place, full of people. 

Port Macquarie - Night Mode

Day 5: Port Macquarie

In the morning, we headed off to the city. We booked the dolphin spotting river cruise, in a final attempt to spot the dolphins. 

Next we went to the Sea Acres Rainforest Centre. Its a fascinating journey through the Sea Acres National Park. Its an easy 1.3 km boardwalk through the rainforest canopy. If your are lucky, you can spot animals and birds.

Sea Acres Rainforest Boardwalk

We had a nice lunch at the Ashty's near the Shelly Beach and then headed to the Lighthouse Beach. It was quite a hot and sunny day, so we skipped entering in the waters. The lighthouse is quite small but has stunning views to the beach and the cliffs.

Lighthouse Beach

Finally in the evening, it was the most awaited event - time for  river cruise along the Hastings River. Unfortunately the cruise wasn't really as per our expectations and we could not spot the dolphins either. But we did have a nice family piknik.

River Cruise

Overall Port Macquarie was not as fascinating as Byron Bay, but was a good stop over.

Day 6: Port Macquarie to Sydney

At last, the last day of our trip. 

We took the tourist drive that takes you through the beaches and lakes and national parks and then finally joins the M1. 

On the way, we stopped at the Blackbutt National Park. It has a big reserve, housing koalas, kangaroos, peacock, wallaby, emus and many many specious of birds. There is no entry fee, but just a small parking fee. This place was really amazing and a wonderful way to conclude our trip.