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glitters South of the glittering high-rises, Belinda Peters finds that forgoing the fast lane in favour of the coastal drive from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay uncovers some real gems.
As I turn off to follow the road sign to Coolangatta, to my right is a billboard looming large. “Life’s better in board shorts,” it declares. Perhaps it’s a mantra for my journey ahead, as I’m turning off the main drag that would have taken me directly from Gold Coast airport to Byron Bay in just 45 minutes in favour of meandering along the coast instead. I round the bend to Kirra Beach and an uninterrupted view of the sea appears. An expanse of sand leads to clear beach breaks while the high-rises of Surfers Paradise appear misty and distant in the background. From here I do the four-kilometre walk south along the coast-hugging Ocean Walkway. This picturesque pathway leads me past the legendary surf beaches of Greenmount, Rainbow Bay and
Snapper Rocks under the shade of pandanus palms, banksia trees and a row of tall Norfolk Island pines. From the path a boardwalk winds along the rocky coastline and then it’s a short hill climb up to Point Danger lookout. The ominoussounding name dates back to 1770 and is courtesy of Captain Cook, who wanted to warn other mariners of the dangerous coral reefs off the coast. Built 200 years later, the lighthouse at the peak bears Cook’s name. At first glance it appears to be a monument rather than a lighthouse, which fits its other job description: border marker between Queensland and New South Wales. I hop across the line between the two states a few times and revel in time travel, jumping into the future of New South Wales’ daylight-saving time and then stepping back an hour into Queensland.
“This particularly picturesque pathway leads me past the legendary surf beaches of Greenmount, Rainbow Bay and Snapper Rocks under the shade of pandanus palms.”
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On the New South Wales side of the border is Tweed Heads, a bustling regional hub and the gateway to the Tweed Coast. When I emerge from the roundabouts and traffic lights, things quickly take a turn for the scenic as I begin my journey on Tourist Drive 38, or the Tweed Coast Way. The drive is a 35-kilometre stretch through the coastal villages of Fingal, Kingscliff, Cabarita, Hastings Point and Pottsville. Kingscliff is the largest of the five towns, with its main street set opposite the sea and a long line of caravans and tents occupying the ‘gold circle’ position by the water. Walking the streets takes in the expected surf shops and bakeries but also a number of quality cafés. Kingscliff Beach Hotel sits proudly in the centre of town; at the hotel’s top level is Babalou, a funky eatery with retroinspired decor. Just south of town is Salt Village. What was once coastal scrub is now a sea of dense wave-like rooftops and architectural houses. At the heart of the village are the Mantra and Peppers resorts amid a range of shops, a bar
and several quality restaurants, right on quiet South Kingscliff Beach. From here the drive winds through Cudgen Nature Reserve, where scenic highlights pop up regularly, including majestic, sweeping views from Cabarita Hill to the Hastings Point headland. Hastings Point would be a blink-and-miss-it kind of town if it wasn’t for the postcardlike beauty of its surroundings. The meeting of Cudgen Creek and the ocean creates an aquatic playground where families gather to fish, swim and picnic. The scenic drive continues through Pottsville and then winds through coastal flats and mangroves out to the old Pacific Highway, where I drive for another 15 minutes to Brunswick Heads. I’m welcomed into town by the Brunswick-Byron Fisherman’s Co-op at Boat Harbour on the Brunswick River. Seagulls hover around the outdoor tables as diners huddle over butcher’s paper filled with fresh fish and chips.
Opening page, inset and below: Byron Bay’s Cape Byron Lighthouse at Australia’s most easterly point; Point Danger Lighthouse, also known as Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse, at Tweed Heads; the boardwalk from Rainbow Bay to Point Danger.
Fast Fact
The Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse situated at Point Danger is moulded from cast iron that was jettisoned from the HMB Endeavour and recovered in the 1960s. 27
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Such simple pleasures are what Brunswick Heads is all about. Its small town centre is a place to while away the hours in the alfresco cafes overlooking the river. Hotel Brunswick is also a drawcard. Built in the 1940s, it retains much of its original charm and overlooks an expansive beer garden shaded by poinciana trees. Byron Bay is a 15-minute drive away. The town centre is a rainbow-lined mix of humanity, with dreadlocked travellers and designer-caftanwearing city types walking the streets side by
Did You Know? Cape Byron Lighthouse has a beam equivalent to almost 2.2 million candles and its light is one of the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere.
