Duranbah Beach

“Dee-bah”, as it’s known locally, is the most northerly beach in New South Wales; walk a few metres up onto the headland here on a summer’s day and you’ll find yourself in Queensland and in a different time zone. Less than 200 metres in length, Duranbah is somewhat unheralded, particularly in comparison with Snapper Rocks around the corner, the home break of Aussie surfing world champions Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson.

As this beach faces due east, it’s exposed to swell from pretty much anywhere so on days when it’s flat on both sides of the border there’s often a wave here. The Tweed River break-wall at the south end shapes a nice right hander, popular with body boarders.

Tweed Heads has accommodation, restaurants, clubs and casinos aplenty, and the town is serviced by Coolangatta Regional Airport.