Port Macquarie to Byron Bay road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

Port Macquarie to Byron Bay road trip: Beaches of the Coffs Coast

Sapphire Beach and Moonee Beach are among several tremendous beaches along the Coffs Coast. There’s also plenty of native wildlife to see in the Moonee Beach Nature Reserve or at the Look At Me Now Headland, just south of Emerald Beach.

There’s good surf on offer at Woolgoolga and Arrawarra, while the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre provides an education on local Indigenous heritage.

The highway goes round Grafton and Lawrence before reaching the strangely Scottish Maclean. Here, the Bicentennial Museum explains that Scottish heritage and the Ferry Park Gallery showcases local artists.

The Waterview Motel and Club Maclean are solid choices for an overnight stay, but you’re better off turning east towards beach town Yamba.

Yamba accommodation winners include the Calypso Yamba caravan park, the budget-friendly Aston Motel, the Moby Dick by the Clarence River and the gardens-drenched Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort.

Click through for the next section: Yamba to Ballina.