Cycling into town past the Fisherman’s Co-op, it is worthwhile veering off towards the river and camping ground then following the path the very short distance into Brunswick Heads itself. Accommodation in cabins is available in a second nearby camping ground but it seems expensive so a good bet is the Brunswick Hotel. The hotel is a splendid brick place with verandas along each side and all rooms open onto one veranda or the other. These balconies are very pleasant places to relax and enjoy life’s good fortune.
Out on front veranda is the place to be when the bar and outdoor dining areas are pumping out music, food and bonhomie. It is an absolute pleasure to sit there in private luxury and lord over the crowd below with a glass of Tui’s Old to hand. The crowds certainly come to enjoy themselves. One attractive young woman in a swirling green skirt was enthralling the men with her improvised, and energetic, solo dance routines while the band belted out a great deal of leaping about music. Fortunately, around the back of the hotel, the rooms are quiet.
Bunswick Heads Coastal Waters Abound With Surfers and Other Marine Mammals
The river runs right beside the town and is channeled through the beach by substantial stone breakwaters each side. Walkers, surfies, swimmers and families take full advantage of these typically Australian beaches that literally stretch for miles each side of the river. In town there are birds every where, all flustering around in small flocks, out to sea there are whales blowing and slapping the water and along the shoreline, often inside the breakers, dolphins are cruising for fish. Echidnas have been seen snuffling in the undergrowth right along side busy walking trails and if you stand at the rivers edge and look into the clear water, there are scores of small fish lazily swimming about.
Heading south means an un-enjoyable cycle along the side of the motorway for about 8 miles. It’s unavoidable, and not an experience to be recommended. As it turned out, the side road leading to Bryon Bay was only slightly less busy.
Byron Bay Evolving From Hippie Town to Yuppie Town
Byron Bay has a very attractive beach with an impressive headland at the south end with an imposing lighthouse perched on top. The cliff tops here are a good area for whale watching while an off shore reef provides marvelous diving and the beach is popular for surfing and sun baking. The area is blessed with a fantastic climate and has become a very popular hang out for young people and more recently, for those with money. A very good place for a few days break but if a quieter scene is preferred cycle further south to Lennox Head and stay in the hostel there.
Lennox Head is a small town alongside another good beach with its headland being used to launch hang gliders. It is also another surfers mecca and some of the inmates of the hostel there were quiet living surfies who stay for a few months at time just to hang out and surf.
A new cycle track is getting planned from Lennox south to the next town, Ballina. In the mean time most of the journey is by a coastal road with a short cliff side track leading to the mouth of the Richmond River. However it is just a short ride and one could easily carry on to Evans Head but why rush? Ballina is on the banks of the big wide slow moving Richmond River, has good beaches and plenty of town to explore. It is worth at least one day and the Naval Museum is worth a look. Fishing along the breakwater, just in from the rather wild confluence of river and sea, seems pointless as Pelicans, Shags and Dolphins all compete efficiently against the rods and reels held by optimistic anglers sitting on rocks.
An alternative route from Byron Bay south to Ballina would be to cycle inland to the town of Bangalow. From there carry on through attractive undulating farmland and bush back to the coast and then onto Ballina. It would be harder, longer but more attractive than cycling by way of the motorway and Lennox Head. Both routes have their virtues and unless a circular course is intended, both can’t easily be combined in one trip.
South of Ballina there is another attractive coastal town to visit before the road turns inland to Lismore.
Ian Miller - I have been writing as a hobby for many years and this has included stories for local newspapers, magazines and commercial websites. I ...
Join the Conversation