Five easy stops sit within a short drive of Ballina Byron Islander Resort, most of them five minutes or less from our front door in West Ballina. You get the Big Prawn, a maritime museum, the calm water at Shaws Bay, a local brewery and the Sunday farmers market, without ever really leaving town.
Can you really see the Big Prawn from West Ballina?
Yes, and you will spot it before you find a park. The Big Prawn stands about three minutes up the road at 507 River Street, in the Bunnings car park, roughly 1.5 kilometres from the resort. It is nine metres of bright pink crustacean, first built in 1989 during the golden age of Australia’s big things. The council actually voted to demolish it in 2009, and a public petition with more than 10,000 signatures saved it. Bunnings then gave it a 400,000 dollar makeover and reopened it in 2013. It is free, it is always there, and it makes the easiest first photo of any Ballina stay. Families keep telling us it is the first thing the kids ask to see.
What’s the story behind the raft at the maritime museum?
The Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum sits about five minutes away at 8 Regatta Lane, and it is built around one remarkable object: the Las Balsas raft. In 1973 a twelve-man crew sailed three balsa-log rafts from Ecuador across the Pacific, and on 21 November they landed right here in Ballina after one of the longest raft voyages ever attempted. One of those rafts is the museum’s centrepiece. The museum opens 9am to 4pm seven days a week, closed only on Christmas Day and Good Friday, and entry is by donation. Guests keep mentioning how much the volunteer guides add, they tend to have sailed or fished the Richmond River themselves. It suits a grey morning, a curious kid, or anyone who likes a good survival story.
Where’s the calmest water close to the resort?
Shaws Bay is the answer, about seven minutes east over the bridge. It is a tidal lagoon rather than a surf beach, so the water stays flat and the edges stay shallow, and that is exactly why it works for young families. There is a grassy foreshore reserve wrapped around it with picnic tables, shade trees and a playground close by, so you can swim, eat and let the kids run in one spot. Guests travelling with toddlers keep telling us it is where they end up most mornings. Pack your own towels and shade, take the short walking loop around the water, and you have an easy half day without the drive to the open coast.
Is there a local brewery worth a look?
Seven Mile Brewing Co is about four minutes from us at 188 Southern Cross Drive, and it makes a relaxed afternoon out. This is a working brewery with a taproom, so you can taste small-batch beers poured a few metres from the tanks they were brewed in, with a rotating line-up that changes week to week. The taproom runs Thursday to Sunday, opening from noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with food trucks rolling in and live music on the weekends. It is more experience than errand, the sort of place couples wander over to for a couple of tasters and a sit in the sun. Check their current hours before you head over, as the roster shifts with the seasons.
Is there a good local market to build a morning around?
The Ballina Farmers and Producers Market runs every Sunday, 7am to 11am, at Commemoration Park on the banks of North Creek, about five minutes from the resort. It is a proper producers market, so the fruit and veg come straight from Northern Rivers growers, alongside artisan bread, local coffee and hot breakfast stalls, usually with a musician playing under the trees. Early risers do best here, the good produce moves fast and the park is at its coolest before the sun climbs. It is a lovely, low-key way to start a Sunday, and you can be back at the resort with your coffee and a bag of local mangoes well before checkout.
Quick questions from our guests
How far is the Big Prawn from Ballina Byron Islander Resort?
About three minutes by car, roughly 1.5 kilometres along River Street. It sits in the Bunnings car park at 507 River Street, West Ballina, it is free to look at and photograph, and it is out in the open every day of the year.
What’s open near the resort on a rainy day?
The Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum is your best undercover option, about five minutes away and open 9am to 4pm seven days, closed only Christmas Day and Good Friday. Entry is by donation and the Las Balsas raft display keeps kids and adults busy for an hour.
Is Shaws Bay safe for young children?
Shaws Bay is a calm tidal lagoon with no surf and shallow edges, which is exactly why local families with toddlers gravitate to it. There is grass, shade and a playground nearby. Always supervise little ones in the water, but it is far gentler than the open beaches.
Which day is the Ballina Farmers and Producers Market on?
Every Sunday, 7am to 11am, at Commemoration Park on the banks of North Creek, about five minutes from the resort. You will find fresh produce, coffee, hot breakfast stalls and live music. Get there early for the best of the fruit and veg.
Because everything here sits a few minutes away, you can slot a stop in around a swim or breakfast at Tavola and still be back at the resort with the afternoon to spare. When you are ready to map out the rest of your stay, have a look at what else is on around Ballina, then book your stay direct for our best rate and complimentary breakfast.
Image credit: Discover Ballina