Ballina to Yamba road trip: Distance, drive time & best attractions
The Ballina to Yamba drive covers a distance of 101km in a driving time of about one hour and ten minutes. Road trip stops along the way include Broadwater National Park and Bundjalung National Park.
The drive from Ballina to Yamba connects one of main hubs in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales to an increasingly popular beach town. Perhaps importantly, Ballina also has an airport – it’s a feasible entry point to Yamba if you’re flying up from Sydney.
Ballina to Yamba distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Ballina to Yamba is 101km. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 10 minutes.
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.
The first task is to head out of Ballina to the west and join the Pacific Highway. For the first part of the journey, the highway follows the Richmond River.
Ballina to Yamba road trip attractions: Broadwater National Park
The crossing is just to the north of Broadwater, and that’s where the first good stop is. An extraordinary, wild-looking 30km beach runs down this stretch of the coast from the Richmond River mouth to the Evans River mouth. Further north, this is called Patches Beach. In the middle, it’s called Broadwater Beach and at the southern end, it’s Evans Head Beach and Airforce Beach.
For a good chunk of its length, it is part of Broadwater National Park. The park’s a great spot for birdwatching, and has two fabulous lookouts – one inland, and one by the beach.
If you decide to go down as far as Evans Head, the Evans Head Heritage Aviation Museum tells the story of the area’s enormous World War II training base.
Click through to the next section: Bundjalung National Park.