Eclipsed by its hip neighbour, this town has two things Byron doesn’t

In the presence of true Australian greatness, it is possible to do little else than stand silently in awe. Amid the glamorous surrounds of a Bunnings car park, the Big Prawn rises like Kilimanjaro from the plains. This behemoth crustacean, a high temple of gaudiness, is surely the greatest of Australia’s Big Things.

The Big Prawn, one of Australia’s best-loved Big Things, is found in Ballina.Credit: istock

Alas, the nine-metre high, 35-tonne photo opportunity tends to be one of the two things Ballina is known for. The other, of course, is Ballina Byron Gateway Airport. The name of the airport is a sheepish confession in itself. It admits that, every week, thousands of people fly in, then head half an hour up the road to Byron Bay.

It is fair to say that Ballina is overshadowed. But it would like to be regarded as a destination in its own right. In these parts, it’s the Big Smoke, with a population of just under 50,000. It also has one thing that Byron Bay doesn’t have – safe mooring for boats.

This is where Out of the Blue Adventures comes in. The boat tour operator runs a series of trips with marine biologist guides. The focus depends on the time of year. Between May and October, it’s all about whale-watching. Whale populations are so reliable on this stretch of NSW’s North Coast that sightings are guaranteed.

Whales are an assured sight along the coast near Ballina.Credit: Destination NSW

Between December and April, however, there is a larger menu. Dolphin-watching cruises are the staple, snorkelling trips to the turtle-surrounded Julian Rocks provide the adventure, and sunset cruises along the Richmond River provide the romance.

In Ballina’s early years as a timber town, wood was shipped from the Richmond River. These days, it’s where you first start to feel a bit of affection for the place.

Shaws Bay lagoon is perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding.Credit: Danielle Smith

The easy 1.3-kilometre North Wall Walk takes in the final section of the river from North Creek to the Ocean. It begins at what once was the Ballina Pilot Station, and is now the Reflections caravan park. Frangipani waft down from the trees by Fenwick House, the city’s only remaining Victorian-era mansion. It’s made of the cedar wood that brought early settler families to Ballina in the 1840s, as the interpretive signs along the route helpfully explain.

The walk continues along the breakwall past the Shaws Bay lagoon, a perfect playground for kayakers and paddleboarders.

Lighthouse Beach, one of a series of beaches lining the east Ballina coast towards Lennox Head.Credit: iStock

Eyes, though, are on the other side of the river, where tidal swells smash into the opposing breakwall. Dolphins are a common sight near the river mouth, but even if they don’t put in an appearance, other wildlife fills in. Water dragons scuttle along the rocks and sea eagles swoop down to rest on a wooden post.

The North Wall Walk continues along the breakwall until it juts, lonely and battered, into the ocean beyond Lighthouse Beach.

Rock pools at Shelly Beach.Credit: iStock

The beach is one of a series of beaches lining the East Ballina coast towards Lennox Head, every one of them magnificent and reliably pounded by surf.

Ballina may be a river city rather than a beach city, but its slightly detached beaches are what bring the joy. At Shelly Beach – which is sandy, not shelly – there’s a sense of escape. Elsewhere on the North Coast, a town would be built behind it, with a sculpted esplanade, ice-cream parlours and fish and chip shops. Here, there’s just a solitary cafe on top of the dunes, a perfectly peaceful perch for watching surfers attack the waves.

The Shelly Beach Cafe has a surprisingly adventurous menu. Halloumi banh mi croissants and nasi goreng with karaage chicken are among the genre-bending departures from standard cafe fare. And it demonstrates that Ballina is, just quietly, beginning to embrace its food and drink.

The Seven Mile Brewing Co leads the charge on the craft beer front, with the deliberately light Cali Cream seemingly laser-targeted for post-surf refreshment. Experimental seasonal efforts, such as a peach IPA and a fruit sour, make it worth moseying along to work through the list.

The riverside Wharf Bar and Restaurant, meanwhile, brags about its wood-fired pizzas. But the real lure is the seafood, caught by the fishing boats heading out along the Richmond every day.

The chowders, seafood mixed grills and lavish platters are made for indulging in as the sun goes down over the river. And the constant in them all is that time-honoured symbol of Ballina – big prawns.

The details

Tour
Out of the Blue Adventures. See outoftheblueadventures.com

Fly
Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly to Ballina from Sydney and Melbourne. See jetstar.com, virginaustralia.com

Stay
The Ramada Hotel and Suites offers rooms by the river for from $225, room only. See ramadaballina.com.au

Eat
Shelly Beach Cafe; Seven Mile Brewing Co; Wharf Bar and Restaurant. See shellybeachcafe.com; sevenmilebrewing.com.au; wharfbarballina.com.au

More
See discoverballina.com.au

The writer was a guest of Tourism Australia.