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Northern New South Wales
ALTERNATIVE TOURISM EXPERIENCES
Quiet out-of-the-way places, regional centres and a rich cultural diversity equal some spellbinding destination options.
The New England Highway passes through some of the prettiest countryside in New South Wales. Tamworth, 410 kilometres north of Sydney, is the commercial centre of the New England Area. It has also forged a tourism identity as Australia’s country music capital, with a popular annual festival, as well as numerous museums and attractions devoted to country music.
Manilla lies 44 kilometres north of Tamworth on the Fossickers Way. The nearby Lake Keepit Recreation Area turnoff attracts watersports enthusiasts from across the region. Nundle, south of Tamworth, has museums relating to its history as a gold town in the 1850s and is close to Chaffey Dam, which has great picnic and recreation areas.
Continuing north along the New England Highway is Armidale, 525 kilometres north of Sydney and 465 kilometres south of Brisbane. It is home to the venerable University of New England. Originally founded as the New England University College of Sydney University, it has a fine Museum of Antiquities, as well as a Zoology Museum.
The Far North Coast Area of New South Wales is easily accessed by way of the Pacific Highway from Sydney or Brisbane. Lismore is 776 kilometres north of Sydney via Ballina. It is a major commercial centre and counts amongst its many attractions the Koala Care Centre, which is sure to delight adults and children alike. The area extending north to the Queensland border has become something of a haven for alternative lifestyles. While the coastal region is predominantly becoming a series of up-market holiday destinations, inland is a different story. Art galleries are numerous and creative pursuits of all kinds are the order of the day.
Dairy farming has been a popular activity in the region for generations, although cedar cutting – which progressively moved up the coast – started occurring from the 1840s and was well established by the time dairy and sugar-cane production began in the late 1870s.
Byron Bay, 790 kilometres north of Sydney and 170 kilometres south of Brisbane, has emerged as something of a contradiction. Claiming a beautiful coastal position with great beaches and a number of up-market resorts and motels, the town has also tried very hard to maintain its counter-cultural grassroots appeal. High-rise development has been kept at bay and many of the blights normally associated with tourist destinations – such as drive-through fast-food outlets – have yet to appear. Designer shopping, trendy restaurants and a sophisticated ambience represent the developing face of tourism. The town also boasts holistic therapies, organic vegetarian cafes and a thriving backpacker community.
Byron Bay’s proximity to Queensland’s Gold Coast and the newly emerging resort destination of Kingscliff, 50 kilometres further north, is evidence that such arguments over the area’s development future will continue to intensify. The Byron Bay markets, held on the first Sunday of each month, are colourful affairs and highly entertaining for children. Byron Shire has almost 40 kilometres of beaches and the best for families include the patrolled Wategos and Main Beach.
The nearby township of Mullumbimby maintains its 1960s hippie roots. Located 19 kilometres north west of Byron Bay, it lies at the centre of a rich cattle and agricultural region. Like nearby Nimbin, Mullumbimby wears its alternative lifestyle proudly, but recent arrivals of former city dwellers have tempered its tie-died roots to a certain extent.
Bangalow, 12 kilometres from Byron Bay, is a sleepy rural community that has retained much of its heritage; while Murwillumbah, on the banks of the Tweed River, is the last major town before the Queensland border.
