Brunswick Heads, NSW, 2483
Fishing Village
by Jo-Ann Palmer.
A quiet and peaceful town at the mouth of the Brunswick River, in the Brunswick Valley, about 1800 people live in "Bruns", with another 2000 or so people who live at Ocean Shores, New Brighton and Billinudgel, calling the area home.
During the holiday season nearly 4,000 more are accommodated. Visitors are attracted by the fishing village flavour of the place, the riverside caravan parks and the superb beaches.
Timber bridges provide access from the village to a quiet, peaceful beach that stretches from the mouth of Brunswick River all the way to Byron Bay.
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Accommodations listed and linked here are Big Volcano customers. Support local - Book direct!
Accommodation in Brunswick Heads and nearby
Fig Tree Retro Studio
Accommodation Directory
More Accommodation
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, we may receive a small commission at NO extra cost to you.
Search Brunswick Heads Accomodation via Booking.com or choose from the links below- Brunswick River Inn
- Chalet Motel Brunswick Heads
- Ocean Shores Motel
- Reflections Holiday Parks - Ferry Reserve
- Reflections Holiday Parks - Massey Greene
- Reflections Holiday Parks - Terrace Reserve
- The Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
- The Figs Byron
- The Sails Motel Brunswick Heads
- The Terrace Penthouse Apartment
- Big Volcano Accommodation Directory
Local Tours & Attractions
Activities and Attractions Directory
More Tours & Attractions
- Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve
- Tyagarah Nature Reserve
- Ocean Village Shopping Centre
- Byron Bay Eco Cruises & Kayaks
- Cape Byron Marine Park
- Humble Pie Company
- Fish & Chips Festival - January
- Kites & Bikes Festival - late March
- Ocean Shores Country Club
- Backcountry Cycling - Tours
- Vision Walks - Tours
- Byron Echo Newspaper
- Big Volcano Activities & Attractions Directory
A variety of shopfronts along the main street, compliment the cafe presence.
Photo © courtesy of Kites & Bikes Festival
Accommodation
Accommodation remains primarily low rise and low key, with 3 caravan parks, 4 motels, 8 holiday apartment complexes, and a thriving boutique accommodation presence in the Byron hinterland.
Managed holiday lettings are available with Elders Real Estate, LJ Hooker Real Estate, and North Coast Lifestyle Properties, with a large list of holiday rentals available in New Brighton and Ocean Shores, just to the north of town.
Surrounded by nature on 6 private acres of lush greenery, Fig Tree Retro Studio is a pet friendly cottage ideal for a couple or solo adventurer looking for a secluded location. Private and self-contained, the studio is located just 9 minutes from Pottsville Beach, less than 20 minutes to Brunswick Heads and 25 minutes to Byron Bay. From $125 pn midweek, 3-night minimum. Tel: 0422 517 366.
Fig Tree Retro Studio exterior
Attractions
In keeping with the town's "simple pleasures" mantra, most attractions revolve around the river and estuary. A rocky headland protects the river entrance, so the bar is navigable much of the time, and there's a sheltered beach for kiddies located inside the breakwater.
The extensive estuary upstream of the Pacific Highway bridge supports oyster farms and recreational fishing, while tourism offerings include nature based and ecotourism operations, with daily eco cruise and kayaking experiences available from the marina.
Brunswick Bucaneers Boat Hire can provide fishing gear and licensed boats, canoes, SUPs, surf skis, and surf bikes to explore the estuary and river.
Byron Bay Eco Cruises, based at the marina, offers morning and afternoon guided river cruises, or if you're more adventurous, a kayak discovery tour of the Brunswick River.
Land lubbers can relax with a quiet picnic, a bushwalk or a spot of fishing at the Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve, which has a small picnic area with tables and public toilets, accessible via a road winding through littoral rainforest, along the northern river bank, just north of town.
Access to the Nature Reserves and World Heritage listed National Parks is through Mullumbimby about 10 km away.
A little further north, the township of Ocean Shores boasts a scenic 18 hole golf course, and all the shopping outlets and services you'll need for a complete holiday break are available at Ocean Village Shopping Centre, while New Brighton is a quiet, primarily residential area.
And a visit to the award winning Humble Pie Co., on the corner of the Pacific Highway at Billinudgel, is a must on any visit to the area!
Weekend Markets and Festivals
Brunswick Heads Weekend Markets are held on the 1st Saturday each month, with the New Brighton Farmers Market held every Tuesday from 8am - 11am.
The Fish & Chips Festival in January, with a fishing competition, wood chopping, fireworks and more, started in 1961 and is still going strong.
The popular Kites & Bikes Festival is held in late March every second year, or as volunteers and community resources allow. The last K&B Festival was held in 2013.
Dog Exercise Areas in the Byron Shire
Information on dog exercise areas, walks and dog friendly businesses can be found here.
Getting to Brunswick Heads
Road
Getting here is easy. Brunswick Heads is approximately 795 kilometres - about 10 hours drive north
from Sydney and about 90 minutes drive south from Brisbane via the Pacific Highway.
Air
Domestic flights operate from all capital cities to Ballina/Byron Gateway Airport and Gold Coast Airport
at Coolangatta. A number of international carriers servicing SE Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific fly into Gold Coast Airport.
Daily airport transfer services between Ballina/Byron Gateway Airport and Gold Coast Airport, are available to selected localities in the region,
with some shuttles also going to Brisbane International Airport. Visit Gold Coast Airport Transfer Services
for more information.
Intrastate flights are also available to Lismore Airport, with all airports having car hire facilities or local rental services available nearby.
Coach/Rail
Daily interstate coach services are available from Brunswick Heads to Brisbane and Sydney, and daily or overnight train service is available to
Sydney and Brisbane via coach transfer at Casino.
