The Northern Rivers region sits at the easternmost point of Australia.
It’s the first part of the continent to receive the morning light,
and it’s way ahead of the curve when it comes to Mother Nature’s gifts.
The heart of the Northern Rivers, is Mt Warning.
Wollumbin, as the local Bundjalung People know it,
was created 23 million years ago when the Tweed Volcano erupted and reshaped the land.
It was an event which blessed the entire region with incredibly fertile soils,
deep forests,
and a unique geology which many believe gives the region its special energy,
its magnetism.
This is a place where travellers,
families and soul seekers come, and sometimes, stay forever.
The Northern Rivers begins at Tweed Heads,
just a stone’s throw from the Gold Coast International Airport,
and unrolls southwards for over one hundred miles,
taking in some of the purest beaches and most laid-back coastal towns in the world.
Hang out for a week or two,
and simply enjoy the salt water and sunshine of Kingscliff and Cabarita.
Or soak up the soulful vibes of Brunswick Heads,
a port town created by cedar cutters a century ago.
Brunswick’s waves, sheltered coves and sparkling river
create a gentle magic that makes it impossible not to slow down,
and relax.
Embrace your sense of wanderlust,
and follow the beach south from Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay,
a place that’s considered one of the spiritual centers of Australia,
a place whose beauty and open-mindedness has attracted surfers and free spirits since
the 1960s.
Byron Bay has grown up a lot since the Age of Aquarius,
and now attracts travellers from across the globe,
from backpackers to the rich and famous.
But the ideals of the 60s are forever embedded in The Bay’s DNA.
Abundance is a word you’ll often hear in Byron,
and it’s a word that could certainly apply to its beaches.
There’s over a dozen waiting for you,
from the endless sands of Belongil and Main Beach,
to the famous breaks of The Pass.
The rolling swells of Wategos are ideal for longboarders,
while Cosy Corner is the perfect nook for when the Northerlies blow.
Then there’s Tallows Beach, which stretches all the way to Broken Head,
Kings Beach, and beyond.
High above it all,
on Australia’s easternmost point,
stands Cape Byron Lighthouse,
which by night, sends out her reassuring light to passing ships,
and by day, attracts over half a million lighthouse lovers and whale watchers every year.
Once Byron’s worked its spell on you,
drift even further down the coast.
Discover coastal towns like Lennox Head with its famous right hand break,
Ballina with its iconic Big Prawn,
and the classic mouth-of-the-river seaside town, Yamba.
Should you ever tire of the perfect beaches,
the inland towns of the Northern Rivers possess a pace of life and sense of community
that creates a different kind of magic.
Mullumbimby is a place that values things made by hand,
where people have discovered that joy is found not just in the destination,
but in the doing.
And of course, there’s Nimbin,
which during the 1970s became the epicenter of Australian counterculture,
and the front line in the battle to save the region’s forests from logging.
Forty years on, Nimbin’s progressive politics,
environmental ideals and alternative lifestyles have made it a household name in Australia.
So when you head into the region’s wild places,
like the Nightcap National Park,
pause, and give thanks to the rainbow warriors,
who stood between the bulldozers and the trees.
From its forests,
to its beaches,
to every rolling hill in-between,
this is one of the world’s special places,
a place where the spirit of country touches, heals, and enriches all who walk it.
So come with us,
and find yourself,
in Australia’s Northern Rivers.