10 Day Road Trip Sydney - Byron Bay
We recently adopted a child. Well, sort of. Her name is Berty and she is a 2005 Mitsubishi Camper. We decided to take her for a spin up the east coast of NSW heading as far as Byron Bay. We only had 10 days which when you consider how gigantic Australia is, really isn’t that long but we made the most of the time we had.
After a few friends asked about the trip; where we went, what we did and how we found #vanlife I decided to compile an essential list for anyone considering some time on the road. I wouldn’t say we’re the most seasoned of campers but we found the ease of having everything with us all the time (less chance of forgetting anything!) and the option to just pack up and move on when we felt like it, super liberating.
Day 1
Sydney - Bellingen
(6.5hour drive)
We left Sydney early to beat the traffic, stopping a couple of times to refuel and recharge (with coffee and donuts) arriving in Bellingen in time for more coffee, and lunch. We were booked into a campsite just outside of town so we did a little bit of wandering the high street and then headed for a much needed afternoon nap in the sunshine. The camp was right next to the beach, perfect spot for a sunset walk before dinner and bed!
Coffee at Hyde is a great spot for people watching; grab a table outside, order the house espresso and remember to have a little browse in their homewares section before you leave
Where we ate 5 Church Street seemed to be the best lunch spot, located just off the high street. Their daily menu is great but make sure to take in the daily specials. Championed of seasonal local produce we found the best options were here today and gone tomorrow.
Where we stayed Myelstom Reflections Park
Day 2
Bellingen
We spent the day in Bellingen, Jack worked from a co-working space on the edge of town called Bello-Hive, overlooking rolling hills and right below an amazing Japanese restaurant where we had lunch. I spent the morning sat in the sun at Lavender Bridge Park reading my book. We had an afternoon swim at Never Never Creek in the Promised Lands which was just as magical as it sounds despite the water being a bit chilly for this Brit!
Coffee at the old gas station on Bellingen high street; it’s been converted into a coffee shop selling gifts and collectibles by local artists.
Where we ate We had lunch at Qudo Japanese Cafe, ice cream from The Old Butter Factory and fresh fish for dinner to cook at camp from Lindsay’s Oysters and Fresh Seafood
Where we stayedMyelstom Reflections Park
Day 3
Bellingen - Brunswick Heads
(3 hour drive)
#vanlife means waking up with the sun so an early morning walk along the beach got us moving before setting off towards Brunswick Heads. We stopped along the way, firstly in Coffs Harbour for great coffee and delicious banana bread at Salute. We then drove onto a small town called Yamba to stretch our legs and grab brekkie or early lunch depending on your schedule, there were lots of cute shops to browse, I particularly loved Island Collective.
We continued on to Brunswick Heads and headed straight for lunch and cold beer in the sunshine at Hotel Brunswick. We spent the afternoon at the campsite which sits right alongside the Brunswick River where you can fish and have a paddle. Sunset was pretty spectacular from the end of the sea wall, we’d been told to look out for whales migrating but didn’t see any unfortunately. Dinner was at a gorgeous BYO Italian, Park Street Pasta Bar; the hand made ravioli with oven roasted beetroot and goats cheese, toasted walnuts in burnt butter sage and poppy seeds was an absolute highlight; followed by another early night snuggled up thanks to Berty.
Coffee at Salute in Coffs Harbour
Where we ate Yum Yum Angourie Cafe & General Store in Yamba, Hotel Brunswick and Park Street Pasta Bar in Brunswick Head
Where we stayedMassy Greene Reflections Holiday Park
Day 4
Brunswick Heads - Mullumbimby
(10 min drive)
We went to Blackbird, a beautiful boutique B&B in the Byron Hinterland, more on that here.
We had an early morning swim and coffee with a friend who recently moved up here from Sydney before getting back on the road. We took a little detour in the morning and went into nearby town Mullumbimby for an explore; grabbed a coffee and spent some time browsing the cute boutiques and homeware stores. We loved Archer The Store, full of handmade & hand picked bespoke local products including furniture, ceramics, hats, jewellery, artworks and clothes. We had a long chat with one of the owners, Dede about the town and the home she has made for herself there. Lovely store and a lovely lady!
Coffee at Daily Counter (Brunswick Heads) we also grabbed some epic toasties to take to the beach. Great coffee and all the baked goods at Baker and Daughter (Mullumbimby)
Where we ate Blackbird for dinner with a private chef. An absolute must if you stay there.
Where we stayedBlackbird Boutique B&B
Days 5 - 8
Byron Bay
After our one sleep outside Berty this trip, we woke up early and watched the sunrise over the Hinterland from our room, ate the most delicious breakfast and headed off to Minyon Falls, located in the Nightcap National Park for a big walk down to a waterfall and another chilly swim. We drove into Byron that afternoon and without a dinner reservation ended up at the Twilight Markets eating pizza from a box and G&T’s from a can - happy days.
We spent four nights at a campsite right in the heart of Byron Bay, the perfect spot to get into town and to the beach but quiet enough that we could get some sleep. We swam at Main Beach, walked up to the lighthouse every morning for sunrise and picked up coffee and the most delicious homemade muffins from the coffee cart at Rae’s Wategos beach on the way back down. We had a delicious lunch at Three Blue Ducks at The Farm and had a gin tasting at Brookie’s Cape Byron Distillery. It had been a few years since either of us were in Byron so it was fun to see what had changed and what we remembered. I loved the simplicity of cooking at camp every night; Berty has a small double burner gas stove so we got pretty inventive with pasta dishes and one pot wonders. We picked up fresh local produce to add in and always had some chocolate close by for a sweet treat after dinner.
Where we ate Crusta Woodfired (at the Twilight market), Three Blue Ducks, The Pass Cafe, Top Shop, Bayleaf, Orgasmic Falafel
Coffee at Rae’s @ Watego’s coffee cart
Where we stayed Glen Villa Resort
Day 9
Byron - Bangalow - Newrybar - Broken Head
We decided to spend a night south of Byron at Broken Head and use it as a base to explore a couple of nearby towns. I had been to Newrybar before but very briefly for a hen weekend so loved taking my time looking around the few littles shops and delicious produce at Harvest in their cafe and deli. Newrybar Merchants totally inspired me and made me want to open a homewares and lifestyle store; on the outside it looks like an old house, inside each room houses a different brand - such a unique shopping experience!
We then went to Bangalow where we had been a couple of years ago together but it was lovely to come back. I rummaged for vintage treasures in millar & more and loved the linen and homewares at One Fable which wasn’t there last time we visited. We had lunch at WOODS before heading to camp at Broken Head.
Where we ate WOODS Cafe
Where we stayed Broken Head Holiday Park
Day 10
Broken Head - Port Macquarie
(4 hour drive)
We decided to start our drive back to Sydney in the afternoon after a day of sunning ourselves at Main Beach in Byron. It had been so nice to have a change of scene and experience living out of a van for ten days but we were both ready to get back home. We drove the 4 hours to Port Macquarie, arriving late and just having a quick camp dinner before getting some shut eye.
Where we stayed Edgewater Park Port Macquarie
Day 11
Port Macquarie - Sydney
(4.5 hour drive)
The next morning we set off before sunrise and made it back into Sydney around lunchtime. Berty isn’t the speediest of gals so our drives usually took about an hour longer than Google maps were telling us but we didn’t mind, keeping busy with podcasts, long chats and some sing-a-long sessions!
Where we stayed At home, Bondi Beach
