Here we are again visiting Ballina in Northern NSW. I didn't think we would be back here so soon. We had originally planned to be in the Sunshine Coast, QLD but due to a COVID-19 outbreak in greater Sydney, just before Christmas 2020 the borders all came crashing down. We were lucky to have been holidaying in Queensland when this all happened and so with this upcoming trip looking unlikely that we would get back into Queensland we made the decision to change our plans for northern NSW.
We stayed at the Ramada Hotel & Suites Ballina Byron in October 2020 and we were impressed with the area, it has everything on your doorstep. The hotel sits on the Richmond River and the rooms either face south towards the river or north towards the town centre and hotel pool, there are some rooms that also face east which would also have views of the river. Our first night was in one of the hotel spa river view rooms and this was a pleasant ample sized room for shorter stays, then for the remainder of our stay we managed to secure a one bedroom river view suite, this room type comes with a mini kitchen which is perfect for longer stays and some self catering.
We flew to Ballina on a Qantas 737 (174 seats), they normally operate this route with Dash 8 aircraft (74 seats). Since the borders with most states in Australia are closed to people from Greater Sydney the demand for northern NSW has increased.
For this trip we decided to hire bikes for the duration of our stay, our previous trip we had a hire car towards to the end of the stay so we could explore, the bikes gave us the opportunity to make use of the many bike paths.
Our first day we picked up the bikes in the afternoon and did a 7 km bike ride to get familiar with the bikes and also allowed us to get settled and sort out our plans for dinner. Day 2 we travelled 24 + kms up to Lennox Head, where we stopped at one of the local bakeries to grab some lunch and some water (the one thing we forgot to pack before heading off). The sun had come out and the day had warmed up and as it was a weekend everyone had come out to enjoy the perfect summers day. Day 3 we rode 22+ kms and took the bikes to South Ballina via the Burns Point Ferry, we enjoyed a swim in the sea with practically the entire beach to ourselves.
Day 4 (Australia Day) we did a small ride to the north break wall 8 + km and back, as it was a public holiday there were people and dogs everywhere. The river was also very popular, we had not seen it so busy.
Eating in Ballina has always been rewarding with the many options available and most on our doorstep. Our first night we returned to one of our favourite Indian eateries, the second night we finally got the chance to dine at the Ballina RSL. Our third night we picked up some Thai food and took it back to the hotel room to enjoy and for Australia Day we self catered and dined out on the balcony and watched the world go by.
So far a very relaxing and wonderful break and we are only at the half way point of our holiday.
It looks amazing, what a great time you are both having. The bikes are such a good idea. Relax and enjoy your time away. Take care, have fun. xxxxxxxxxx
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