Sydney to Lismore road trip: Distance, time & best stops

Sydney to Lismore drive: Arrawarra to Bundjalung National Park

The Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre just north of Arrawarra is worth a look if you want to understand local Indigenous heritage, but otherwise this is where the Pacific Highway heads inland.

The route runs past Woodford Island before reaching weirdly Scottish Maclean. The Bicentennial Museum explains that Scottish heritage, while the Ferry Park Gallery showcases local artists.

The Waterview Motel and Club Maclean are decent choices for an overnight stay, but it’s a far better idea to turn east for delightful beach town Yamba.

Turners Beach, Yamba Main Beach and Pippi Beach are among the top spots for swimming and surfing here. You can also try cliff-jumping at Angourie Blue Pool.

Yamba Main Beach and Yamba Ocean Pool in Yamba, NSW. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Yamba accommodation picks include the Calypso Yamba caravan park, the well-priced Aston Motel, the riverside Moby Dick and the gardens-surrounded Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort.

Further along, Bundjalung National Park is worth a look. For a photo stop, try the Iluka Bluff Lookout. For something more involving, opt for the 6km Jerusalem Creek Peninsula track from the Black Rocks campground.

Sydney to Lismore road trip: Off the highway

The turn-off for Evans Head, another lovely beach town, is at Woodburn. But if you’re heading towards Lismore, you need to leave the highway and pass north through Woodburn. Continue on the largely uneventful Wyrallah Road, past the Tucki Tucki Nature Reserve.

North of Wyrallah, you’ll pass the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens and enter the town from the south.

Things to do in Lismore include swimming in the 1920s-style Lismore Memorial Baths and taking the miniature train in Heritage Park.

Lismore accommodation options include the solid Lismore City Motor Inn and the smartly refurbished Sherwood Hotel.