What are the best things to do in Cabarita Beach, New South Wales?

Cabarita Beach is a laid-back beach town north of Byron Bay. The best things to do in Cabarita Beach include surfing lessons, whale-watching from Norries Head and kayaking on Cudgen Lake.

Cabarita Beach is one of several small towns between Byron Bay and the Queensland border. As with all of these small towns, some people will claim Cabarita Beach is much better and more authentic than Byron Bay. It’s more chilled out, it’s less of a circus, and so on.

The list of things to do in Cabarita Beach is much smaller than it is with Byron Bay, but that’s kinda the point. This is a small Northern Rivers beach town, with a population of just over 100 and more than one marvellous beach.

Book in advance for the best rates on Cabarita Beach accommodation.

Things to do in Cabarita Beach: Surfing lessons

Cabarita Beach is popular with surfers, and catching a wave is the activity of choice here. If you haven’t a clue what you’re doing with a surfboard, then the Tweed Coast Surf School can come to your aid. This surf school runs surfing lessons at Cabarita Beach and several other beaches on the Tweed Coast. The main hang outs are Pottsville, Fingal, Hastings Point, Duranbah and Kingscliff. Precise location is picked based on conditions on the day.

Another appealing feature of Cabarita Beach is the cluster of cafés set just back from it. The Stunned Mullet and Caba Social are good options for something fresh, healthy and tasty to eat.

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.

The frame is a big part of what makes Cabarita Beach so attractive, however. The beach curves round, hemmed in by Norries Head, and Maggies Beach unfurls on the southern side. This green-topped rocky headland offers some of the best views on the New South Wales north coast. Come during the winter months, and you’ve got a decent chance of spotting migrating humpback whales from the top of Norries Head.

Cabarita Beach from Norries Head on the New South Wales north coast. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Cabarita Beach attractions: Cudgen Nature Reserve

Back from the beach, the waters of Cudgen Lake tend to be calmer and popular with kayakers. The nearest kayak hire outlet is Watersports Guru in Kingscliff. You can pick up a kayak from there, paddle it down Cudgen Creek and finish in Cudgen Lake. The company also runs kayaking tours of this route on demand.

Cudgen Lake is part of the Cudgen Nature Reserve, surrounded by floodplain forest and rainforest. You can see Round Mountain to the South and Wollumbin/ Mount Warning to the rest. The waters of the lake are shallow – good for kids who want to swim. There are also plenty of water birds keeping birdwatchers happy.

And you know what? That’ll do. There’s no need for a long list of things to do in Cabarita Beach. It’s a small, friendly surf town with tremendous beaches and just enough life to keep things interesting.

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Cabarita Beach accommodation

Cabarita Beach accommodation options include the deluxe bell tents of The Hideaway and the, well, beachfront apartments of Cabarita Beachfront Apartments.

Logic might dictate that you fly into Ballina airport to reach Cabarita Beach, but the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta is much closer. The drive from the Gold Coast Airport to Cabarita Beach should take about 25 minutes.