Last week, Imogen & I had an amazing holiday exploring Northern New South Wales.

We couldn’t believe the amazing landscapes and national parks waiting just a few hours out from Brisbane.

#1 Theresa Creek

Our Northern New South Wales trip started in a quaint little valley called Theresa Creek. It’s about a half hour drive out from the rural town Casino and an hours drive from Lismore.

We stayed in a converted cabin called the “Eco Dairy Cabin” which was once part of a dairy farm. We found it on AirBnb. If you like the look of it, check out the listing here on AirBnB. And maybe you can stay there too!

#2 Richmond Range National Park

The next photos with the road over the hilltop are driving along Richmond Range Road. This is an absolutely amazing adventure of a drive. It’s a dirt road, and narrow, but the views are spectacular and if you follow down around 12km’s you will find yourself amongst a magical rainforest – the Richmond Range National Park.

We only had time for a quick little bush walk, but it was really something else! So quiet and peaceful, with incredible big old trees. Lots of wildlife to see too! We definitely want to come back for the longer rain forest walks.

There is a cute and very small town just down the highway called Mallanganee. It had an interesting gallery in the old historic bank building and a nice little cafe. There’s also a little convenience store, but don’t rely on it – I think every item in there was at least 12 months out of date!

#3 Tenterfield

Tenterfield is a lovely little town with so much character. It had a distinct alpine town feel to it, which might have been due to the cold, winter time of year we visited, or perhaps because of the mountain range surrounding it.

Imogen & I agreed that we would love to stay there for a week. It would be so relaxing. There were great cafes, interesting shops, historic buildings and museums. We discovered that we arrived just in time to catch the local markets. The locals we spoke to were very welcoming and friendly.

#4 Girraween National Park

A bit further down the New England Highway on our way back to Brisbane, we saw a sign for Girraween National Park and thought we would check it out quickly.

Boy were we glad we did! This place is amazing with MASSIVE granite rocks scattered around amongst the scrub. We had a quick walk to the Granite Arch, but this area is begging to be hiked properly. And there are camping grounds, so we’re going to camp there when we get a chance.

There’s also a very good chocolates shop, so definitely check that out! (I recommend the white choc rocky road).

#5 Main Range National Park

Okay okay okay, Main Range National Park is in Queensland. But if you’re heading back to Brisbane from the previous mentioned locations, you will likely pass through here. So why not take some time to enjoy it on the way? Besides, Main Range National Park is part of the Scenic Rim, which extends well into New South Wales.

The following images are the stunning views over Warwick with the mountain ranges of the scenic rim reaching up from the horizon. The drive across this landscape is stunning.