Riverside Walk, BellingenCredit: Destination NSW
Exploring hidden waterways in Bellingen. For media use only in Australian markets to promote NSW.
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Restore your spirits on a trip to the New South Wales Northern Rivers, where a raft of new opportunities to relax and indulge invite you to experience the region anew. From a novel new way to boost your serotonin levels in the Tweed Valley to sensational new gourmet experiences to lap up from the coast to the hinterland, here are just a few new reasons to plan your next trip to the Far North Coast.
Wind down on the winding Northern Rivers Rail Trail
Explore the Tweed Valley from fresh new angles on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, a former rail corridor transformed into a serene shared-user path winding through some of Australia’s most spectacular countryside. Soak up the calming rural setting of the first 24km leg of the trail, opened on 1 March, 2023, as it takes you from Murwillumbah’s heritage-listed train station past charming hinterland villages, rolling farmlands and lush pockets of rainforest en route to the village of Crabbes Creek. Hit the trail on foot or hire a bike from Murwillumbah Cycles, located right on the train platform — and be sure to factor in time to explore gourmet diversions along the way.
Savour new flavours at Byron Bay’s new restaurants
Get ready to wrap your mouth around a smorgasbord of new restaurants in the buzzy North Coast town of Byron Bay, where beautiful beaches fringe an ever-changing array of tempting dining options. Enjoy the convenience of having three excellent eateries to choose from in the snazzy new Jonson Lane precinct at the southern end of Byron’s main street: pair moreish small plates with natural wine at Bar Heather; satiate modern-Italian cravings at Pixie; and tuck into zingy pan-Asian dishes at the beautifully outfitted new home of Light Years. In the heart of town, try one of everything at Tapas Bar; indulge in a sweet treat at Eclair by the Bay; and watch chefs whip up hibachi grill-focused Japanese delights from a counter seat at nearby Moonlight.
Bar Heather, Byron Bay Credit: Jess Kearney
Bar Heather, Byron Bay
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Bar Heather, Byron Bay Credit: Jess Kearney
Bar Heather, Byron Bay
Ease into a new haven of relaxation in Mullumbimby
Feel your worries melt away at The Banya, a European-style bathhouse now open in the heart of Mullumbimby, just a 20-minute drive northwest of Byron Bay. Admire the venue’s characterful setting in a red-brick former bank dating from the 1920s before working your way around its tiled lap pool, three large hot mineral pools, wood-fired sauna, steam room and cold plunge pool. Feel any lingering stress melt away with a life-affirming massage, then wallow in a post-treatment time-out on the sundeck. Make a day of it and stay on to enjoy a wholesome lunch or a cheeky craft cocktail at the Banya’s onsite Dining Room. Or make a night of it and check into a stylish pavilion at Blackbird Byron in the Mullumbimby hinterland, another oasis of tranquillity also with an invigorating mineral pool.
Delve into food and culture in the Tweed hinterland
Treat yourself to an indulgent exploration of the Tweed hinterland on the Tweed Valley Food and Culture tour, which was recently launched by local operator Kiff & Culture. Sample tasty morsels at a tropical fruit plantation and a local cheesemaker, engage with local creatives at a vibrant Murwillumbah arts precinct, and toast to a leisurely lunch at Husk Distillers with a refreshing artisan gin or rum cocktail. Or revel in the freedom of exploring the region at your own pace, uncovering new culinary experiences such as Sunfall Tapas Bar, in seaside Kingscliff, and the wholesome Farm & Co restaurant in Cudgen along the way. And if you loved your day out with Kiff & Culture in the Tweed, prime your palate for another delicious day out in the Northern Rivers on the company’s new Byron Hinterland Paddock to Plate tour.
Bond over share plates in Ballina
Drink in the stirring views during the 30-minute coastal drive south from Byron Bay to riverside Ballina, where holiday memory-making opportunities go beyond scoring a selfie at its famous Big Prawn. Get a taste of Ballina’s emerging culinary scene at Lola Dining, a contemporary fine dining restaurant awarded its first hat in the Good Food Guide Awards 2023. Or embrace Ballina’s laidback vibe over Japanese share plates and signature cocktails at casual-cool diner Hey Lady, just around the corner on River Street. Also new to River Street is Kelp, a seafood-focused family restaurant from the team at next-door Dory’s Takeaway, and Moroccan-meets-Japanese restaurant Layla, which operates from Cafe Boker during the evenings. Bon appetit!
Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum Credit: Destination NSW
Couple touring the Husk Farm Distillers property in North Tumbulgum and meeting the resident cattle.
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Husk Distillers, North Tumbulgum Credit: Destination NSW
Couple touring the Husk Farm Distillers property in North Tumbulgum and meeting the resident cattle.
More Inspirational Stories
Mulwala Water Ski Club, MulwalaCredit: Destination NSW
Mulwala Water Ski Club located in the Riverina Murray region in Mulwala, offers an outdoor bar and casual relaxed dining overlooking Lake Mulwala. Learn to water ski on a world-class, private, twin lake the Max Kirwan Ski Park.
