Lace up for a hinterland hike

Beyond Byron's beaches, the green hills of the hinterland are made for exploring on foot. In the Broken Head Nature Reserve, the Three Sisters Walking Track is an easy trail that winds through lush rainforest and finishes with a spectacular coastal view. Birdwatchers will love the Jerusalem Creek Walk in the Bundjalung National Park – stop for a cooling dip in the creek itself. The new Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk is a 42-kilometre, four-day epic hike that takes you through untouched bushland along the rim of an ancient volcanic caldera.

Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk, Chowan Creek - Credit: Remy Brand

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Copyright: DCCEEW

If you prefer to be guided, Vision Walks Eco Tours leads small groups through rainforest and along waterways on everything from a gentle Platypus Walk to rainforest walks to Minyon Falls. For a walk with deeper meaning, join Explore Byron Bay, a majority First Nations-owned operator whose guided tours of Cape Byron and the surrounding region are led by Arakwal Bundjalung woman Delta Kay, weaving Country, culture and history into every step.

Explore Byron Bay, Bangalow

Go chasing waterfalls

Tucked into the last remaining pocket of Big Scrub rainforest, Killen Falls is a 20-minute drive from Ballina. An easy 330-metre walk gets you to the viewing platform, while a steeper Grade 3 track leads down to the base, where you can wade into the pool and stand in the small cave behind the cascade. Further into the hinterland, Minyon Falls plunges 100 metres within Nightcap National Park – walking tracks from the picnic area take you down to the base, or you can simply admire the drop from above.

Minyon Falls, Nightcap National Park - Credit: Visit Lismore

Protesters Falls is reached via an easy 1.4-kilometre rainforest walk from Terania Creek Picnic Area through Bangalow palm forest to the base of the falls. Swimming isn't permitted here, as it's home to the endangered Fleay's barred frog, but the site holds its own special history as the location of Australia's first successful anti-logging protest in 1979. If you need a dip, Whian Whian Falls is in the nearby Whian Whian State Conservation Area. Unicorn Falls is a hidden gem in Mt Jerusalem National Park, about an hour from Byron Bay. The six-kilometre return, Grade 3 bushwalk leads to a small, secluded waterhole so you can cool off afterwards.

Protesters Falls, Nightcap National Park - Credit: Lismore City Council

Take in the view from up high

For the best vantage point in the region, head to Minyon Falls lookout, where the platform looks out over the falls, the valley below and, on a clear day, all the way to the coast. Closer to town, Cape Byron Lighthouse stands on the most easterly point of mainland Australia and is the first place to see the sunrise. Reach it via the 3.7-kilometre Walgun Cape Byron walking track and look out for dolphins frolicking offshore. In nearby Lennox Head, Pat Morton Lookout stands high over the world-famous surf break – settle in to watch the experts on the waves.

Cape Byron Headland and Lighthouse, Byron Bay

Catch a wave

With warm water and beginner-friendly breaks, Byron is a fantastic place to learn to surf. Let's Go Surfing Ballina and Let's Go Surfing Lennox Head have been running lessons since 1995, with accredited coaches and all equipment included. In town, Soul Surf School holds exclusive permits across Byron Bay, Lennox Head and the Tweed, drawing on more than 20 local breaks to find the best waves each day. For a longboard session without a lesson, paddle out at Wategos Beach, a sheltered, dolphin-frequented bay known for its long, slow-rolling waves.

Soul Surf School, Byron Bay

Paddle with dolphins and turtles

Byron's marine park is prime territory for a paddle. Cape Byron Kayaks has been running guided tours since 1995, taking small groups out among dolphins, turtles and (in season) migrating humpback whales, with all-you-can-eat Tim Tams on the beach afterwards. Go Sea Kayak Byron Bay, run by local Surf Life Savers since 1985, combines paddling with snorkelling over volcanic reef, or heads up the calmer Brunswick River to spot kingfishers and stingrays. Prefer flat water? Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head is a freshwater, tea-tree-stained lake perfect for swimming, stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing.

Cape Byron Kayaks, Byron Bay

 

Dive into the marine park

Just 2.5-kilometres offshore, Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve is rated among the best dive sites in Australia, home to more than 1,000 marine species. Sundive Byron Bay, the town's only PADI Five-Star Dive Centre, runs daily scuba and snorkelling trips out to the rocks, where turtles, rays and even grey nurse sharks are common sightings. There’s no experience necessary for a Discover Scuba session, and shallow, sheltered areas make it just as rewarding with a mask and snorkel.

Julian Rocks, Byron Bay

Meet the locals (the furry kind)

For close encounters with native wildlife, head to the Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Ballina. Home to more than 150 animals, the wheelchair-accessible park lets you feed kangaroos, hand-feed lorikeets, hold reptiles and meet koalas, wombats and sugar gliders, with keeper talks running throughout the day and a waterpark and playground to keep kids entertained between exhibits.

Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Knockrow

Get up close to migrating whales

Every winter, more than 50,000 humpback whales migrate past Byron Bay, making it one of the top whale watching spots in NSW. Out Of The Blue Adventures runs regular whale watching cruises with a marine biologist on board and 360-degree views from purpose-built eco-vessels. In Byron Bay itself, Wild Byron runs small-group whale watching safaris through the Cape Byron Marine Park. For something truly rare, their ethical in-water whale swim lets you get eye to eye with curious young humpbacks on their southern migration between August and September – strictly on the whales' terms. Blue Seafaris offers similarly intimate small-group whale watching cruises from nearby Brunswick Heads.

Wild Byron, Byron Bay - Credit: Wild Byron

Cycle the coast and hinterland

Byron's flat coastal paths and quiet hinterland roads are made for two wheels. Ballina Byron Bike Hire delivers town bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes and full carbon road bikes anywhere across Ballina, Byron Bay and Evans Head. Further north, Beyond Byron E Bikes hires out premium e-bikes from Mooball, at the southern end of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, with self-guided rides out to Unicorn Falls and the Husk Farm Distillery through rainforest and quiet country roads.

Beyond Byron E-Bikes, Byron Bay

Pitch a tent by the beach

Fall asleep to the sound of the surf at Broken Head Holiday Park, just south of Byron Bay and fringed by national park, with sites and cabins just steps from the sand and views stretching from Byron to Ballina. Closer to town, camp within walking distance of the action at Clarkes Beach at Reflections Byron Bay, with powered and unpowered sites and easy access to surfing, snorkelling and diving right off the beach. In East Ballina, Flat Rock Tent Park is a secluded, back-to-basics campsite that will immerse you in nature.

Reflections Byron Bay - Holiday Park, Byron Bay - Credit: Reflections Holidays