Feast in the Northern Rivers

Day 1: Eat your way around the Ballina-Byron region
Begin your journey in the emerging culinary destination of Ballina by picking up a hire car at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport. Recharge your energy levels with mouth-watering European-inspired meals whipped up by the incredible female chefs behind Lola Dining in this unassuming coastal town. Or, if the day is still young, savour the umami of the XO scrambled eggs with chilli as you breathe in the salty sea air at beachside Shelter in nearby Lennox Head.
Next, be charmed by the heritage buildings in the one-street town of Newrybar in the Byron Bay hinterland – one of which houses Harvest Newrybar, a renowned restaurant, bakery and deli known for showcasing underutilised native ingredients on its ever-changing menu. Ease into the laidback hinterland lifestyle with a luxuriously long lunch on its shaded verandah before moving onto neighbouring Bangalow, another pretty hinterland town packed with boutiques and cafés; try Woods for an energising caffeine hit.
Let the verdant rolling hills of Bangalow carry you down to coastal Byron Bay, where warmly welcomed addition to the local dining scene Belongil Beach Italian Food invites you to wander straight off the beach into a pastel pink oasis of gourmet dining, sandy feet and all.
Retire in luxury at the recently refurbished Crystalbrook Byron or at beachfront Raes on Wategos, both of which have smart modern Australian restaurants. Feel the calming effects of the coastal rainforest that cocoons Crystalbrook Byron’s aptly named Forest restaurant, while at Raes you can drink in some of Byron’s best beach views along with the fine wine recommended by the sommelier to enhance your Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Day 2: Take the culinary pulse of the Tweed Coast
Relish the simple joy of biting into a freshly baked breakfast pastry to go from The Farm in Byron Bay before continuing up the coast to the sleepy town of Pottsville. Reserve a table at lauded Pipit Restaurant for lunch, where you’ll taste chef-owner Ben Devlin’s passion for the finest seasonal produce, from succulent pipis to neon pink dragon fruit, in every bite of your beautifully plated meal before winding down at Halcyon House in Cabarita. Imagine you’re in the Australian Hamptons at this stylish beachside boutique hotel, a theme carried throughout its bright and airy modern Australian restaurant Paper Daisy, where you can perch up at the beachside bar for a cocktail as a prelude to a memorable dinner.
If you’d rather venture out, No.35 Kitchen and Bar is only 200m away. Feel like a local at this ‘Italian-ish’ neighbourhood restaurant as you savour the creaminess of the local burrata, if you’re lucky enough to find it featured on the ever-changing menu. Just up the road, Fins in Kingscliff, one of the North Coast’s most longstanding seafood restaurants, makes seafood dreams come true. Or, try a different type of foodie adventure on a tour with Kiff & Culture Tours.
Day 3: Uncover the foodie delights of the Tweed hinterland
Make a short detour back south and into the lush hills of the Tweed hinterland to pick up some local cheeses at Tweed Valley Whey Farmhouse Cheeses in Burringbar, where the handmade camembert, brie, feta, halloumi is all so moreish it’s difficult to choose. Prepare to be surprised by the volume of foodie offerings in this teeny town, from friendly brunch spot Elwood Cafe to Mercado Juarez, which brings a little piece of Mexico to the Northern Rivers on Friday afternoons in the form of authentic takeaway tacos. Bring a picnic blanket, select some craft drinks from boutique bottle shop Brooklyn Tasting Room and connect with the community as you enjoy an early dinner in the park across the street alongside locals.
Alternatively, take a look at what Tasting Plate Tours has to offer: get into the spirit with The Distiller, which includes a visit to Husk Distillers, where the views of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) from the cellar door are as awe-inspiring as its colour-changing gin. Or be Tempted in the Tweed, a delicious tour of iconic local restaurants bound to foster a new appreciation for the culinary clout of this fertile region, before surrendering to rejuvenating night’s sleep in one of the six rainforest chalets at Ecoasis Mami Wata.
Day 4: Take your appetite on a trip down the Tweed River
Uncover an unknown world when you learn about the region’s culinary history and culture on Tweed Eco Cruises’ Aboriginal-led Pot to Plate Adventure, which departs from Tweed Heads. Head deep into the heart of mud crab territory, then onto oyster leases, for helpings of history, culture and food knowledge with Bundjalung Nation descendant Luther Cora, before tucking into a decadent seafood lunch by the water.
Upriver, in Murwillumbah, watch the sugarcane cane fields across the river glow gold in the afternoon sunlight as you savour a three-, five-, or even nine-course meal on the breezy verandah of Tweed River House, a smart restaurant set in a heritage Queenslander-style house that feels like a grand old home of a bygone era. Cap it off with a digestif further upriver in the cute village of Uki, where you can sip espresso in a 1909 post office courtesy of Bastion Lane Espresso. Take the heritage vibe all the way to bed at nearby Mavis’s Kitchen. Nestling in the shadow of Wollumbin, the 10-hectare dairy farm is best known for its fabulous country restaurant, also set in a gorgeous Queenslander. But Mavis’s also offers atmospheric accommodation in a farmhouse, two cabins and in an old dairy transformed into a cosy retreat, where you can start the next memorable day with a gourmet breakfast hamper.