A road trip to Northern NSW’s best beaches

If you love the ocean, beautiful beaches, surfing, soft, white sand and mostly perfect weather, the beaches and towns of Northern New South Wales are amongst the best in the country and are a must-do for a great seaside holiday.

It’s my stomping ground and I consider myself very lucky to be able to enjoy the beauty that surrounds me. I’ve always been a beach baby, so I am a regular visitor to most of these spots.

Starting at Ballina, it’s a lovely scenic drive along the coast road to Lennox Head. It was once a quiet little seaside town but has become very touristy and trendy. A big attraction is the huge Tea Tree Lake Ainsworth, said to have soothing, healing powers.

From there, continue north for a few kilometres and you are in Byron Bay. Byron is the biggest tourist destination in the bunch and it can get pretty crazy in holiday time. Traffic in and out on the two-lane road is near impossible in peak season.

If you want to appreciate Byron, go during the off-season as it’s a very interesting little town. There’s lots of holiday accommodation, camping, clubs and, of course, there’s the wonderful beach. You will find great restaurants and interesting shops and people. The Easter Blues Fest is always a huge event and the town is flooded with great music and music lovers. A must is a visit to the lighthouse, the most easterly point of Australia.

Read more: 5 things to do during a Byron Bay summer holiday

Next is Brunswick Heads – one of my favourites. It’s a quiet beach village and is untouched by progress. It has a great old pub on the river, quaint cafes and shops.

If you exit the freeway and travel along the coastal roads you will pass Pottsville, Hastings Point, Cabarita and Kingscliff. These little towns have great river, beach and fishing spots. Most have camping and holiday accommodation, as well as weekend craft and food markets that make for an interesting browse.

Near the Queensland border is Fingal with another lighthouse on the bluff and the giant causeway.

Crossing the border into Queensland at Tweed Heads we enter Coolangatta and the beginning of the Gold Coast. This is another glorious beach and the best on the Gold Coast in my opinion.

Read more: Adventures in the mist and rocks at Gibraltar Range National Park, NSW

One of my favourite things to do is eating ice cream sitting atop Point Danger on the grassy hill overlooking the wide Pacific, contemplating absolutely nothing. Dolphins and a rare glimpse of a whale is a bonus.