Evans Head, Moonee Beach, and Bonny Hills – A Family-Friendly North Coast NSW Road Trip

Itinerary Facts

Distance: About 400km (one way)
Duration: 4 days
Towns: Evans Head, Moonee Beach (Coffs Harbour), Bonny Hills (Port Macquarie)

The New South Wales North Coast

Said to have the best climate in Australia, the north coast of NSW, particularly the Mid North Coast, has some of the best beaches, forests, and peaceful coastal towns in the country.

Due to its perfect placement between Brisbane and Sydney, many Mid North Coast spots don’t attract overwhelming crowds – despite being just as picturesque – simply because they’re just a little further from the big smoke.

Read more: Surf Tripping the NSW North Coast

But the extra hour or so in the car is definitely worth it (if the kids don’t mind)!

They won’t mind once they realise all the adventures they’re going on!

And it’s so much more than just beaches.

The coastal regions are bordered by the Great Dividing Range, which means there are rivers, rainforests, waterfalls, and swimming holes galore just a short drive inland.

I must have done this stretch a hundred times and I’m still always finding incredible new places and revisiting old favourites. On this trip, we found an epic new swimming hole, some very big trees, and of course visited all the unmissable spots.

Pro tip: We started our trip in the Northern Rivers where we live. If you’re coming from the south, just reverse the itinerary!

Day One & Two – Evans Head

Tucked between two national parks and just 45 minutes south of Byron Bay, Evans Head has all the perks of Northern NSW nature, without the long lines of traffic and major crowds further north.

Afternoon – Beaches and Headlands

We knocked off early and headed to the back beaches at Evans Head for the golden hour.

The lookout at Chinamans Beach is a great spot to check the surf and peer out further to Dirawong (Goanna Headland), where you’ll get a great right-hander, often to yourself, if you’re up to lugging your board out and back about three kilometres.

We headed down to the sand to watch the sunset, where we were all alone, save a few curious kangaroos. Just another few hundred metres down is the stunning New Zealand Beach, where you can spend a peaceful day tucked away in the north facing cove.

Once the afterglow had faded away, we headed back to town to grab dinner at Japxican, a Japanese/Mexican fusion that served yum tempura fish burritos.

We arrived at Reflections Evans Head well after dark, which is one of the real benefits of staying in one of their cabins – there’s no camp to set up when you pull up late.

Early Morning – Coffee and Rivers

If you’re after not just the best coffee in town – but some of the best coffee full stop, head to Sunny Boy (closed Sundays) where they also have various pastries and treats depending on the day.

Next it was over to the Evans River for a quick walk where Koa excitedly spotted some Red-Backed sea eagles. We didn’t have time to get out on the water this trip, but I’d really recommend paddling the Evans River – you’ll find the perfect launch spot just down the dirt track from the Evans Head Golf Club.

Quick eagle-spottin’ stop

In local Bundjalung stories, the Evans River was formed by Dirawong (the goanna) and the Rainbow Serpent as they fought and chased each other from inland, forming the various shapes of the river and small islands and banks. Dirawong now rests at what is called ‘Goanna Headland’, where he protects the lands for the Bundjalung People.

If you have time, it’s also really worth paddling out on Jerusalem Creek in the nearby Bundjalung National Park.

Read more: You’ve Been to Byron Bay, But Have You Experienced Bundjalung Country?

Day Two & Three – Moonee Beach (And Surrounds)

Picture a leafy nature reserve, where a turquoise river meets the beach, just minutes away from a lush hinterland full of creeks and waterfalls. Well, that’s Moonee beach, which is about 15 minutes north of Coffs Harbour.

Late Morning – Potentially the Best Waterhole on the East Coast

From Evans Head, Moonee Beach is only about a one and a half hour drive south on the highway. But instead, we took a detour after getting a tip off, and found the best waterhole I’ve seen on the east coast.

The scenic drive up and back is off the M1 at the Halfway Creek Ampol and through the village of Glenreagh, before turning onto the dirt roads into the Sherwood Nature Reserve.

This set of crystal clear water holes is part of  Middle Creek, which runs through tumbled granite boulders. Further upstream is Scout Falls which is equally impressive.

The location guidance to Scout Falls on Google Maps will take you down the wrong roads, but just stay on Sherwood Creek Road until you get to a small bridge where you can park and walk upstream.

The walk to the first falls is easy, even with a toddler in a hiking carrier, though there is some scrambling. The walk further up the creek to Scout Falls requires some more difficult scrambling I wouldn’t recommend with little ones, but it’s easy for older kids and active adults.

Afternoon – Beaches and Creeks

After a peaceful morning at the creek, we continued along the dirt track (Sherwood Creek Road) east, which we figured would take us to the coast.

This lovely drive follows the ridgeline through the nature reserve, with ocean glimpses between the gums, and pops out at Arrawarra – but we headed another ten minutes south to the town of Woolgoolga.

Woolgoolga is always a great stop for families – it’s one of our old favourites. Like usual we got fish and chips and sat on the grass just above the beach and let the little one run around on the big waterfront playground.

Only another five minutes down the road is Moonee Beach, where we checked into a cabin at Reflections Moonee Beach, which has a leafy view over the turquoise Moonee Creek.

While we’d planned to jump back in the car, we ended up having a cuppa on the deck before spending the rest of the day in the Moonee Beach Nature Reserve. There are stretched out lawns under gum canopies and a tidal estuary to splash the day away.

There’s also a great walk up Green Bluff Headland from the Reserve, but the bridge is currently closed for repairs.

For dinner we headed to Moonee Beach Hotel for a good pub feed. There’s plenty of entertainment for the kids too, including a big playground and basketball hoop.

Morning – Brekkie and More Beaches

The next morning we headed to the iconic Emerald Beach, which is great for a surf, as well as the best breakfast spot around.

The Emerald Beach General Store does an unreal brekkie roll, coffee, and smoothie, and we always stop here for a bite, before heading down to the beach for a walk, surf, or lap of the headland – known as Look At Me Now Headland Walk.

Day Three & Four – Bonny Hills

Perched up on the cliffs overlooking the big blue, Bonny Hills lives up to its name and boasts good surf, coastal walks, and epic forests within 20 minutes.

Afternoon – Big Trees and More Beaches

We started the afternoon with a new spot for us, which ended up being the biggest Bloodwood tree (Corymbia gummifera) in the world, affectionately known as ‘Old Bottlebutt’, which is over 200 years old and more than 50 metres in circumference at the base.

Hello you Old Bottlebutt!

This unique tree is in a luscious slice of rainforest called the Burrawan Picnic Area and is only about ten minutes off the highway.

The easy 20 minute loop is the perfect quick stop on a long drive or great side-trip from the coast.

Next up it was down to our favourite beach on this stretch, Diamond Head, in Crowdy Bay National Park, which we try to visit a few times a year.

From here you can also access Dunbogan Beach in a 4WD and drive all the way north to Camden Head, not far from Bonny Hills. Dunbogan is popular for fishing and we pulled up to watch a pod of dolphins surf waves for almost an hour.

Surrounded by national park, Diamond Head is another beach with a gentle right-hand wave (my favourite) off the point, watched over by a tall blackened rock, split in two by the aeons.

Not only are there a bunch of hiking tracks from Diamond Head, but it’s also a magnificent spot to watch the sun go down. The sheltered, north-facing bay has great views over the water and west to North Brother Mountain.

We checked into a cabin after dark again, this time at Reflections Bonny Hills, which sits high up on the cliffs overlooking the surf.

The view from our cabin at Bonny Hills was insane!

Morning – Beaches and Bittersweet Goodbyes

The next morning we watched the sunrise from the deck of the cabin while a handful of surfers braved the cold, foggy morning in the waves. Then we headed out to explore.

Feeling pretty warm in here

The headlands walk runs along the cliffs at the front of the holiday park, so we followed it down a little way to the nearby Rainbow Beach, which like its name suggests, is bordered by interesting rocks that go through a spectrum of oranges, reds, browns, purples, and pinks.

And then we were at that tough point in a trip where we wished we’d booked in a few more days, but were also happy to get home to our beds, dogs, and clean clothes. Until next time, north coast. Time to hit the road.