Northern NSW

Northern New South Wales encompasses the North Coast – including ideal tourist destinations like Ballina, Byron Bay, and The Tweed – and the Northern Rivers region. With a scenic hinterland, lush rainforests, and pristine beaches, Northern New South Wales offers a well-rounded tourism experience.

Along the coast, you’ll find fresh seafood (made famous by the Big Prawn), perfect surf, and some of Australia’s favorite celebrities, if you’re lucky. In Byron Bay you will experience historic locations like the Cape Byron Lighthouse, unique dining experiences like a restaurant and bakery on a working farm, and boutique accommodation like The Oasis Tree Houses.

In The Tweed, which stretches from the hinterland to the coast, you can relax in style at luxurious estates like Mt. Warning Estate, dine at award winning restaurants like Potager, and journey along trails that show the best of the region, like the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.

In the hinterland you will find small towns and villages each with unique character. Historic Grafton along the Clarence River is the jacaranda capital of Australia, with an annual Jacaranda Festival every spring. It is also one of the most well preserved historic towns, dating back to 1859.

Lismore is the arts and culture capital of the Northern Rivers region, with a vibrant street art scene, a sculpture walk along the river, and the Lismore Regional Gallery. Lismore also is home to arts and cultural events, like the winter solstice Lantern Parade Festival.

Nimbin, thirty minutes north of Lismore, is a town renowned for its alternative lifestyle. Here, people embrace a laid back, hippie lifestyle. On the edge of an extinct volcano and surrounded by UNESCO World Heritage rainforests, Nimbin is an excellent place to unwind and connect with nature.

Connect with the LGBTQIA+ community in Northern New South Wales through the Queer Events Facebook page or through Tropical Fruits, an organisation based in Lismore that hosts LGBTQIA+ inclusive events and social gatherings.