Northern Rivers

Essential Destinations

Byron Bay

Photo: elephass, CC BY 2.0.

Byron Bay is a coastal town famous for its enthusiastic wellness movement and celebrities in the Northern Rivers ‘Rainbow Region’ of New South Wales, just off the M1 Pacific Motorway, approximately 800 km north of Sydney and 175 km south of Brisbane.

Grafton

Photo: Tim Keegan, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Grafton is a city in northern New South Wales, Australia. One of Australia's most beautiful provincial cities, Grafton is renowned for its jacaranda trees, graceful old buildings, sporting and cultural facilities, and its location on the banks of the Clarence River.

Lismore

Photo: Kpravin2, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Lismore is a city of 29,000 in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales For the island in Scotland, see Isle of Lismore…

Destinations to Discover

Tweed Heads

Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Tweed Heads and Coolangatta are twin towns on the border between north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. Coolangatta is in Queensland and part of the Gold Coast City.

Murwillumbah

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY 4.0.

Murwillumbah is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. It sits on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley and is nearby the Mount Warning.

Ballina

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ballina is a coastal town, just south of Byron Bay and Lennox Head in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

Border Ranges National Park

Photo: Froggydarb, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Border Ranges National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. A small portion of the national park is also located in South East Queensland.

Yamba

Photo: Christopher Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Yamba is a coastal town of 6,000 people in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Yamba is a great stop off between Sydney and Brisbane. This beachside town has one of Australia's most famous surf breaks.

Nimbin

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0.

Nimbin is a village in northern New South Wales, 30 km from Lismore and an hour's drive from Byron Bay. It is a centre of alternative lifestyle and culture and is a Sister City to Woodstock, USA.

Mullumbimby

Photo: Ferylbob, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mullumbimby, locally nicknamed Mullum, is a town in the Byron Shire in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It promotes itself as "The Biggest Little Town in Australia".

Evans Head

Photo: VPyne, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Evans Head is a town in Richmond Valley Council of the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, Evans Head had a population of 2,843 people.

Wollumbin National Park

Photo: Pouts31, CC BY 3.0.

Wollumbin National Park is in the Tweed Coast Hinterland on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Nightcap National Park

Photo: LivinginNSW, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Nightcap National Park is a national park in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.

Kyogle

Photo: Lobster1, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Kyogle is a rail-oriented town of 2800 along the Summerland Way in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

Casino

Photo: Ché Lydia Xyang, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Casino is a town in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 12,298 people at the 2021 census. It lies on the banks of the Richmond River and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way.

Maclean

Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Maclean is a town of 2,800 in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It's a nice riverside town along the Clarence River and a very short detour from the M1 Pacific Mwy between Sydney and Brisbane.

Lennox Head

Photo: thefuzz77, CC BY 2.0.

Lennox Head is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. The town is known for its surfing, windsurfing and kite sailing. It has a relaxed village atmosphere with great restaurants, sidewalk cafes and shops.

Mebbin National Park

Photo: Ian Cochrane, CC BY 2.0.

Mebbin National Park is a national park in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Park as part of the Shield Volcano Group of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.

Bangalow

Photo: nadiapriestley, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Bangalow is a village in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It is near Lismore, Nimbin, and about an hour's drive inland from Byron Bay.

Mallanganee National Park

Photo: Poyt448, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mallanganee National Park is a world-heritage national park in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. It is part of the Focal Group of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. It is not a particularly huge park, with its area only 11.44 km2.

Woodburn

Photo: David Edwards, CC BY 3.0.

Woodburn is a small riverside town that sits along the Richmond River in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It used to sit along the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane, but its importance significantly dwindled when a motorway was built to bypass the town in 2020.

Ocean Shores

Photo: Gatoclass, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ocean Shores is in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales in Australia. This guide covers the nearby towns of New Brighton, Brunswick Heads and South Golden Beach, including the village of Wooyung which are located just near Ocean Shores.

New Italy

Photo: Maxim75, CC BY-SA 4.0.

New Italy, initially named Cèa Venessia, is a small township of 187 in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. It's a popular stopover for travellers heading north along the Pacific Motorway from Sydney towards Brisbane.

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