Things to See and Do

Crystal Castle
Visit the magic and mystical gardens of the Crystal Castle. Enjoy the ancient labyrinth and feast your eyes on the exquisite jewellery and crystals. Located 35 minutes north of Ballina, this is a fantastic place to indulge in a fabulous lunch and take in some of the beautiful hinterland views.

Thursday Plantation
Learn about the magic of Tea Tree Oil. Thursday Plantation offers an education centre, café, gift shop and factory specials. Take the time to explore the Sculpture Garden and Tea Tree maze.

The Macadamia Castle
Open 8am to 5pm daily, The Macadamia Castle is perfect entertainment for the kids. Explore the animal park, take a train ride, play mini golf and experience the tree house playground. You can also check out the gift shop and purchase some local macadamias or relax in the café and enjoy a meal or just a fabulous coffee!

Summerland House Farm
Tractor farm tours, Museum, Nursery, Water park & Playground

Stone and Wood Brewery
Brewery tours and tasters with world famous Stone & Wood craft beer. As the original brewers of the Northern Rivers, we built our first brewery here at the eastern tip of Australia, in a part of the world where people enjoy having a beer when relaxing after catching a wave, catching a band at the pub or just catching up with friends. It’s that sort of place. We brew beer for times like these. Beers that the locals, those passing through the town and the growing number of drinkers who appreciate good beer, and of course ourselves, would find simply good to drink. In 2014, we opened our second brewery up the road in Murwillumbah to try and meet the growing demand for our beer. This is where we produce most of our beer with the Byron brewery being home to our pilot brewery, the birthplace of our limited releases and our tasting room, where you can drop in for a beer and a tour.

Cape Byron Distillery
A unique experience for visitors and locals to sample an award-winning gin produced locally (Byron Bay), featuring native rainforest ingredients from the Northern Rivers region straight from the cellar door. Cape Byron Distillery Cellar Door is located in the hinterland of Byron Bay and is open for tours every Friday and Saturday, bookings are essential.

Ballina Fine Food and Wine Festival
from 01 July, 2018 to 01 July, 2018
This year the festival will be showcasing a fusion of the best produce, products, restaurants and culinary expertise our region has to offer, along with premium wines, craft beer, cider and spirits.

Sample Food Festival
from 01 September, 2018 to 01 September, 2018
Sample Food Festival is a Northern New South Wales festival that celebrates the creativity and well being of the local food. Bright tropical flavours, and bold creative flair attract over 15,000 visitors annually. Sample Food Festival is held in the village of Bangalow and is supported by 200 stall holders, who include local restaurant owners, farmers and local food producers.

Byron Bay Writers Festival
from 03 August, 2018 to 05 August, 2018
At the Byron Bay Writers Festival, you will find seven beautiful white marquees with conversations, panels, readings, lectures and book launches running concurrently. Most sessions are an hour in length, and you can sit and listen for an entire session or wander between marquees as the fancy takes you. The day starts at 9am and the last session will conclude at 5pm. There are coffee and food vendors, or you are more then welcome to bring a picnic. Our official bookseller has a splendid bookshop in operation, so you may indulge yourself with the books by the authors to whom you have listened. Most authors will be in the book signing area after their sessions. On Sunday, one marquee is turned over to children’s authors and the kids can have a special day meeting their favourites. In the evening, you can enjoy one of the feature events around town.

Ballina Country Music Fest
from 02 November, 2018 to 04 November, 2018
Over 3 days, experience many country music acts in all different venues, from buskers to award winning acts.