Our Kingscliff Guide is part of our “Beyond Sydney” series, where we highlight beautiful places in NSW that we feel deserve more attention. Today Maureen from So Many Places So Little Time who spent some time living in the area helps me highlight why you should visit Kingscliff NSW, on the North Coast and what is waiting there for you to discover.

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Where is Kingscliff?

Kingscliff sits on a beautiful part of the coast 817 km north of Sydney, in the Northern Rivers Region of the Tweed. It is very close to the Queensland border, with the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta only a 20-minute drive away. or

Many of the regular holidaymakers who visit Kingscliff are from Brisbane, and they quite like to keep Kingscliff a secret. They can drive for about an hour from Brisbane to the coast at Kingscliff and enjoy a fantastic beach holiday without having to share the beach and cafes with the hoards of visitors, or the traffic and skyscrapers up the road on the Gold Coast.

Heading north from Sydney to Brisbane? Check out our guide to this stunning Pacific Coast route.

What’s will you find at Kingscliff?

Kingscliff is a small, laid back village with most of the facilities you need for a getaway within walking distance. If you want a complete break from driving, you can park your car when you arrive and forget about it until you leave.

The main road runs parallel to the beach, and is home to upmarket boutiques, surf and sports shops and a great range of cafes and restaurants.

It is a refreshing change from the usual name-brand stores you see in every town and makes for an interesting and relaxing shopping experience! There’s also a small shopping centre behind the main street with a Woolworths Supermarket and a selection of service stores if you need any basics.

Things to do when you visit Kingscliff

Head to the Kingscliff Markets.

Kingscliff has several great markets worth a visit if the timing is right.

Kingscliff Night Market

The Kingy Night Market is held on the first Friday of every month from 4 pm to 9 pm at Lions Park on Marine Parade, next to the Cudgen Surf Life Saving Club. With live music and food trucks, it’s a great place to have a casual meal and enjoy people-watching at the market.

Kingscliff Lions Beachfront Market

The Kingscliff Beachside market is held every second and fourth Saturday of the month. You will find the market at Jack Bayliss Park on Marine Parade, past the bowling club. Just wander around at your leisure and check out the wide range of fashion, jewellery, craft, artwork, produce and food stalls on display.

Watch a movie in a unique theatre

In the village, tucked away in an arcade on the main street across from the surf club, Cinemax Kingscliff is a small art house theatre. It shows a wide variety of films and has special theme nights.

You have your own very comfortable lounge type chairs and a small table with a lamp where your coffee, glass of wine, or food is brought to you! It’s a fun holiday way to watch a movie!

Discover the Kingscliff beaches.

Kingscliff is all about its beaches. There are miles of magnificent surf beaches in every direction. The beach at Kingscliff is patrolled, and at the southern end of town, the Cudgen Creek offers excellent fishing or paddle boarding and non-surf swimming, particularly for families with small children. You may have to share the creek with the local pelicans, though.

Explore the walks at Kingscliff

Fingal Head
It’s just a 10 minutes’ easy drive north from Kingscliff to the signed small car park area at Fingal Head. A five-minute walk from the car park will take you to the small lighthouse with its stunning coastline and ocean views.

There are plenty of shortish walks through the bush to the surrounding beaches and don’t miss the local version of the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland with the basalt rocks.

Kingscliff to Salt Beach
Another very popular walk is from Kingscliff to Salt Beach. It takes about 40 minutes one way, either along the beach or by the path, and features some scenic spots along the way. The sunset views from the bridge are pretty stunning.

Once at Salt Beach, you can wander up to the very upmarket Salt Village with its two resorts and classy restaurants for a coffee or snack and then catch the bus back to Kingscliff if you don’t want to do the return walk.

Where to eat in Kingscliff

Apart from the cafes and restaurants on the main street, which offer Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan and Australian cuisines, there is the surf club and bowls club, both right on the beachfront, which offer tasty pub-style meals and trivia nights.

The Sunday morning Champagne breakfast buffet at the Bowls Club is a very popular event. The historic Kingscliff Hotel is always a hive of activity, with live music from afternoon till late night on weekends.

Thanks, Maureen, for sharing one of your favourite places on the NSW East Coast. You can find more of Maureen’s tips on her Facebook page.