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Cool off with an adventure: NSW is a watersports playground
Mulwala Water Ski Club, Mulwala Credit: Destination NSW
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Hot sands, wild rivers, bays with towers of coral and waves that curl like a rockabilly quiff – NSW is a paradise for adventure on and under the water. For adrenaline-chasers, there are world-class waves and whitewater runs, foils and jet boats built for speed, and reefs home to sharks and turtles. For the quiet adventurers, try paddleboard expeditions, fishing for rainbow trout and bass in pristine rivers, and colourful snorkelling spots.
Your next adrenaline hit
Surfing may be the famous action-hero of the NSW watersports scene, but the state’s rivers, lakes, bays and beaches also host a huge diversity of aquatic adventures to get the heart racing. Take in Sydney Harbour’s icons, while spinning, splashing and thundering past in a jet boat with Oz Jet Boating or Thunder Jet Boat. In Western Sydney, Penrith is a hub for adventure. Penrith Whitewater Stadium, purpose-built for the 2000 Olympics, is uniquely set up for both beginner paddling and intense raft adventures, as well as kayak courses where you can test yourself against Olympic times; Cables Wake Park teaches you to wakeboard via zipline (jumps and obstacles included); and Jet Pack Adventures lets you feel like a water-powered Iron Man.
In Brooklyn, on the Hawkesbury River, Jet Ski Safaris will take you around the bends of the river at 30 knots, while Fliteschool Manly and OzFoiling (with multiple locations on the Mid North Coast) will teach you how to cruise the coastline via eFoil, a motorised surfboard that glides above the water like an elegant seabird. Outside of Sydney, on the Murray River, encounter one of the greatest and oldest waterski clubs in the world at Mulwala Water Ski Club.
Find a wave
With reliable breaks on some of the world’s most picturesque beaches, NSW is a premium spot on the international surf circuit. Surfers with their own board and years of experience behind them can find world-class waves all up the coast while newbies can join in on a surfing lesson, all you have to do is choose which one and which beach. You can also practice on a perfectly shaped, perfectly reliable wave (with multiple options suitable for beginners or experts) at URBNSURF, Olympic Park’s surf park, and finish off with a meal at RAFI, the onsite Applejack-run restaurant and bar that overlooks the waves.
URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
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URBNSURF Sydney Credit: Applejack_Sandy’s_URBNSURF Sydney
URBNSURF Sydney
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Explore NSW’s coral reefs
The pristine, ecologically rich seas of NSW have seen the development of 10 protected marine parks covering more than 100,000 square kilometres, offering a haven to wildly diverse range of sea life. Beyond those areas, in the harbour and the bays of the coastal cities, there are also vibrant ecosystems ripe for snorkel or scuba dive trips. Self-guided snorkelling can be done in most places along the coast and, provided you have the equipment and training, so can diving. Or learn the ropes with a tour. Woebegone Expeditions and Courses will teach you how to explore the reefs of the South Coast with safe, freediving techniques; Region X Snorkel Tours has you jumping off a kayak with a snorkel around Batemans Bay; and Ecotreasures fits in a headland walk between time in the aquatic reserve around Manly. For new divers, you can explore the lower North Coast with Jetty Dive Centre or the tropical far North Coast with Cooly Eco Adventures. While Sydney Underwater Scooters will set you up with a handheld swim-assister and show you the clear waters and underwater fauna of Sydney’s Gordon’s Bay.
Paddling sunrise to sunset
Every river, bay and lake has a different scene and a different story, and cruising on a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) lets you discover at your own pace. NSW is also full of explorers and local experts ready to guide you along the way. In Sydney, Sydney Harbour Kayaks and Sydney by Kayak will introduce you to the harbour at its multicolour best with dawn and dusk paddles. Manly Kayak Centre has both hire and guided options for kayaks and SUP, as well as giving you the opportunity to try your hand at SUPBALL, which is like polo but replaces the horse with a SUP. Cronulla SUP and Balmoral Paddlesurf let you explore less famous, but no less beautiful, beaches of Sydney’s south and north respectively.
On the Sapphire Coast combine your next river adventure with a story, like on Navigate Expeditions’ Aboriginal Culture Tour, where you journey into the land’s Indigenous heritage, or a Kayak and Shuck Tour where you visit the oyster farms. On the North Coast, social enterprise and SUP tour guides Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours offers cultural eco-tourism on a paddleboard around the pristine waters of Solitary Island Marine Park. Not far away in The Tweed, Watersports Guru offers SUP lessons and hire, allowing you to cruise the waters Cudgen Creek while taking in the local birdlife – if you’re lucky you may even see a pod of dolphins.
Reel in a new experience
With pristine rivers and wild oceans, NSW is a dream for fishing for both newbies and those looking for the next big catch. Out on the oceans of the South Coast Kiama Charter Service will help you pull in your first deep-sea fish (go for blue-eye trevalla, gemfish or hapuka). While Port Macquarie Fishing Charters, Reel Ocean Adventures (in Tuncurry) and Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters, provide the boats, deep-sea equipment and vibes on the North Coast. Inland, learn traditional yabbying in the bush at Narrabri Fish Farm, or set up your own line on NSW’s most epic jetties at Coffs Harbour, Lake Macquarie and Lake St Clair in the Hunter Valley. If you know the ways of a fly fisher, the Snowy Mountains and Blue Mountains are the hot spots.
Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
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Kayaking, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of kayaking on Sydney Harbour.
Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru
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Navigate Expeditions, Kalaru Credit: Destination NSW
Guests on a walking tour with Navigate Expeditions in Kalaru