Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip: Distance, time & best stops
The best stops to add to a Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip itinerary include Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Noosa. By car, the distance from Ballina to Hervey Bay is 487km and driving time around 5h30m.
A Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip connects two of the most popular spots on the east coast of Australia.
Ballina brings dolphin-watching cruises, surfing lessons and guided coastal walks. For more Ballina experiences, check out a wider selection. To hunt down the best value Ballina accommodation, come this way.
Hervey Bay is the major gateway to K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) in Queensland. K’gari tours are best booked ahead of arriving in the city.
Hervey Bay also offers sunset cruises, whale-watching and wildlife cruises in the Great Sandy Strait. To pick out Hervey Bay experiences that pique your interest, look here. For Hervey Bay accommodation, nosy around here.
Pick the best K’gari/ Fraser Island tour for you
- HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE: One day coach tour from Hervey Bay.
- FROM THE SOUTH: One day 4WD tour from Rainbow Beach.
- PACK MORE IN: Two day tour, staying at K’gari Beach Resort.
- BEACHY: Boat cruise with west coast beach stops.
- BACKPACKERS: Three day, drive-yourself camping adventure from Hervey Bay. Or similar from Rainbow Beach.
- MORE LUXURIOUS: Three day adventure, staying at the Kingfisher Bay Resort.
However, there are several excellent attractions between Ballina and Hervey Bay. This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip itinerary.
Ballina to Hervey Bay distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Ballina to Hervey Bay is 487km. This makes for a driving time of around five hours and 30 minutes.
Excellent road trip stops between Ballina and Hervey Bay include Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Noosa.
5 Ballina experiences to book in advance
- Go on a dolphin watching cruise – sightings are very reliable.
- Take a guided coastal walk – learning about the natural environment on the way.
- Clink glasses as the sun goes down – on a Richmond River sunset cruise.
- Take a cruise to the Julian Rocks Marine Reserve – with a marine biologist pointing out the dolphins, turtles and dramatic cliffs.
- Learn to surf – on a private surfing lesson.
Where to stay in Ballina
The top Ballina accommodation options are:
- For charm and personality: Ballina Manor Boutique Hotel.
- For a holiday park with family-sized cabins and lots kid-friendly facilities: Discovery Parks Ballina.
- For a relatively cheap, good quality motel: Almare Tourist Motel.
- For riverside location: Ramada Hotel and Suites.
Ballina activities include private surfing lessons and half day coastal walking tours.
Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip: Ballina to Byron Bay
The next leg of the Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip is the short drive from Ballina to Byron Bay.
Just north of Tintenbar, there’s waterfall action at Killen Falls and a kid-pleasing wildlife park at the Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Alternatively, the coast offers a series of top surf spots along the coast. Lennox Head, Whites Beach, Kings Beach, the Broken Head Reserve and Arakwal National Park are all massively underrated compared to Byron.
The Pacific Motorway, however, goes past attractive Newrybar and food-centric Bangalow.
If planning to stay in Byron Bay, come off the motorway Ewingsdale. This is home to The Farm Byron Bay, where Byron Bay hot air ballooning tours depart from.
8 amazing Byron Bay experiences worth booking today
- Experience the region’s glorious natural landscapes from above – on a hot air balloon ride.
- Go kayaking with dolphins – and get much closer to them than on a boat tour 🐬.
- Learn to surf – on a half day surf lesson 🏄♀️.
- Discover the local secrets – let a guide show you the hidden beaches and waterfalls 🏖️.
- Go on a three habitat wildlife safari – spotting koalas, kangaroos and flying foxes 🐨🦘.
- See glowworms light up the World Heritage-listed rainforest.
- Explore the Byron Bay hinterland – including the rainforest walk to Minyon Falls.
- Taste craft beers and spirits – on a tour of Byron’s breweries and distilleries 🍻.
- Also try… Skydives | Sea-kayaking | Whale-watching.
Good Byron Bay activities include brewery tours, art and wine classes and turtle snorkelling tours.
For Byron Bay accommodation, take a look at the beachside Cavvanbah, the Bayview Beachfront Apartments and the Ingenia Byron Bay holiday park.
Ballina to Hervey Bay road trip itinerary: Brunswick Heads and the Tweed Coast
It’s another 45 minutes from Byron Bay to Tweed Heads, NSW’s most northerly town.
The drive initially goes past Belongil Beach and the Tyagarah Nature Reserve.
Further along, Brunswick Heads has a tremendous beach. You can also kayak or cruise on the Brunswick River and enjoy a snorkelling tour to Julian Rocks.
Here’s why you should stay in Brunswick Heads – four fantastic experiences
- Take a snorkelling tour to the protected subtropical paradise – at the marine life-packed Julian Rocks.
- Take an eco-cruise through the rainforest – in the day time or on a sunset cruise.
- Watch migrating humpback whales between June and October – on a whale-watching cruise with a marine biologist guide.
- Take a nature kayaking tour along the river – choose from sunrise, daytime and sunset tours.
Brunswick Heads accommodation picks include the stylish Brunswick and the pool-centred Sails Motel.
Mooball National Park, Pottsville, Hastings Point, Cabarita Beach and Tropical Fruit World in Duranbah present more exploration options. The latter offers a farm tour and boat cruise.
Five fabulous Tweed Coast experiences to at least consider booking
- Tweed River lunch cruise – with wildlife viewing in the rainforest.
- Crab-catching tour in Tweed Heads.
- Farm tour at Tropical Fruit World – with wildlife spotting cruise.
- Progressive four course meal across four top Kingscliff restaurants.
- Husk Distillers distillery tour – with tastings.
Rum-tasting at the Husk Distillery in Tumbulgum is another option before the motorway rejoins the coast at Kingscliff. Here, Watersports Guru hires out kayaks.
Top Kingscliff accommodation options
The best places to stay in Kingscliff are:
- For a Balinese-style resort: Oaks Santai Casuarina Resort.
- For a kid-friendly holiday park: Ingenia Holidays Kingscliff.
- For suites with a lagoon pool: Mantra on Salt Beach.
- For good value by the beach: The Blue Water.
Things to do in Tweed Heads include crab-catching adventures, Tweed River cruises, and brewery and distillery tours.
Tweed Heads accommodation favourites are the well-rated Tweed Heads Vegas Motel and Arabella Motor Inn.
Click through for the next section: The Gold Coast.