This creative, colourful town on the Waterfall Way on NSW’s Coffs Coast promises outdoor adventures, festivals and culinary experiences that rival the Big Smoke – and it should be top of the list for your next long weekend.

The tropical breeze whistles through the hinterland, down the aptly named Waterfall Way and straight into the rainforest-fringed heart of Bellingen, located five-and-a-half hours from Sydney and four-and-a-half hours south of Brisbane. We’ve gone back in time, and yet into the future, with Hyde Street’s heritage facades mingling with future-minded businesses keen to put the planet first.

Creativity blooms freely and the wild – rivers, mountains and walking tracks included – is always close by. Bello, as the locals know it, is a designated Here’s how to do it best.

Day 1: explore Bello’s boutiques and burgeoning dining scene

Start with breakfast at, where views stretch out across the hinterland and local roaster Amelia + Toby supply the rich, earthy coffee beans. Tuck into sardines on toast or fried banana bread on a bench overlooking the paddock; on Sundays, expect live music into the afternoon.

It’s a short walk to the Emporium Bellingen, stocked with flowy linen womenswear and Akubra hats in the heritage-registered Hammond and Wheatley department store; a bit further still to the tiny Bellinger Book Nook for your next paperback; and furthest to the Old Butter Factory Village, a warren-like enclave that hosts original art alongside internationally-sourced homewares.

Pick up a Portuguese-style grilled chicken burger at Coastal Harvest for lunch. Check out the Bellingen Potters Collective for a handcrafted vessel or find woven gems at Cloth Paper Clay. Come afternoon, it’s hard to pass up the lullaby at George Edmunds Reserve when the river gently ripples against its grassy banks.

Don’t go past Bruno’s for dinner. The candlelit Mediterranean-inspired eatery is tucked away behind the main street, with a courtyard and patio to boot, and serves up seasonal, shareable plates such as fat king prawns, flaky spanakopita and creamy pumpkin dip studded with fried chickpeas. Pair with a cucumber gimlet and chatter the night away.

History buffs: go back in time with the Bellinger Historic Society’s Bellingen History Walk, available as a digital PDF.

Day 2: chase waterfalls and explore Dorrigo

Pick up a fresh-out-of-the-oven loaf of woodfired bread at Hearthfire and treats from the Bellingen IGA, located within the historic former JP Halpin & Sons department store, and organic-centric Kombu Wholefoods for this afternoon’s rainforest picnic.

Fuel up with a single-origin brew from Black Bear, the longest-running cafe in Bellingen, and nurse it while visiting the Waterfall Way Visitor Information Centre on Hyde Street before driving 30 minutes west to Dorrigo’s town centre.

Chase that coffee with a meringue-topped pineapple-caramel doughnut from Peaches Patisserie (open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) and locally-made souvenirs at Dorrigo and Beyond before chasing waterfalls in Dorrigo National Park, where the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre offers guided tours and trip-planning advice. (The Bellinger River National Park, just down the road, has no marked tracks but is prime for experienced bushwalkers.) Try the 3.2-kilometre return, or the wheelchair-accessible, family-friendly Satinbird Stroll, ideal for twitchers.

Divvy up lunch in the designated Glade or Never Never picnic areas, or alongside the Bielsdown River back in Dorrigo proper.

Drive a few minutes north of Dorrigo to tick off the 30-metre-tall Dangar Falls, too, or head west another 40 minutes to find Ebor Falls, where the tiered cascades are visible from four lookout platforms.

Back in Bello, feast on chewy sourdough pizza topped with roasted organic mushrooms, smashed olives and spicy pepperoni at Charlie’s at Church, and swing by the Bellingen Memorial Hall for the monthly Bellingen Film Lovers movie night, which showcases flicks in a hall that – 100 years ago – was built on the back of a local picturehouse’s success.

Day 3: venture further afield to see other gems of the Coffs Coast region

Today, choose your own adventure – and your own direction. Will you:

Take option one and head south-east out to the seaside town of Urunga, a 15-minute drive away, where the newest section of the 850-metre Urunga Boardwalk has opened, extending the track with 80 metres of walkway and a new fishing platform? From here, spot where the Bellinger and Kalang rivers meet before they reach the ocean. Dip into the Urunga lagoon, visit the Urunga Museum to brush up on local history, and cap off the afternoon with a charcuterie board on the edge of the Bellinger River at Raleigh Winery.

Or choose option two and head north towards Coffs Harbour? Welcome the day with a surf lesson in Sawtell with Solitary Islands Surf School or a SUP circuit with Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours and owner Clark, a proud Gumbaynggirr man who showcases Red Rock or Moonee Creek while sharing local First Nations culture. It’s almost obligatory to stop by the Big Banana Fun Park for a chocolate-coated frozen banana and game of mini-golf.

For lunch, visit Miquette for French-style prosciutto-stuffed baguettes, lemon crepes and roasted beetroot salad. Walk it off along the riverside Garlambirla circuit at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, where endemic plants and their traditional uses are showcased across 14 informative, Gumbaynggirr-informed plaques, and then brave the Forest Sky Pier at Sealy Lookout, which cantilevers over 20 metres over the green canopy.

End the day’s journey back in Bellingen for slow-cooked lamb shoulder or hot-honey-soaked saganaki with a side of Dorrigo National Park vistas at Three Blue Ducks. Steak night specials run on Mondays.

Day 4: channel your creative spirit with annual Coffs Coast festivals

First, real food: the Bellingen Farmers Market runs on Wednesday afternoons, the Bellingen Community Markets are on the third Saturday of the month and the Bellingen Growers Market feature every other Saturday.

Second, brain food. In June, the Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival brings bookworms from across the country to the town’s stages, bookshops and classrooms for three days. The Taranta Festival combines art, music and culture over a weekend at the end of October, with workshops, performances and a hearty dose of Mediterranean cuisine.

Within a short drive of Bello, you’ll find the Woolgoolga Curryfest – and its lineup of eating, dancing and celebrating culture – during September, the Sawtell Chilli Festival and its 100-plus stallholders on one spicy July day, and the jam-happy, participation-welcome Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival for three days in October.

Plan your fourth day to align with one of the festivals and channel the inspiration further: write your next great novel from the frond-shaded garden at the Old Butter Factory Cafe, take a cyanotype printmaking or bowl-turning class during the Camp Creative festival, or learn about regional producers during a seven-course dinner at The Blue Door, where the farmers are showcased as much as the dishes they help create.