If lagoons, rivers, coastal walks, and fresh seafood sound good, the quiet seaside spot of Yamba might be the very holiday destination for you.
The coastal town is situated about 200km south of the Queensland border, and
offers an array of beaches to suit the mood.
It also boasts some top surfing and fishing spots, as well as some calm seashore
atmosphere.
Christina from Flight Centre said the appeal of Yamba is the beaches and the
friendly character of the place.
“The seaside atmosphere is the attraction of it, it’s not built up, everyone’s
friendly because they’re on holiday, and the beaches are nice,” Christina said.
In fact, the Yamba shores offer a unique range of options for the traveller – if one beach is too windy, you can plonk yourselves in one with more sheltered areas, and calmer waters. Whiting Beach and Angourie Back Beach are some of the
favourites adored by locals and tourists alike.
But the Yamba Main Beach is where the buzz is, with cafes and restaurants
dishing out Mexican, Italian and Indian cuisine, as well as good old burgers and
Chinese chow. The Yamba River markets, located within walking distance, on
the scenic Clarence River, are held on the fourth Sunday of the month.
Christina also said she enjoyed the food markets when she visited.
“We stayed at a caravan park, and could walk and buy fresh seafood.”
There are great spots to look for your own sea meal too. Reel Time Fishing
Charters hire out boats complete with skipper, fishing rods, bait, tackle and
more. They also will do whale-watching tours from June to October this year.
But if you just want to cruise around the beautiful Clarence River, the protected
islands and unique wildlife, you can hire your own BBQ boat, kitted out with
toilets. BYO is welcome, and you don’t even need a boat licence to navigate
around.
Yamba stands out because of its geography – it’s surrounded by ocean, bush land
and national park, making it difficult to build up to be more like the typical hustle and bustle of other more populous seaside towns.
There’s one road in from the highway, and one road out, so with not much land
to expand on, Yamba remains an uncongested space. But the town tends to get
booked out come holiday time, so get in quick.
Yamba Tours operator Rick Lea runs leisurely-paced excursions geared towards
seniors.
Rick said the Yamba coast provides great surfing, isn’t as expensive as other
areas - yet - and there’s a lot to enjoy on the outskirts of the town.
“Yamba isn’t as busy as Byron Bay… it’s more relaxing than Coffs,” he said.
“And if you like walking tracks, there are some fantastic coastal walks.”
Seaside and bush land walks stretch from The Sandon to his favourite beach at
Brooms Head, south of Yamba, with its big open sands and rock pools. You may
even get to see some beach blokart action – think windsurfing on sand - at low
tide.
So if you’re after a user-friendly NSW coastal getaway, along with great food and
fine beaches, book early for a Yamba retreat.