side. When I visit, Byron is full of schoolies and it almost seems to buckle under the population strain. The single-lane roads in, out and around town can’t always cope with the influx of travellers. Stuck in traffic, I finally understand why many locals around Brunswick Heads had exclaimed, “Byron is crazy!” and “Get out of there as quickly as you can!” For all of Byron’s popularity, hype and trendiness, the natural beauty of the place remains the main attraction. The beaches are
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Round-up GET THERE
Airnorth flies to the Gold Coast from Darwin and Mount Isa. 1800 627 474, www.airnorth.com.au The coastal drive route from the Gold Coast via Tweed Heads and Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay is approximately 100 kilometres. unspoilt and beautiful, each having distinct character and charm. Main Beach is opposite the town’s main street and the popular Beach Hotel, from where it’s a pleasant stroll to family-friendly Clarkes Beach, surfers’ favourite The Pass, and picture-perfect Wategos Beach. From Wategos, I walk up to Cape Byron Lighthouse at Australia’s easternmost point. The walk takes in coastal rainforest and mangroves, along with stunning views to the beaches below. The jaw-dropping views over the hinterland and out across the bay are the reward for some uphill huffing and puffing. It’s not unusual to spy frolicking dolphins from up here, and during whale watching season (July to October) the lighthouse, which was built in 1901, is a popular vantage point. The head lighthouse cottage is now a visitor information centre and a small adjoining building houses Cape Cafe. It’s here, sipping a coffee while I look out across the ocean and breathe in the soft sea spray, that I realise life doesn’t get any better than this … and I’m not even wearing board shorts. 30
Above: Watch dolphins riding waves from Byron Bay’s Cape Byron Lighthouse and the surrounding beaches.
STAY
Mantra Coolangatta Beach 88 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 07 5506 8787, www.mantra.com.au Beach Hotel Resort Bay Street, Byron Bay 02 6685 6402, www.beachhotelresort.com.au
EAT & DRINK
Fins restaurant and bar 5/6 Bells Boulevard, Salt Village, South Kingscliff 02 6674 4833, www.fins.com.au Byron Beach Cafe Clarkes Beach, Lawson Street, Byron Bay 02 6685 8400, www.byronbeachcafe.com.au
EXPLORE
Go sightseeing on foot to get close to the action. The Gold Coast Ocean Walkway and Cape Byron Lighthouse walks provide unrivalled views and a feel for the local flora and fauna.
MORE INFO
www.southerngoldcoast.com.au www.tweedtourism.com.au www.visitbyronbay.com
24
explore
glitters South of the glittering high-rises, Belinda Peters finds that forgoing the fast lane in favour of the coastal drive from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay uncovers some real gems.
As I turn off to follow the road sign to Coolangatta, to my right is a billboard looming large. “Life’s better in board shorts,” it declares. Perhaps it’s a mantra for my journey ahead, as I’m turning off the main drag that would have taken me directly from Gold Coast airport to Byron Bay in just 45 minutes in favour of meandering along the coast instead. I round the bend to Kirra Beach and an uninterrupted view of the sea appears. An expanse of sand leads to clear beach breaks while the high-rises of Surfers Paradise appear misty and distant in the background. From here I do the four-kilometre walk south along the coast-hugging Ocean Walkway. This picturesque pathway leads me past the legendary surf beaches of Greenmount, Rainbow Bay and
Snapper Rocks under the shade of pandanus palms, banksia trees and a row of tall Norfolk Island pines. From the path a boardwalk winds along the rocky coastline and then it’s a short hill climb up to Point Danger lookout. The ominoussounding name dates back to 1770 and is courtesy of Captain Cook, who wanted to warn other mariners of the dangerous coral reefs off the coast. Built 200 years later, the lighthouse at the peak bears Cook’s name. At first glance it appears to be a monument rather than a lighthouse, which fits its other job description: border marker between Queensland and New South Wales. I hop across the line between the two states a few times and revel in time travel, jumping into the future of New South Wales’ daylight-saving time and then stepping back an hour into Queensland.
“This particularly picturesque pathway leads me past the legendary surf beaches of Greenmount, Rainbow Bay and Snapper Rocks under the shade of pandanus palms.”
