Take a detour from the postcard heroes to the unheralded star towns of the Northern Rivers.
The Northern Rivers region of NSW is full of cool towns many people haven’t even heard of. While its stars – such as Byron Bay – attract the plaudits (and the crowds), there are quieter alternatives just a few minutes’ drive away. Try these five towns for surprises just off the beaten path.
1. Lismore
Meet the Take Care team. (Credit: Tajette O’Halloran)
A 45-minute drive inland from Byron Bay, Lismore is the region’s cultural secret. Its streetscape reflects a century of farming history, but these heritage buildings are now home to mural-clad independent galleries and hip cafes that look as though they could be in a trendy city suburb. Lismore has all the energy of a university town, with a younger, arts-minded population.
At its heart is the Lismore Regional Gallery, one of NSW’s longest-running regional art spaces. After being extensively damaged by the 2022 floods, it was restored and reopened in September 2024. The gallery’s cafe, Take Care, is the place local artists come to hang out, with a menu showcasing the area’s fantastic produce.
Catch the local spirit at quirky annual events like the Lismore Lantern Parade, which celebrates the winter solstice, and LisAmore!, a celebration of Italian culture.
2. Lennox Head
Lennox Head beachfront. (Credit: Elise Hassey)
About 15 minutes south of Byron Bay, Lennox Head has the little Aussie surf town formula down pat, though a fancy food scene is emerging. Get to Pat Morton Lookout for big views over Seven Mile Beach while watching surfers below at Lennox Point (you might also get to see a hang glider launch).
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
Seeking Shelter in Lennox Head. (Credit: Elise Hassey)
Shelter showcases the
region’s bounty. (Credit: Elise Hassey)
The dark and atmospheric Rhea
Food + Wine. (Credit: Ryan Baldwin)
Afterwards, try some of the region’s most talked-about tables in the Northern Rivers. Shelter Lennox is metres from the ocean – you can watch the waves while enjoying local produce with an Asian influence (try the fish cakes with poached eggs for brunch). And for laid-back tapas from a Michelin-trained chef, nothing beats Rhea Food + Wine.
3. Pottsville
Snacks and a well-chosen pour at Pipit. (Credit: Pipit Restaurant/Sabine Bannard)
Pipit’s dining room, where Ben Devlin cooks with passion, fire and Tweed Coast produce. (Credit: Pipit Restaurant/Sabine Bannard)
Surfers wander down the golden sands of Cabarita Beach. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Up on the Tweed Coast, 25 minutes south of the Gold Coast, Pottsville is about as idyllic a Northern Rivers beach town as it gets. The village sits beside Mooball Creek and the beach, so you can either surf the waves or swim in calm water. Black Drop Cafe has some of the best coffee on the Tweed Coast, while Pipit – under the guidance of ex-Noma chef and Byron boy, Ben Devlin – has put Pottsville and the Northern Rivers firmly on the regional food map.
Halcyon House in Cabarita Beach, home to Paper Daisy restaurant. (Credit: Destination NSW)
It’s an easy hop to Hastings Point, where you can spot whales from June to November. You can also head north to dreamy Cabarita Beach, which is protected by a picturesque headland. The beachside village is home to a celebrated dining scene led by hatted restaurant Paper Daisy.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
4. Alstonville
HOME is where the
hearth is. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The Alstonville
corner store feels like it’s from another era. (Credit: Natalie McComas)
Only a 14-minute drive inland from Ballina, Alstonville sits in a green plateau between the coast and the hinterland. It’s having a moment right now, though that doesn’t mean people even in Byron know about it – and that’s how locals want it to stay. Its village vibe, old-fashioned charm and surrounding green hills make it the place to avoid the tourism surge on the coast at holiday time.
There’s plenty here for visitors, such as HOME Alstonville on Main Street, a nostalgic local food store filled with homemade and homegrown food products. And check out Summerland Farm, a macadamia and avocado property on 96 hectares, which offers a stunning outlook from its award-winning restaurant.
5. Tweed Heads
Corduroy lines of swell roll into Duranbah (‘D-Bah’ to locals) at the mouth of the Tweed. (Credit: Destination NSW)
On the northern boundary of NSW, Tweed Heads is often overlooked as a gateway to the Gold Coast. A less than savoury reputation in the past didn’t help, either. But that’s changing (it was even recently named on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel). Sitting beside its twin town, Coolangatta, Tweed Heads is developing a personality of its own, with an emerging food and lifestyle scene spreading fast – especially on Bay Street, which straddles the border.
But it’s the river that defines the Tweed. Hire a houseboat or get out on it any way you can to see how spectacular this volcanic region looks from the water. Afterwards, sample the new range of places to eat and drink. The Bread Social helped establish Bay Street as a foodie destination and it now rivals anywhere on the Gold Coast. Rob Roy Deli & Drinks offers treats and wines from all over the world, and newer arrival nice nice brings an uber-trendy, Asian-leaning brunch menu with an occasional Mexican pop-up restaurant.
Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?
Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Craig Tansley has been a travel writer for over 20 years, winning numerous awards along the way. A long-time sucker for adventure, he loves to write about the experiences to be had on islands, on the sea, in forests or deserts; or anywhere in nature across Australia, and the world.
Who says a healthy holiday always has to mean meditative silence?
Sitting on the balcony wrapped in a bathrobe, you warm your cold hands around a green tea as steam rises from the mug. The lorikeets haven’t come out yet, but the sunrise hot-air balloons have. Below, scrubby bushland gives way to rows of vines, where, in a few hours, the Hunter Valley’s cellar doors will begin pouring Semillon.
You might have booked the new Avani Cypress Lakes for a reset – but that doesn’t mean retreating from everything around you. Here’s how the Hunter Valley’s new resort is doing wellness without shutting the world out.
Location
Take in 360-degree views from Meditation Hill.
The brand-new Avani Cypress Lakes Resort is spread across 340 acres in Australia’s oldest wine-growing region. Rebranding in October 2026, it brings the former Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort and neighbouring Elysia Wellness Retreat together under the Avani name. It will also become Avani’s largest property in Australasia.
A long lunch among the vines is a siren song, but it might be even more of a temptation to spend the whole holiday at the resort. If you’re eager for the whole picture as soon as you get there, start your stay with a tramp up Meditation Hill for 360-degree views across the land, before discovering the rest of the resort.
Style and character
Make use of a private balcony in each villa.
Once you enter, be whisked (ever so gently) away to one of the resort’s 204 rooms and suites. Bedrooms come dressed in plush white linen, textured cushions and sleek upholstered headboards, with a palette that takes its cues from the outside, bringing in eucalyptus green and rich ochre that offset the creams, beiges and warm taupes.
For those group getaways, choose from one-, two- or three-bedroom villas, each with a private balcony, separate living areas and kitchen facilities. The one- and two-bedroom villas come with kitchenettes, while the three-bedroomers have full kitchens for those planning to make themselves properly at home with Hunter Valley cheeses and local wine bottles, and the Premier Villa offers a serious upgrade.
If a wellness retreat is already whispering your name between the gentle chimes of Tibetan bells, the Wellness Suites come with private balconies and put AvaniWell’s saunas, pools and day spa experiences right on the doorstep for the 16-plus crowd.
It’s all part of the resort’s balance between switching off and being social when the mood strikes.
AvaniWell
AvaniWell is set to become Australia’s largest integrated resort wellness precinct. And with 26 treatment rooms and more than 50 day-spa treatments and therapies, there’s plenty to tempt you away from the golf green and into that fluffy spa robe.
If the existing Elysia treatments are anything to go by, heated volcanic stones, gua sha face massages, Hawaiian Kahuna massages, Himalayan salt scrubs, remedial massages and even Watsu therapy are all on the menu. The Watsu takes place in a purpose-built magnesium pool heated to body temperature, where floats support you as a practitioner guides you through delicious stretches.
But relaxation doesn’t run to a schedule. You can dip in for a single treatment or make a few days of it, with a year-round calendar of activities to pick and choose from. You can also make some moves on one of the eight Pilates reformers, relax in an infrared sauna or cool off in an outdoor cold-plunge pool or unwind in the magnesium pool.
Beyond that, three pickleball courts and the golf course should tempt you out of your slippers.
Dining
Enjoy a nourishing meal at Fusion.
Avani’s story began in Sri Lanka, so it’s perfect that it’s bringing a taste of the island to Australia’s fusion-loving food scene. Enter Chakraya, the resort’s Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant. From its warm timber tones to its flavours, this high-end dining spot takes its inspiration from the island’s traditions.
After a night at Chakraya, move from warm and intimate to light and airy at Fusion restaurant. The interiors are as fresh as the food, with nourishing dishes that complement the AvaniWell vibe and are just the thing in between your sauna session and Pilates class.
Later, it’s time to get the residents of the three-bedroomer together at the Bistro & Bar (open from breakfast to dinner). Here, it’s all about the casual classics, eaten in blissed-out calm.
Other facilities
Find a golf cours, kids program and more on the property.
When there’s business to attend to, the resort has 24 meeting and event spaces for everything from conferences to weddings. But the fairway always beckons. Designed by Steve Smyers, the 18-hole championship golf course has dramatic elevation changes and fairway contours, 60 bunkers, generous greens and epic views across the vineyards to the Brokenback range. Mind it doesn’t sting your swing.
For the little ones, the AvaniKids program will keep them busy with creative activities and outdoor adventures. But if you’d rather wait it out in style while everyone else is off golfing or gallivanting, take your pick: a luxuriously long swim in one of three outdoor pools, a cabana by the upgraded pool bar or settling in for a film at the outdoor cinema right as those evening crickets start up.
