20 ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES IN YAMBA

20 ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES IN YAMBA

LEARN MORE ABOUT 20 ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES IN YAMBA AND DO TIHS THINGS THAT YOU MAKE VERY HAPPY IN THIS AMAZING AUSTRALIAN PLACE

Yamba is 670km from Sydney on the north coast of New South Wales and 300km from Brisbane.

The closest airports are Grafton, which is a regional airport that has flights from Sydney, and the Gold Coast airport is a 2.5-hour drive away.

Surfers started visiting Yamba in the 1960s and a National Surfing Reserve was established in Angourie in 2007.

For more things to do in NSW, read:

20 FUN THINGS TO DO IN YAMBA

1- VISIT THE YAMBA LIGHTHOUSE

The Yamba lighthouse on Pilot Hill, which is a grassy area with amazing ocean views should be your first stop in Yamba.

The hill is the perfect spot for a lighthouse and the first one was built here in 1880. The current one was built in 1955.

Yamba Point is a popular spot for a picnic (grab some fish and chips) and it’s a good place to spot whales from the shore when they swim past during the annual migration back to Antarctica.

2- ENJOY A YAMBA BEACH

Yamba’s main drawcard is its amazing beaches and there are 11 to choose from between Yamba and Angourie, which is a smaller town 5km to the south of Yamba.

Some would say that Yamba’s has the best beaches in Australia.

Spend the day sunbathing and swimming at Turners Beach or Main Beach or discover one of the quieter beaches.

Here are the top beaches to explore around Yamba.

Main Beach 

The beach below the historic Pacific Hotel is patrolled in summer and has a saltwater rock pool that is great for kids.

Main Beach is also home to the Surf Life Saving Club.

The rock pools are great for kids to look for crabs and facilities at the beach include a kiosk, picnic tables and toilets.

Turners Beach 

Between the break wall and the lighthouse, Turners Beach is also patrolled in summer and has toilets, showers and picnic tables.

The northern and southern ends of Turners Beach is popular for surfing. The surf break is protected from the wind by the point and is a relatively safe surf break for younger surfers.

Rock fishing or fishing off the break wall is also a fun thing to do.

Whiting Beach 

When the surf’s up and if you’re looking for a calm beach for the kids, head to Whiting Beach.

This river beach is a great spot to cool off without the waves and is a popular place to go fishing.

3- GO SURFING IN ANGOURIE

Any keen surfer will tell you that Angourie is an internationally recognised surfing destination with several challenging breaks. And if you’re a surfer you already know that surfing is the top thing to do in Yamba.

Back Beach (south of Angourie Point) is the beach to go if you’re an experienced surfer and Angourie Point is the place that draws serious surfers.

It’s one of a few protected surfing reserves in Australia.

Spooky Beach is north of Angourie Point and another option for experienced surfers but brave beginners might like to throw their boards in the water here too.

Pippi Beach has lovely views and is a popular beach for summer surfing competitions.

4- WALK ALONG THE BREAKWALL

The Yamba breakwalls, where the Clarence River meets the ocean, were built between 1950 and 1971 to stop the sand buildup.

The walls protect the channel from the large waves that threatened boats cruising through the channel.

The Yamba breakwall is also a fantastic place to go for a walk, especially at sunset.

You’ll find the breakwall between Whiting Beach and Turners Beach.

5- GO GAME FISHING

The warm waters off Australia’s east coast are perfect for fishing and it should come as no surprise that one of the top things to do in Yamba is to go fishing.

If you’re keen on sport fishing, Yamba is a good place to fish for various types of Marlin (blue, black and striped) as well as Mahi-Mahi, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Mackerel.

There’s a choice of fishing charter companies that will take you out on a fishing tour or charter a boat and head off on your own game fishing adventure.

6- GO WHALE WATCHING

See whales and dolphins on a whale-watching cruise or from the headlands during their annual migration.

You can spot the humpback whales all along the east coast and if you’re there when the whales are migrating (July to October) put whale watching as one of the things to do in Yamba on your activity list.

Although Yamba doesn’t have a well-developed whale watching industry like Hervey Bay in Queensland, it’s possible to have some amazing experiences on the water.

Check out this guide to Hervey Bay’s whale watching boats and here are some other things to do in Hervey Bay.

7- RELAX ON A CLARENCE RIVER CRUISE

A history cruise on the Clarence River is a relaxing way to enjoy the waterways around Yamba.

Clarence River Ferries operates this cruise on Wednesdays, departing from Yamba (11 am) and Iluka (11.45 am) cruising the waterways for a few hours and returning to Yamba at 3 pm.

Scenic river cruises cost $25 (half price for kids) and normal ferry rides operate daily and cost $8. For more details go here.

8- EXPLORE ILUKA

On other days, catch the ferry to Iluka, where you’ll find the freshest prawns (caught by the commercial fishing fleet) at the Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-op.

Iluka is a small fishing village that is also popular for recreational fishing as there are several good fishing spots along the river.

The Iluka Rainforest walking track is a lovely 2.6km seaside rainforest walk past strangler figs and vines to stunning views from the headland. Keep an eye out for sea eagles, ospreys and oystercatchers.

9- VISIT ANGOURIE’S GREEN AND BLUE POOLS

A former bluestone mine up until 1899, Angourie’s freshwater green and blue pools are popular picnic spots and swimming holes.

The former quarrying sites supplied the rock used to build the Yamba break wall.

These are fairly deep swimming holes to cool off in but is not suitable for swimming all year round due to toxic algae in the water. Check the council’s website before going.

The pools are in the Angourie Reserve (between Spooky Beach and Angourie Beach).

10- DISCOVER YURAYGIR NATIONAL PARK

Yuraygir National Park stretches from Angourie to Red Rock and is a coastal national park where generations of the Yaegl and Gumbaynggirr people camped and fished.

The park has a spiritual significance to the Aboriginal community and has diverse bioregions, including littoral rainforest, eucalypt forest, woodland and wetlands.

It’s the place to spot coastal emus, which are now an endangered species (there are less than 100 left in this park), squirrel gliders, eastern grass owls and rufous bettongs, which are rare marsupials.

The national park has campground facilities and short walks but if you’re a keen hiker, plan to do the four-day hike.

11- SHOP AT A YAMBA MARKET

The two main markets in Yamba are the Yamba River Markets and the Yamba Farmers and Producers Market.

YAMBA RIVER MARKETS

Yamba River Markets happens on the fourth Sunday of each month at Ford Park, River Street, Yamba, and is a great place for breakfast, coffee and to shop for fruit, vegetables, meat and jams and taste German-style bratwurst and Kransky.