25
explore
On the New South Wales side of the border is Tweed Heads, a bustling regional hub and the gateway to the Tweed Coast. When I emerge from the roundabouts and traffic lights, things quickly take a turn for the scenic as I begin my journey on Tourist Drive 38, or the Tweed Coast Way. The drive is a 35-kilometre stretch through the coastal villages of Fingal, Kingscliff, Cabarita, Hastings Point and Pottsville. Kingscliff is the largest of the five towns, with its main street set opposite the sea and a long line of caravans and tents occupying the ‘gold circle’ position by the water. Walking the streets takes in the expected surf shops and bakeries but also a number of quality cafés. Kingscliff Beach Hotel sits proudly in the centre of town; at the hotel’s top level is Babalou, a funky eatery with retroinspired decor. Just south of town is Salt Village. What was once coastal scrub is now a sea of dense wave-like rooftops and architectural houses. At the heart of the village are the Mantra and Peppers resorts amid a range of shops, a bar
and several quality restaurants, right on quiet South Kingscliff Beach. From here the drive winds through Cudgen Nature Reserve, where scenic highlights pop up regularly, including majestic, sweeping views from Cabarita Hill to the Hastings Point headland. Hastings Point would be a blink-and-miss-it kind of town if it wasn’t for the postcardlike beauty of its surroundings. The meeting of Cudgen Creek and the ocean creates an aquatic playground where families gather to fish, swim and picnic. The scenic drive continues through Pottsville and then winds through coastal flats and mangroves out to the old Pacific Highway, where I drive for another 15 minutes to Brunswick Heads. I’m welcomed into town by the Brunswick-Byron Fisherman’s Co-op at Boat Harbour on the Brunswick River. Seagulls hover around the outdoor tables as diners huddle over butcher’s paper filled with fresh fish and chips.
Opening page, inset and below: Byron Bay’s Cape Byron Lighthouse at Australia’s most easterly point; Point Danger Lighthouse, also known as Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse, at Tweed Heads; the boardwalk from Rainbow Bay to Point Danger.
Fast Fact
The Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse situated at Point Danger is moulded from cast iron that was jettisoned from the HMB Endeavour and recovered in the 1960s. 27
explore
Such simple pleasures are what Brunswick Heads is all about. Its small town centre is a place to while away the hours in the alfresco cafes overlooking the river. Hotel Brunswick is also a drawcard. Built in the 1940s, it retains much of its original charm and overlooks an expansive beer garden shaded by poinciana trees. Byron Bay is a 15-minute drive away. The town centre is a rainbow-lined mix of humanity, with dreadlocked travellers and designer-caftanwearing city types walking the streets side by
Did You Know? Cape Byron Lighthouse has a beam equivalent to almost 2.2 million candles and its light is one of the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere.
side. When I visit, Byron is full of schoolies and it almost seems to buckle under the population strain. The single-lane roads in, out and around town can’t always cope with the influx of travellers. Stuck in traffic, I finally understand why many locals around Brunswick Heads had exclaimed, “Byron is crazy!” and “Get out of there as quickly as you can!” For all of Byron’s popularity, hype and trendiness, the natural beauty of the place remains the main attraction. The beaches are
explore
Round-up GET THERE
Airnorth flies to the Gold Coast from Darwin and Mount Isa. 1800 627 474, www.airnorth.com.au The coastal drive route from the Gold Coast via Tweed Heads and Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay is approximately 100 kilometres. unspoilt and beautiful, each having distinct character and charm. Main Beach is opposite the town’s main street and the popular Beach Hotel, from where it’s a pleasant stroll to family-friendly Clarkes Beach, surfers’ favourite The Pass, and picture-perfect Wategos Beach. From Wategos, I walk up to Cape Byron Lighthouse at Australia’s easternmost point. The walk takes in coastal rainforest and mangroves, along with stunning views to the beaches below. The jaw-dropping views over the hinterland and out across the bay are the reward for some uphill huffing and puffing. It’s not unusual to spy frolicking dolphins from up here, and during whale watching season (July to October) the lighthouse, which was built in 1901, is a popular vantage point. The head lighthouse cottage is now a visitor information centre and a small adjoining building houses Cape Cafe. It’s here, sipping a coffee while I look out across the ocean and breathe in the soft sea spray, that I realise life doesn’t get any better than this … and I’m not even wearing board shorts. 30
Above: Watch dolphins riding waves from Byron Bay’s Cape Byron Lighthouse and the surrounding beaches.
STAY
Mantra Coolangatta Beach 88 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 07 5506 8787, www.mantra.com.au Beach Hotel Resort Bay Street, Byron Bay 02 6685 6402, www.beachhotelresort.com.au
EAT & DRINK
Fins restaurant and bar 5/6 Bells Boulevard, Salt Village, South Kingscliff 02 6674 4833, www.fins.com.au Byron Beach Cafe Clarkes Beach, Lawson Street, Byron Bay 02 6685 8400, www.byronbeachcafe.com.au
EXPLORE
Go sightseeing on foot to get close to the action. The Gold Coast Ocean Walkway and Cape Byron Lighthouse walks provide unrivalled views and a feel for the local flora and fauna.
MORE INFO
www.southerngoldcoast.com.au www.tweedtourism.com.au www.visitbyronbay.com
