North Coast NSW

Far North Coast NSW: One week itinerary

North Coast NSW Insider

Channon Markets, Northern Rivers. Photo TNSW Jon Armstrong.

The Channon Markets, Northern Rivers

A one-week itinerary for the Far North Coast of NSW gives you plenty of time to take a look beyond the coast's gleaming white beaches and explore the hinterland.

Begin in Byron

Start with a couple of nights in Byron Bay, which should give you enough time to shop along Fletcher Street, catch some sun on Wategos Beach, stretch your legs on the 5km walk around Cape Byron Headland Reserve and enjoy the best dining and nightlife in the region.

Head for the hills

Then let someone else do the driving as you head for the hills to discover the verdant valleys, peaceful villages, ancient rainforests and craggy escarpments of the north coast's hinterland. Stop in beautiful Bangalow for a spot of shopping (Aurora Design Studio is the place for beautifully designed sustainable products including jewellery, clothing and gifts, while Bangalow 2479 stocks an exquisite range of antiques, homewares and fashion) and a quick bite. Utopia Café is the pick for fussy foodies, with its simple yet flavoursome dishes all made from the best locally-sourced ingredients.

The Bangalow Market, held at the Showgrounds on the fourth Sunday of every month, is a veritable carnival of local produce, clothing, arts and crafts. If you're in town in May, don't miss the running of the annual Billycart Derby, which celebrates the opening of the Pacific Highway bypass. Locals gather and race their carts through the main street of town.

Get arty in The Channon

Continue on through Clunes and Lismore detouring to The Channon for a couple of days. Around 20km from Lismore, this quiet little village has a fabulously reclusive yet creative vibe. Visit on market day if you can (held on the second Sunday of the month) and fill up on fresh organic produce, or perhaps have a tarot reading or your chakra realigned. The Channon also makes a good base to explore nearby Nightcap National Park and in particular Protestors Falls, so named because it was saved from logging by protestors, so be sure to pack those hiking shoes.

Reach for the sky in Uki

Returning to the main road, bypass mind-numbing Nimbin and instead set your compass for Uki. Located almost at the foot of Mount Warning, Uki is a charmingly pretty village with a handful of historic buildings including the Mount Warning Hotel, the old Bank Building and the old Butter Factory, now converted to art and craft galleries and artisan's work areas. Be sure to stop by the Mount Warning Pub for a drink.

Mountain magic

For your last couple of days, explore the foothills of Mount Warning following the 200m Lyrebird Track. While it is still possible to climb to the summit, out of respect for Bundjalung law and culture, you're asked to consider not making the climb. Alternatively, hike to Pinnacle Lookout in the nearby Border Ranges National Park which offers some of the most spectacular views of the peak anywhere along the coast, and enjoy the view from the first place on the Australian mainland to see the morning sun.

Have you tried any of the places on this itinerary? Got any ideas we haven't thought of? Have your say using the comments form below.

See for yourself! Get great deals on hotels and super-cheap flights to Far North Coast NSW now on

Next: Hotel reviews

More about Byron Bay:

Topics:

Byron Bay New South Wales itineraries Australia

User comments

After a great week (although the weather was mixed but at least it didn't really get cold) in Byron. We tried all your suggestions in and around Byron and they were for the most part great. But the best of the best we found was Byron Beach cafe. We had breakfast twice, lunch twice, take away fish and chips once and went about 10 times for coffee. It was so easy and comfortable. The staff were great and always friendly and the food was the best in town. I know you rated it but we felt you did your a readers a disservice by not highlighting the place as a must see. Oh yeah it also has the best views of any restaurant on the North Coast. We reckon it deserves a plug!

Write a comment

Email: *
Your email will not be shared with any third parties or published with your comment.
Nickname: *
Location: *

Subject:
*
Comment:
*
Maximum characters 1000

* Indicates required field

Comment guidelines

Avoid using:

Personal attacks
Irrelevant comments
HTML tags
Personal information
Offensive language
Text in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

See full comment guidelines

Comment guidelines X

Thank you for sharing your opinions with other users of NineMSN. People will find your comments more helpful if you include relevant information and avoid some common pitfalls.

Please note: All reviews and comments submitted are subject to moderation, NineMSN reserves the right to alter and / or remove any content that does not comply with usage guidelines.

What to include in your comment: