50. Bangalow, in the Byron Shire, Northern NSW, Australia. A perfect weekend escape.

Hello there, today is an unusual episode because I have left Lyle at home and have a special guest host. I wonder who that could be??

Today my guest host and I will be sharing all about a “girls” weekend the two of us had in the hinterland of the Byron Shire in the cute little village of Bangalow.

Ok ok, Ill tell you who the guest host is it is Mikaela from Easy Family Adventures who is actually my beautiful daughter. – Miki

My daughter Mikaela and I enjoying a girl’s weekend in Bangalow in the hinterland of the Byron Shire.

We try and have a mother daughter weekend once a year together, but it has been a little difficult the last couple years.

We chose Bangalow for our weekend for quite a few reasons – which we share in the podcast and I’m sure you will agree it was a great decision.

We went on adventures into national parks, on very narrow windy roads to the top of a 100m gorge and waterfall.

We explored the local village and many of the cafes, bars and restaurants and the famous Bangalow markets.

It is a stunning part of NSW and only 15 minutes from the famous Byron Bay – so there is a lot to share.

Stay listening to the end to hear where you can find out all about Mikaela’s Easy Family Adventures and also hear her advice about the best places to go in the area if you have kids.

Oh, and also, find out who or what is Saint Kevin and why we got a bit over seeing Saint Kevin several times a day.

I hope you enjoy this episode all about our fun girl’s weekend – sorry Lyle – I’ll let you back on the next episode.

SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW

Bangalow Location and Main Street

Bangalow is a quaint village in the hinterland of the Byron Shire. It is located only 15 minutes from the world famous beach town of Byron Bay. From Sydney it is a 765km road trip or if you are visiting from Brisbane it is only 167km. There are two airports in close proximity to Bangalow - Ballina airport which is 20 minutes away and the Gold Coast airport which is a 45 minute drive.

Bangalow has a population of 2756 which gives it its laid back atmosphere. The main street is gorgeous and full of historic buildings with lovely verandahs and very unique boutique shops and cafes. Check out the tourist website for Bangalow here.

Some of the great cafes and restaurants to visit include You Beauty which has a very unique food and cocktail menu. It is around the corner from Ciao Mate which is a gorgeous little Italian restaurant.

The Woods Cafe is very popular with locals and tourists and is close to the showground where the local markets are held.

We had a couple of coffees - oh and a wine or two - at Butcher Baker which is in the heart of the main street. We also enjoyed a couple of meals at the local pub, the Bangalow Hotel, which has a really nice outdoor eating area.

The streets of Bangalow are full of beautiful trees including the bright purple flowers of the Tibouchina trees. The whole village is surrounded by green rolling hills, farmland, macadamia orchards and rainforest.

Minyon Falls

We started our first full day with a plan to visit Minyon Falls and Rocky Creek Dam.

The drive to Minyon Falls was an adventure all on its own, with windy narrow roads. It might have been a bit of a worry at times, but the views along the way were certainly worth it. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic and we made it to the carpark at Minyon Falls. There is a nice green, shady picnic area right at the car park with covered bbq and tables.

From the carpark it is an easy stroll to the viewing platform at the top of Minyon Falls and the 100 metre gorge.

The views from this vantage point are spectacular. On a clear day you can see all the way to the coast. The gorge is surrounded by cliffs with eucalyptus trees hanging on for dear life and the bottom of the gorge is lush with rainforest.

The falls are in the Nightcap National Park. There are many hikes you can do, including one to the bottom of the falls, however, the tracks can often be dangerous, especially after rain.

Another vantage point to see the falls was at Minyon Grass Picnic Area. From here you have a fantastic view back towards the waterfall and gorge. You can also walk a 2km track to the bottom of the gorge from here and there is a swimming spot at the bottom. Just wear appropriate shoes and be prepared for the weather to change, as a storm rolled in not long after we left.

Rocky Creek Dam and Rainforest Water Reserve

After we were totally blown away by just how beautiful Minyon Falls was, we then continued on our day out to Rocky Creek Dam and Rainforest Water Reserve. This area is owned and operated by the Rous County Council. It is the water supply to approximately 100 ,000 people in Lismore, Ballina, Byron and Richmond Valley.

The water supply is 187 metres above sea level and uses gravity to distribute the water to most areas.

There is a massive dam wall that is 28m high and 220m long. It was completed in 1953 and strengthened in 2010. It is where you walk across the dam to reach the beginning of the short walks.

There are four walks you can do. The first is a very short 100m stroll from the picnic area to the dam wall and is called the water walk. The next is the Water Dragon walk which is a short 1.2km. The third is the one we did which was really picturesque. You follow the track along the river and cross over a suspension bridge where you can stop and hear a chorus of frogs. This track is called Platypus track. We didn’t see any platypus, but they are sighted here regularly. The last track was the one we wanted to do, but couldn’t because it was closed due to rain damage. It is the Cedar track and is 2.3km long. Each of the tracks do a short loop and start over the dam wall.

There dam itself is really pretty with lots of bird life and water lillies and is surrounded by green hills covered in trees. There is a slipway that you can walk across when it is dry to reach the other side of the dam.

At the top near the car park there is a park area with lots of open green grass to picnic or play on. There is an amenities block and covered picnic area as well. Also, in the park area there is a large children’s playground. It is a great spot for a family day out.

Rocky Creek Dam is 35km from Bangalow and 20km north of Lismore.

Bangalow Markets

The Bangalow Markets are well known all over the area, and is one of the reasons we chose this particular weekend to visit. They are held from 8am to 3pm on the 4th Sunday of the month. They have a website where you can see when they are on and what stalls there are. Check out the website here - Bangalow Markets.

The markets are held in the local show grounds which are right in the heart of town. The grounds are lovely with the huge camphor laurel trees as well as lots of leopard trees where the food court area is located.

We started with a really nice local coffee and just wandered around the 320+ stalls. We were walking, so didn’t need a car park, but there is plenty of parking available around the town, or for $2 at the show ground.

There are so many different stalls. Of course there is the local produce - and to sell produce at this market it has to be grown locally. Also, there are many hand made items as well as clothes, hats, oils, toys, jewellry, plants, plus heaps more. We bought plants, dried fruit and a hat. A very nice way to spend the morning.

After the markets we took our purchases back to our airbnb and went to explore the local park area.

The Bangalow Parklands

The parklands are just behind the main street on the Byron Creek. We didn’t know much about the parklands, but wanted to have a look as Mikaela thought it might be a good spot to bring the kids when they were driving up near this area as Bangalow is just minutes off the highway.

There is a museum and tea rooms adjacent to the park, but the main attraction is the open space and playground areas.

One of the playgrounds is set under a lovely big shady tree and the other area is on the other side where there are bbqs and covered picnic tables. There is an amenity block as well. You can cross over the bridge to a little island in the middle. The creek is full of large rocks and is lined with trees.

We definitely thought it would be a great place to bring the kids.

I’m sure you can tell from the pictures (and definitely from the podcast) that we had an absolutely wonderful weekend away in Bangalow. It is a perfect spot for a getaway if you like things a little bit quieter and you want to explore the local area. We definitely would recommend that you visit.

Mikaela has an Instagram account where she has lots of photos, information and videos of easy family adventures you can have as well as her website called Easy Family Adventures. She believes that Bangalow would certainly be perfect for a family to visit, especially if you like the outdoors and want to stay away from tourist traps. The falls were easily accessible and the dam wall and short walks at Rocky Creek Dam would be perfect for kids. The big playground area was a bonus. Click the link above to check out the other places and adventures Mikaela and family have done.

The parklands on the Byron Creek were a real surprise and would definitely be a fun outing with the kids to explore and have a picnic. As Bangalow is only minutes from the highway, it is a great alternative to call in and have a break while travelling north to visit Nana (me) :-))

For me, I think that Lyle would enjoy a weekend here, as the cafes, pub and restaurants have really good food and interesting wine lists. Also I know he would enjoy the hikes and waterfalls. The scenery all around Bangalow is just stunning and it is an easy drive to visit Byron Bay and also one of our favourite pubs at Brunswick Heads.