We also want to share some of our own tips to help you make the most of your time here. We have put together some of our favourite day trips from the region and also given you a few of our favourite hotels to consider.

Days out from Kingscliff

If you must get in your car, there are some exciting day trips from Kingscliff.

Gold Coast Theme Parks

This area makes an excellent base for exploring southern Queensland, with the Gold Coast theme parks within reach.

It’s just a 15 minute drive from Kingscliff is Coolangatta, the official start of the Gold Coast, home of some of Australia’s best theme parks. You can visit Dreamworld, Seaworld or Movieworld from your comfortable base away from the crowds. You can also buy a 7-day pass to cover all the parks if you are here on an extended stay.

Tropical Fruit World

Nearer by Tropical Fruit World, only 8 km away in Duranbah. With its 500 varieties of local and exotic fruit from all over the world. This is always one of our highlights when we visit this part of NSW. You learn so much on the short train ride through the property and the staff are so passionate it’s just a wonderful few hours.

The shop has an enormous range of products you won’t find elsewhere are the food in the cafe is delicious (and healthy!). I highly recommend a visit if you ever get a chance.

Tip: Be sure to try some black sapote, the chocolate pudding fruit; it’s delicious.

Madura Tea Estate

Check out the first subtropical tea plantation in Australia at Madura Tea Estates, where you can take a plantation tour from October through to May. These have stopped during Covid but may resume in the future.

Take a drive to the Tweed Hinterland

For an easy self-drive day trip, head into the Tweed Valley and explore the towns of Tumbulgum and Condong that sit on the Tweed River. The area is excellent for hiking and has exciting food and drink options.

Byron Bay

Tourist hotspot Byron Bay is only a 45-minute drive away and makes a great day trip.

There is so much to do in Byron, from feasting on local produce in the region’s many cafes and restaurants to plenty of adrenalin pumping activities.

Wollumbin (Mount Warning)

A place of great spiritual significance to the Bundjalung People, Wollumbin is seen from most parts of the region.

A favourite thing to do that will require a bit of an early start is heading towards Mount Warning to start your day. This is the first place in Australia to see the sunrise. The hike to the summit has been closed out of respect to the indigenous owners. Several other tracks remain open in Mount Warning National Park, however you can get better views of the sunrise with the mountain in the distance from one of the neighbouring parks.

You can also check out the best day trips from the Gold Coast.

Where to stay in Kingscliff

There is a property for everyone here, no matter your budget, including several free campsites within the surrounding areas.

Kingscliff Beach Holiday Park

If you are travelling on a budget, there are apartments and motels near the beach and township but, our choice of where to stay would be the beachfront campground, the Tweed Holiday Park Kingscliff Beach, in the centre of town. They have eight new absolute oceanfront cabins, situated as close as you can get to the surf without getting your toes wet and a deck that may as well be on the beach itself. It’s the perfect place to sip your morning coffee and watch the sunrise or sip your gin and tonic as the sun sets and is just a couple of minutes’ walk to the township.

Self contained holiday houses in Kingscliff

There are hundreds of holiday rentals in and around Kingscliff. You can find everything from granny flats to mansions with water views.

To give you an idea of what you can find, check out this stunning home that sleeps 8 that is just 400m from the beach or, if your budget is a little more modest, perhaps this one.

Kingscliff – Mid-range Hotels

These properties are in or near Salt Village, about a seven-minute drive away from the town centre. The village offers all the facilities you could need for your holiday and Salt Beach is perfect for a relaxing holiday.

Mantra on Salt Beach

The Mantra on Salt is one of the most popular resorts in the area, with plenty of facilities to enjoy, including three swimming pools, a tennis court, a gym and a day spa. There are two restaurants, a bbq area on-site, and several more nearby.

There are hotel rooms and one and two-bedroom apartments, some with ocean views.

Peppers Salt Resort

My favourite feature of Peppers Salt is the lagoon pool; it’s huge and beautifully landscaped. There is also a second pool and several shared plunge pools in some apartments.

There is only one restaurant on site but several more, just a couple of minutes’ walk away in Salt Village. The resort also features a tennis court and a day spa.

You might also like to check out these holiday homes for longer stays.

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