Go Sea Kayak, Byron BayCredit: Destination NSW
Feel refreshed and revitalised after a kayaking tour alongside dolphins in Byron Bay.
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Wellness comes in many forms in the North Coast New South Wales town of Byron Bay, which is often referred to as the healing heartland of Australia. From crystal readers to reiki masters, you’ll find them all in this bohemian-chic beach town. Byron has plenty of more traditional pamper palaces, too, but there are also lots of ways to bliss out beyond them. Here are some to try during your visit.
Get your yogi on
Byron Bay is home to more than a dozen yoga studios offering everything from relaxing yin classes to energising vinyasa flow sessions. In the town centre, MindBodyLife is one of Byron’s newest yoga (and Pilates) studios, with classes held in a gently heated room. Also centrally located, Bamboo Yoga School hosts classes in an atmospheric yoga ‘tentple’. For more advanced classes and teacher training, head to hip Creature Yoga in the Arts and Industry Estate, just north of the town centre.
Take a hike
Take an exhilarating hike on the Cape Byron Walking Track, which traces the Cape Byron headland, to see the iconic white lighthouse at Australia’s most easterly point. It takes about an hour to complete the 3.7km loop, but factor in extra time to watch for dolphins, whales and wallabies. Grab a snack at the Cape Byron Lighthouse Cafe, explore the small Maritime Museum inside the lighthouse, and enjoy a refreshing swim at Wategos, one of Byron’s most picturesque beaches.
Bamboo Yoga School, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Students practicing yoga at Bamboo Yoga School, Byron Bay
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Bamboo Yoga School, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Students practicing yoga at Bamboo Yoga School, Byron Bay
Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Woman enjoying a scenic walk along the Cape Byron Walking Track in Cape Byron State Conservation Area, Byron Bay.
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Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Woman enjoying a scenic walk along the Cape Byron Walking Track in Cape Byron State Conservation Area, Byron Bay.
Get out on the water
Practice mindfulness in nature on a sunrise kayaking trip alongside dolphins and turtles with Go Sea Kayak Byron Bay, or perhaps on a surfing or stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) lesson. The Pass is a famous surf beach with an epic right-hand point break; Lets Go Surfing Byron Bay offers surf lessons there and in other local spots. You could also join a SUP tour with Lets Go SUP, which hosts SUP safaris along the idyllic Brunswick River, 25 minutes’ drive north of Byron.
Indulge in nourishing cuisine
Byron is renowned for its clean eating scene, with most local cafés and restaurants committed to sourcing their produce as locally and as sustainably as possible. Start your day with a wholesome brunch at local favourite Bayleaf Café, or perhaps a smoothie from newer plant-based café Vagabond. For lunch, head to Three Blue Ducks at The Farm, which grows and raises most of its own produce onsite. And for dinner, try Forest, the contemporary Australian restaurant in the recently revamped Byron at Byron resort, which sources 80 per cent of its ingredients from within a three-hour drive.
Lets Go Surfing, Byron Bay Credit: Lets Go Surfing
Small group enjoying a surf lesson in Byron Bay with Lets Go Surfing surf school.
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Lets Go Surfing, Byron Bay Credit: Lets Go Surfing
Small group enjoying a surf lesson in Byron Bay with Lets Go Surfing surf school.
The Farm, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Information sign at The Farm, Byron Bay.
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The Farm, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Information sign at The Farm, Byron Bay.
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Surfing, Cabarita BeachCredit: Destination NSW
Surfers catching a morning wave at Cabarita Beach.
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Bliss-inducing beaches and dreamy hinterland vistas are just the entrée in the Tweed. You’ll be glad you packed your appetite for this easy-to-navigate destination at the tip of the New South Wales North Coast, where a memorable meal is always within easy reach. Be inspired to create your own itinerary with these highlights.
Uncover foodie delights galore
Get acquainted with the vibrancy and quality of the Tweed’s culinary scene, which includes everything from fine-dining restaurants to farmgate cafés and everything in between.
Set yourself up for a day’s exploration with an energising coffee in an unexpected setting at Bastion Lane Espresso, housed in a 1909 post office in the tiny hinterland town of Uki, or follow locals to the likes of Black Drop Cafe in seaside Pottsville. Once you've got your caffeine fix, head further north to Tropical Fruit World - the tourist park, cafe and commercial exotic fruit farm where more than 500 exotic tropical fruit varieties are grown.
