Road trip: The ultimate east coast road trip

Officially, this is a NSW road trip but Occy starts his journey on the Gold Coast – mainly because one of his favourite breaks, Snapper Rocks, is located just over the border in Queensland. Snapper Rocks is a great place to visit as it is idyllic for keen surfers and families who wish to enjoy the views or take a scenic walk.

Just a small jump south of Snapper Rocks is Duranbah, known by the locals as ‘D-Bah’. It’s the northern-most beach in NSW and is the line in the sand where Queensland becomes NSW. You can walk backwards and forwards over the border and summer daylight saving means the two states are in different time zones. If you want to celebrate New Year’s twice, this is the place to do it.

Occy is keen to make a visit to The Farm - a collection of small ‘micro-businesses’ that raise animals kindly, grow vegetables organically and serve up delectable food, The Farm aims to create “a healthier, more harmonious existence with our land, our animals and our communities.” The owners encourage visitors to explore the property, meet the animals and talk to its farmers. This means that a 20-minute coffee break can extend to half a day. If you have time, have a meal at the famous Three Blue Ducks restaurant.

It’s a 12km drive from Byron to Broken Head – a jutting headland with just a nature reserve, caravan park and a near-forgotten beach. It’s an incredible spot and exactly the combination we’re looking for.

Known to the locals as the ‘top pub’, the Beach Hotel is Occy’s favourite place for dinner. The hotel overlooks Byron’s Main Beach and it’s the perfect place to watch the sunset and enjoy a beer.

Another famous surfing town is Angourie, which has just 170 residents to its name. Here, the weather systems have aligned and the surf is big. We head to a beach that was once somewhat of a secret spot, but the large number of people in the car park and water signals that times have well and truly changed. If you still have energy to burn, take a trip to Angourie Blue Pool. The waterhole was created in the quarry that was used to build the Yamba Breakwall. In summer, it’s freshwater heaven. 

The next stop is Yamba, where in 1799, Matthew Flinders sailed by and said it was unworthy of further examination. He was, of course, very wrong, because in 2009 Yamba was named the ‘Best Town in Australia’. And, according to the CSIRO and Stanford University, it also has the most pleasant climate in the world. The town is situated on the mouth of the Clarence River - the biggest river on the east coast - and is surrounded by national parks and beaches. It’s also home to a large prawn trawling industry and offers some of the best sport fishing on the coast.