Introduction to the north coast of New South Wales, NSW, Australia

Relax on a beach, retreat to the rainforest or head for the great outdoors, the choice is yours.

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Holiday Guide

Introduction to the North Coast of New South Wales

Climate and Dress:

The region is popular for it's comfortable year round subtropical climate with more than 250 days of sunshine each year on average.

The CSIRO in Canberra has indicated that Northern NSW has the most ambient climate in Australia, and we locals agree.

Nevertheless, climatic extremes may be experienced from time to time. The following is a good general guide:

Summer (December - February): Warm nights with warm to hot days, afternoon rain common; Air temp. 20° to 30° C (67° to 87° F) Water temp. 26° C
Autumn (March - May): Generally warm, some rain showers,
Air temp. 15° to 25° C (57° to 77° F) Water temp. 23° C
Winter (June - August): Cool to cold nights with warm sunny days;
Air temp. 5° to 20° C (41° to 67° F) Water temp. 21° C
Spring (September - November): Cool to warm nights with warm (occasionally hot) days; Air temp. 12° to 22° C (51° to 71° F) Water temp. 22° C

The average daily sunshine ranges from 6.5 hours during July (Winter) increasing to to 8.7 hours during December (Summer).

Summer months tend to produce periods of increased cloud cover and rain, while winter is fine and sunny, if somewhat cooler.

The mean yearly rainfall is 1687mm (66.4"), with most of this falling from approximately mid December through to mid April, but heavy rain can fall at any time of year.

Dress is mostly informal and casual, with lightweight clothing suitable most of the year.

It's advisable to bring clothing and (broken in) walking shoes that are comfortable, a hat or two, swimmers (swimwear), your favourite sunglasses and sunscreen. Include suitable attire for cooler and "wet" seasons, and bring some "glad rags" for the more formal night out, although most venues accept a good standard of resort wear.

For those who plan to do some walking or field trips, a light backpack for snacks, drinks container (minimum 1 litre), maps, compass, field guides, natural insect repellent and sunscreen are standard. Don't forget your camera and binoculars!

Getting Here:

Airports:

International;

Sydney International Airport.
- The most popular point of entry for international visitors to Australia. The region is ten hours drive, or 90 minutes flight by domestic air services such as Virgin Blue, QANTAS and Regional Express.
Brisbane International Airport - BNE
- Just 90 minutes drive by freeway, or take advantage of Airport transit and transfer services between Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ballina.

Regional;

Ballina and Lismore airports are the southern gateways to the Big Volcano region with domestic airlines and charter traffic only.
Gold Coast Airport is the northern gateway to the Big Volcano region, with domestic flights from around Australia and international flights to and from selected New Zealand airports.

Rail:

NSW Countrylink Timetables and fares for rail travel on New South Wales Countrylink services Between Sydney (NSW) and Brisbane (QLD) via Casino and Kyogle, with transfers to bus coaches at Casino for Lismore, Mullumbimby, Byron Bay and Murwillumbah, from May 17th 2004.

Road:

The Pacific Highway is the major east coast road and second most travelled in the nation, starting from Sydney and passing through the region to the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

A major by-pass of the highway has recently been completed for the Tweed Valley, and many visitors may unknowingly miss the spectacular views, natural attractions and the unique villages along the old highway, which is now called the "Tweed Valley Way".

The region is well served by the major coach companies, with convenient stops at all major towns through-out the region. There is a brief introduction to driving in Australia for international visitors, which maybe useful for first time travellers here.

The New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) site, also has Information for Overseas Drivers which maybe useful.

To get around the region, a visit to Country Transport maybe useful, lthough some locailty info isn't completely up to date.

Distances:

Australia uses the metric system of measurement (although many people still use imperial measure in everyday speech). A kilometre is about 6/10ths of a mile.

North from Sydney to:

Ballina: 753 kilometres
Byron Bay: 790 kilometres
Lismore: 780 kilometres via Summerland Way
Kyogle: 758 kilometres
Murwillumbah: 831 kilometres
Tweed Heads: 874 kilometres via Pacific Motorway
Tweed Heads: 894 kilometres via Tweed Valley Way
Brisbane: 980km (612 miles)
Cairns: 2695km (1684 miles)

South from Brisbane to:

Byron Bay: 145 kilometres via Pacific Motorway
Byron Bay: 165 kilometres via Tweed Valley Way
Lismore: 225 kilometres via Bangalow
Kyogle: 198 kilometres via Murwillumbah
Murwillumbah: 132 kilometres
Tweed Heads:107 kilometres

South from Coolangatta to:

Byron Bay: 64 kilometres via Pacific Motorway
Byron Bay: 84 kilometres via Murwillumbah
Lismore: 125 kilometres via Murwillumbah
Kyogle: 98 kilometres via Murwillumbah
Murwillumbah: 32 kilometres via Tweed Valley Way
Tweed Heads: Often called the "Twin Towns", you can have one foot in each state at the Point Danger Memorial

North from Brisbane to:

Rockhampton: 637km (398 miles)
Longreach: 680km (425 miles)
Townsville: 1369km (855 miles)
Mt Isa: 850km (530 miles)
Cairns: 1715km (1072 miles)

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