Byron Bay to Noosa road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best stops on a Byron Bay to Noosa road trip include Tweed Heads, the Gold Coast theme parks and Brisbane. By car, the Byron Bay to Noosa distance is 314km, and the driving time around 3h4m.
A Byron Bay to Noosa road trip connects two of the most appealing holiday spots on the east coast of Australia.
Byron Bay offers kayaking with dolphins, beach and waterfalls tours and surfing lessons.
If you can do just one thing in Byron Bay, make it kayaking with dolphins. The scenery’s beautiful, and you can get much closer to the dolphins than you would on a boat tour. BOOK HERE.
Noosa, meanwhile, brings Everglades nature cruises, dolphin-watching safaris and craft brewery tasting tours.
Byron Bay to Noosa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Byron Bay to Noosa is 314km. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 40 minutes. There are, however, plenty of interesting places to stop along the way if you’d prefer to turn the drive into a road trip itinerary.
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.
The drive Byron Bay to Noosa 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.
Byron Bay to Noosa road trip: Brunswick Heads to Kingscliff
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.
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.
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.
Click through to the next section: Kingscliff to Coolangatta.