In small and beautiful Burringbar you’ll find quintessential country life – tall, green trees and hand-crafted cheese from local dairy farms; laden roadside fruit stalls; a cute cafe on the main street, Broadway, serving fresh brewed coffee and irresistible cakes; the biggest vintage store for miles, Heath’s Old Wares; and the kind of stand-still serenity you’ll still feel when you’re back home.

Cabarita is where boutique luxury meets the simple joy of beachcombing and awarded menus sit comfortably beside bright surf shops, tiny coffee stops with big flavours and hip homeware stores.

Casuarina, named for the wispy she-oak trees that fringe the beachfront, is a quiet local enclave that welcomes holiday-makers to enjoy its casual ambience, luxury lodgings and quality cuisine from coffee and pastries to fresh-made pasta and Asian inspired menus.

At Fingal Head is a rocky outcrop known as Giant’s Causeway, so named after the similar UNESCO Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site in Ireland, was formed by lava flows halted by the cool ocean, resulting in rock pillars that rise like steps to a peak with views clear out to the horizon. 

For tranquility, head to Hastings Point, promising a retreat from the hubbub of life and a holiday reminiscent of simpler times.

Kingscliff is a bustling beach holiday hub with a laid-back personality that’s down-to-earth and generous. It’s a mecca for those needing a caffeine boost and a global dish, some time to browse boutiques or take a seaside skate, stroll or cycle.

Take to the streets of Murwillumbah to unearth original Art Deco facades and features and you’ll also find a new wave of fresh organic food-stores, hip lunch spots, local fashion boutiques and esteemed galleries invigorating this bustling valley hub.

Pottsville’s serene small footprint boasts an evolving food and drink scene that ranges from casual coffee and an aromatic bakehouse to a seriously hip local bar for laid-back sips.

With a tucked-away, timeless ambience that’s instantly calming, you’ll find Tumbulgum, from a local indigenous word for ‘meeting of the waters’, right where the Tweed and Rous Rivers intersect.

Bordering Queensland, Tweed Heads is the boat access point from the sea to the Tweed River, and from here you can book a river cruise or surf lesson, hire a boat or take a SUP, kayak or canoe paddle.

It’s a calm country drive to Tyalgum, passing full paddocks of dairy cows and curving alongside the Oxley River.  In town, browse colourfully stocked gift and vintage stores, packed bookshelves and jewellery hand-made from fossicked stones.

Nestled at the foothills of Wollumbin Mount Warning, Uki is a small village with a big focus on creativity, wellness and good food.