Level up to a coastal fine dining treat at the likes of Pipit in Pottsville, where ex-Noma chef Ben Devlin delivers memorable and sustainable dishes, and Fins in Kingscliff, where you can taste Steven Snow’s passion for seafood in every dish. Inland, savour a gourmet contemporary meal with a side-serve of relaxing river views at Murwillumbah’s Tweed River House, or feel like you’ve been invited to an old friend’s house for lunch at Potager, an intimate restaurant on a farm in Carool where freshly picked garden produce joins local wild venison on the menu.
In seaside Casuarina, pair zingy chilli margaritas with crispy cauliflower-filled tacos at Lolita’s Mexican Cantina.
When it’s time for a drink, learn the inspiring paddock-to-bottle story of Husk Distillers in Tumbulgum as you sample its pioneering rum on a cellar door tour, then sip a cocktail in the courtyard as you soak up the inspiring views of Wollumbin (Mount Warning). You can also cosy up in a characterful former avocado shed with a craft brew at Earth Beer Company in Cudgen, and snack on local charcuterie as you work your way through the expertly curated wine list at Bistro Livi in Murwillumbah.
Alternatively, leave the gourmet itinerary planning to Kiff & Culture and enjoy a tantalising taste of the Tweed on its Tweed Hinterland Food & Drink Tour.
Pipit Restaurant, Pottsville Credit: Pipit Restaurant and Sabine Bannard
Pipit Restaurant in coastal Pottsville, north of Byron Bay.
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Pipit Restaurant, Pottsville Credit: Pipit Restaurant and Sabine Bannard
Pipit Restaurant in coastal Pottsville, north of Byron Bay.
Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum.
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Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum.
Discover your new favourite pastime
Luxuriate in the ever-changing scenery as you glide along the Tweed River, with boat tours including Tweed Escapes’ Blue Ginger Picnics on Water, featuring a menu of 100 per cent seasonal local produce, and Tweed Eco Cruises’ Sunset Cruise, during which you can enjoy drinks and grazing plates as you marvel at the evening lightshow when the sun goes down.
Ready your sense of adventure for whale-watching, snorkelling with turtles around Cook Island and more with Watersports Guru. Tweed Sea Sports can also take you for a thrilling scuba dive with the three species of marine turtle that hang out around the small island just south of Tweed Heads. Or revel in the lack of crowds as you beach-hop along the gorgeous Tweed coast at your own pace.
Have a lightbulb moment as you learn how the Tweed Valley was created over 24 million years with a visit to the Tweed Regional Museum in Tweed Heads. Get a glimpse of how it felt to visit the acclaimed Australian still-life painter Margaret Olley in her home studio at the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre in Murwillumbah, where a recreation includes more than 20,000 items she collected over the years.
Immerse yourself in Murwillumbah’s vibrant arts community at the M-Arts Precinct, which brings art, coffee and food lovers together in an art deco building and industrial warehouse. Connect with artists in their studios in renovated shipping containers, shop for upcycled clothing and pick up some fresh blooms at Flowerista.
Sign up for a memorable stay
Feel like you’ve stepped into the Australian Hamptons at 21-room boutique hotel Halcyon House in Cabarita, where the chic rooms are just as Instagrammable as its modern Australian restaurant, Paper Daisy. Just up the street, find out how much fun seaside glamping can be at The Hideaway, where spacious bell tents are kitted out with indoor and outdoor furniture, bar fridges, fans and, in some tents, even air-conditioning.
Watching the sun set behind Wollumbin is mesmerising, and at La Rochér Eco Retreat, at Smiths Creek in the Tweed hinterland, you can take in the stirring show from your luxury villa or from the dreamy infinity pool.
Enjoy the ease of simply heading upstairs to bed after a drink at Murwillumbah’s pink ‘Impy’, as the Imperial Hotel is locally known, where recently renovated rooms reference the building’s art deco design. And you really can wake up and smell the coffee at Origin House, a two-bedroom self-catering cottage on the Zeta’s Coffee plantation tucked up in the hills near Potager. You can also holiday in a local heritage home such as the Belle Riverhouse, a century-old luxury house on the Tweed River with a huge wraparound verandah that you can share with 16 of your nearest and dearest.
Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Swimming pool in boutique hotel Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach.
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Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Swimming pool in boutique hotel Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach.
Surfing, Cabarita Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Women heading out for a morning surf at Cabarita Beach.
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Surfing, Cabarita Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Women heading out for a morning surf at Cabarita Beach.