Suggested Itineraries

Drive itineraries for Families based in Byron Bay

For the Family (older children U18)

This day trip will take you to some interesting places like Crystal Castle and a National Park with a 100m water fall, plus throws in some activity to keep the kids interested.

Begin your day tour by heading north out of Byron Bay. Take Ewingsdale Rd out of town to the north and follow the signs to Tweed Heads to get onto the Pacific Highway.

First Stop – Brunswick Heads. This little fishing village has the theme of 'Simple Pleasures' and provides the environment to allow families to re-connect with each other like the 'old' days. In the park opposite the Hotel Brunswick (a historical pub built in the 1950's), you can hire a kayak or canoe and row up the picturesque river. If you are up for it, you can book a tour with Mother Earth Kayak Tours who will take you further up the river and provide an informative guide. Brunswick is a great place for breakfast or a cup of coffee in one of the many cafes.

From Brunswick Heads, head towards Mullumbimby. On the road into Mullumbimby you are greeted by the spectacular Mt. Chincogan (private land). The town has a variety of cafes, colourful shops, interesting buildings, attractive parks, a swimming pool and a museum. Go through the town and turn right to head up into the hills towards Crystal Castle.

Second Stop – Crystal Castle. This is an enchanting place where you can wander through the magical gardens of mystic statues, walk the ancient labyrinth, marvel at the exquisite jewellery, crystals, books and treasures on offer. Indulge in local produce and coffee as you relax, breathing in the hinterland views. Enrich your spirit!

From Crystal Castle turn right towards the village of Federal. Before you reach Federal, there is a turn to the right towards Nightcap National Park and Minyon Falls. Follow the signs to the Minyon Falls car park, where you can park and take a short walk to the top of the 100m falls. If you would like to do a longer walk, you can walk to the bottom of the falls which takes approximately 2 hours.

From Minyon Falls, you may choose to backtrack to the village of Federal (Option 1) and stop for some lunch at Pogelswood Cafe, or continue along the bush road to come out of the National Park near the turn-off to Rocky Creek Dam (Option 2). In the surrounds of Rocky Creek Dam, the area's main drinking supply, are interpretive forest walks and there are some beautiful picnic spots and a children's playground.

Option 2 - From Rocky Creek Dam, you are a short drive to the village of The Channon which has a tavern and an interesting art gallery. The Channon holds one of the region's best markets every second Sunday of the month. It is also the gateway to the road to Protester's Falls, another beautiful National Park feature.

Option 1 - If you choose to go to Federal, you can continue to the Lismore road via the village of Eureka. Turn right onto the Lismore road, and shortly after Clunes take the left hand turn to Eltham (Johnston Rd). Eltham is another small village with a great gift shop and historic pub. At the Eltham roundabout, turn left and continue for 1km, then the next right into Boatharbour Rd. Approximately 2.7kms along the road you will find Eltham Valley Pantry on your right.

The Eltham Valley Pantry grow pecan nuts, olives and coffee. The pecan nuts and coffee are grown organically and are harvested and packed on the farm. Tours on the farm are available on some days and there is a cafe restaurant on site offering guenuine farmhouse cooking from fresh regional produce.

To end your day, return to Byron Bay via Lismore – the main business centre of the Northern Rivers, which provides a good choice of restaurants for dinner.

Download a copy of this itinerary here.

 For the Kids (U12)

This day is for the kids! Keep them amused with animals, a maze and other delights throughout the day. This is a big day so start early!

Begin your day tour by heading south out of Byron Bay. There are two ways listed below you can go and you need to end up on the Pacific Highway heading towards Ballina.

1. Take Bangalow Rd out of town to the south via Suffolk Park, turn right to Newrybar approximately 10 kms out of town. This road winds amongst cane sugar fields and coffee plantations up towards the Pacific Highway. Turn left onto the Pacific Highway. You may choose to immediately turn right into the little village of Newrybar where the award winning Harvest Cafe is located and antique shops.

2. Take Ewingsdale Rd out of town to the north and follow the signs to Ballina to get onto the Pacific Highway.

First Stop – Macadamia Castle located on the right on the Pacific Highway before you reach the turn-off to Lennox Head. The award-winning Macadamia Castle at Knockrow offers a wide range of gourmet Macadamia products and tastings of hot, roasted nuts. But there's more than just delicious nuts! Inside the castle is a fascinating gift shop and cafe serving locally grown coffee. In the castle grounds is the Animal Fun Park with native birds and animals, a handling nursery for the kids, barbecue and picnic area, mini-golf, rides and the new Playcentre with a wonderful new adventure tree house.

From Macadamia Castle, continue heading south towards Ballina, and take the turn-off to Lennox Head approximately 5 minutes down the road. Follow the signs to Lennox Head. Lennox Head has a reef just off the beach at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach which is easily accessible at low tide for rock-pooling. There is also a tea-tree lake at the northern end of the village which is great for swimming (if conditions are favourable). Lennox Head also boasts many cafes and great ice-cream!

From Lennox Head, follow The Coast Road south to Ballina which is possibly one of the most picturesque roads on the east coast of Australia. Ballina is a major town with several shopping centres. It is where the Richmond River (one of the three major rivers of the Northern Rivers) meets the sea and so a drive around the coastline is very pretty. The Ballina Pool and Waterslides has two large waterslides which may keep the kids busy for awhile. There are also parks and gardens in many places along the river, some close to a coffee shop (for the adults).

From Ballina, follow the signs to Alstonville, which is a small village on the Alstonville Plateau in the hinterland. Drive straight through the roundabout in town and turn left to find the road leading to Amaze-n-Place, where there is an 'amazing maze, amazing coffee and puzzles galore'. There is a quiz children can do to find things hidden in the maze and a magical 'tower' in the middle to climb to see the view plus many puzzles to view or purchase.

Just down the road from Amaze-n-Place is Summerland House with No Steps which is a beautiful working farm set on 172 acres of macadamia and avocado trees. It also has a cafe, garden centre, a museum, a water park and play areas for the children.

After Summerland House with No Steps, continue down Wardell Rd to the Dalwood Rd turnoff and follow the signs to Victoria Park. This is a small National Park and is a good example of 'The Big Scrub' which used to cover the hills of the Northern Rivers and was full of Red Cedar and other rainforest natives. Victoria Park has a short interpretive boardwalk through the rainforest.

To end your day, you may choose to return to Byron Bay via Lismore or return via Ballina – either of which provide a good choice of restaurants for dinner.

Download a copy of this itinerary here.