Getting lost in + road tripping to: Byron Bay, NSW

8 nights, one van and meat pies (sometimes) for breakfast. This is our foodie roadtrip.

March 2017. The other half and I picked up our Jucy Condo camper from Brompton. It was big, and my god, it was green. But it was love at first sight and we named her Jenny.

On the first day Jenny drove us through torrential rain and we soon realised that she wasn’t a speed demon. After 12 hours of driving, almost running out of fuel and eating ham and cheese rolls for dinner, we pulled up in a parking lot and got some shut eye.

The next two days followed suit- there were more ham and cheese rolls consumed and rain chased. Driving through Newcastle (Crema on George was our savoir for coffee) and the Blue Mountains, we arrived and spontaneously stayed the night at a caravan park in Norah Head. We managed to snag a site at the Norah Head Holiday Park which was only a short stroll from Soldiers Beach- perfect. We watched the surfers, ate our dinner on the sand and watched the lighting storm roll in over the waves. Brekky was had at The Ark Coffee + Takeaway– I’ve never eaten so much haloumi and avo in my life!

The next day we continued to follow the coast, stopping off at some lovely beaches. Seal Rocks and Elizabeth Beach at the Booti Booti National park became a firm favourite, as did the milkshakes and sweet potato fries at the Good Grub Shack. We rested our heads at Nambucca Heads– with Beilby’s Beach being a winner and Nambucca Bookshop Cafe getting us going in the morning.

Sleep:

We were recommended to stay at the North Coast Holiday Park at Clarkes Beach, and what a fabulous choice it was. This was the cleanest, greenest and friendliest park I have ever been to. It was literally on the beach and our camp site was only a 20 second walk to the beach. We booked a powered site which was perfect for our van and was nestled in the trees- I don’t think its possible to get a bad spot here!

Wining and dining:

Byron Bay and surrounding towns are seriously filled with some of the best foodie haunts getting around. We ate out every night (because hey, we had to ‘experience’ the foodie scene right?). Some of our favourites included-

Safya- breakfast on selected days and dinner over the weekends. The best Egyptian food we have ever eaten and haloumi and quail to die for.
Il Buco– Authentic Italian food, cripsy pizza and quality service. A firm favourite of ours. The gelati is also a must!
Balcony Bar– A New Orleans feel with a menu with plenty of options. Winners are the chicken lollipops, gin cocktails and beef and lamb ragu.
Beach Hotel– Busy on the weekends, perfect for some drinks. They also do food but we just had beer here.
Three Blue Ducks– Attached the to The Farm, Three Blue Ducks has got you covered for brekky/lunch/dinner with a epic view. Their fruit toast is the bomb and their lunch and dinner menu is to-die-for.
The Roadhouse– Cosy and fun, and damn good food. Their menu is full of seasonal options and reasonably priced. They have a long and varied drinks list, with everything from whiskey to beer, and even kombucha on tap.
Harvest- Fine dining, seasonal fare, epic drinks list. This was a favourite.
Miss Margherita– Top notch Mexican fare, well worth the wait. If you are after burritos as big as your head and delicious Sangria, this is your place.

Coffee and brunch:
Beach Byron Bay– Big brekky menu, good coffee.
8ight– delicious ice teas, healthy fare
Leaf and Grain– Coffee, good food and the best homemade lemonade!
The Farm Byron Bay/The Bread Social/Three Blue Ducks– delicious fruit toast, muesli, coffee and baked goods- you cant go wrong here!
The Top Shop– huge and hearty brekky burgers. Very good coffee!
Our Corner Kitchen– Nestled in Bangalow, their avo rolled in seeds is YUM, as is their chai
Byron Bay Farmers Market– pastries, bread, fresh produce and coffee- what more do you need for brunch?

Playing tourist:

We had wheels so it made it very easy to explore Byron and its surrounds- if you don’t have a car consider investing in a bike for a few days, depending on what you want to do. Some of our favourite things to do were:

Take long walks along the beach. Several of our beach walks were in the rain and it was still beautiful.
Watch the surfers from the lookout at the Pass.
Swim in the sea. We loved Clarkes Beach- it wasn’t too busy, was surrounded by lush trees and was 2 minutes from our camp site.
Take a day trip out to Nimbin. We didn’t love this place but were told we had to visit (during the day). If you don’t have plenty of time on your hands maybe give it a miss.
Walk up to the Lighthouse along the Cape Byron Walking Track. I wore leggings and proper shoes for this because i’m not the fittest bird, plus there are quite a few stairs.
Go dolphin/whale watching. We saw a pod of about 20 at Wategos Beach and they were so close in.
Drive out to Bangalow. Explore the town, and if you are there on Saturday thencheck out the Farmers Market.
Visit Newrybar- a very tiny town with a crazy good restaurant, vintage stores and one incredible home wares store. I am in LOVE with this town.
Take a kayaking tour- we didn’t have the chance to do one but there are several on offer along the esplanade.