Dubbo to Byron Bay road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
Dubbo to Byron Bay road trip: Armidale to Ebor Falls
You’ll need to peel off the New England Highway at Armidale, and head down the B78 – also known as the Waterfall Way.
Unsurprisingly, the leg from Armidale to Grafton features many, many waterfalls. First up is Bakers Creek Falls, which should be treated as an amusé bouche for what’s to come.
Shortly afterwards, in the northern section of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, it’s a short branch-off to the Wollomombi Falls Picnic Area. Here, a walking track takes you to the lookout over Wollomombi Falls. At 220 metres, this is the highest waterfall in New South Wales.
Cathedral Rock National Park comes up to the north a little further on. Here, a challenging walk will take you to a natural mountaintop throne of giant stacked boulders.
South of the highway, it’s a short detour to the moderately attractive Serpentine Falls. Waterfall lovers with limited time are better off continuing to Ebor Falls in Guy Fawkes River National Park, however.
Ebor Falls is more about width than height, with an impressive amount of water cascading down the rock face.
Dubbo to Byron Bay road trip: Ebor to Grafton
Shortly after the village of Ebor, you need to branch off the Waterfall Way and head north along Armidale Road. This weaves around creeks and rivers, past the Mount Hyland Nature Reserve, towards Dundurrabin.
The road then weaves between Nymboi-Bunderay National Park and Chaebundi National Park. Unfortunately, the campgrounds and walking trails in both are best accessed from elsewhere.
The road then twists and turns towards Nymboida. The riverside Cartmill Park is a decent spot to stretch the legs.
If you want to visit Marengo Falls or go on a Nymboida River whitewater rafting trip with Exodus Adventures, you need to make a detour up Glens Creek Road.
Otherwise, stick to Armidale Road and you’ll come down through the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, eventually reaching Grafton.
Grafton’s attractions are mainly handsome heritage buildings such as Schaeffer House and the Christ Church Cathedral, although it is also famed for its jacaranda trees.
Top Grafton accommodation options
The best places to stay in Grafton are:
- For central location: Civic Motel.
- For charm and personal touch: Andavine House Bed and Breakfast.
- For a relatively cheap, good quality motel with a pool: Grafton Lodge Motel.
Click through to the next section: Grafton to Yamba.