Yamba to Byron Bay road trip: Distance, driving time & stops

The best stops on a Yamba to Byron Bay road trip include Bundjalung National Park, Evans Head and Killen Falls. The drive covers a 127km distance, with a driving time of around 1h26m.

The Yamba to Byron Bay drive connects arguably the two most attractive beach towns in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Byron Bay has long been a favourite for its good-living, pseudo-hippy culture and surf scene. Yamba is the up-and-coming pretender with much of the appeal and considerably less pretension.

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.

Yamba to Byron Bay distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Yamba to Byron Bay is 127km. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 26 minutes. There are, however, plenty of road trip stops along the way that you can add to the itinerary.

Yamba accommodation worth looking at

Strong Yamba accommodation choices you should take a look at include…

For a budget stay by the beach: Pacific Hotel.
For really well equipped apartments by Pippi Beach: The Sands Resort at Yamba.
For romance and overall quality: The Surf.
For a holiday park with a water park kids will love: Big4 Saltwater.

Yamba to Byron Bay road trip: Iluka Bluff and Evans Head

It’s a short drive from Yamba to the Pacific Highway and the crossing of the Clarence River. Once north of the river, Bundjalung National Park covers the gap between the coast and the highway.

You can go kayaking along the Esk and Evans rivers, or walking along one of the park’s trails. The ten minute walk to the Iluka Bluff Lookout is a winner for a photo stop, while the

the 6km Jerusalem Creek Peninsula track from the Black Rocks campground is a more serious leg stretch.

At Woodburn, there’s the turn off for gorgeous beach town Evans Head. Here, you can learn about the area’s massive World War II training base at the Evans Head Heritage Aviation Museum.

Yamba to Byron Bay drive: Ballina attractions

The main attraction, however, is the 30km-long beach stretching up towards the Richmond River in Ballina. It’s known by different names in different sections, but go enjoy Airforce Beach, Evans Head Beach, Broadwater Beach or Patches Beach.

The Burns Point ferry can take you over the river into Ballina, one of the biggest towns in the region.

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.

Things to do in Ballina include private surf lessons and half day walking tours along the coast.

For Ballina accommodation, try the Ramada Hotel and Suites by the river, historic Ballina Heritage Inn and the personable Ballina Palms Boutique Motel.

Things to do between Yamba and Byron Bay: Killen Falls and Macadamia Castle

Stick to the highway instead and you skip west of Ballina. Just north of Tintenbar, there are two worthwhile attractions. Killen Falls is a stunner of the waterfall, while kids can get their wildlife encounter fix at Macadamia Castle.

There are only short diversions needed to reach highlights along the coast, such as Lennox Head, Whites Beach, Kings Beach, the Broken Head Reserve and Arakwal National Park.

After passing through charming Newrybar and foodie hub Bangalow, you leave the highway at Ewingsdale. This is home to The Farm Byron Bay, where Byron Bay hot air ballooning tours depart from.

Byron Bay activities include brewery tours, art and wine classes and turtle snorkelling tours.

Byron Bay accommodation choices include the Bayview Beachfront Apartments, the beachfront Cavvanbah and the Ingenia Byron Bay holiday park.

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.