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town in New South Wales, Australia
Oceania > Australia > New South Wales > Northern Rivers > Lennox Head

Lennox Head is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. The town is known for its surfing, windsurfing and kite sailing. It has a relaxed village atmosphere with great restaurants, sidewalk cafes and shops.

Understand

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Pelicans

Lennox Head is 776 km north of Sydney, 211 km south of Brisbane, 11 km north of Ballina and 120 km south of Coolangatta. Lennox Head is a small coastal town between Byron Bay and Ballina, New South Wales. The village is popular with beach-goers, sea-changers, and holiday-makers. The town was home to about 7,700 people in 2016.

Pat Morton lookout (at Lennox Point) offers spectacular views of the village and of Seven Mile Beach extending up towards Broken Head and on to Byron. The stretch of coast from the south side of Flat Rock (4 km south), north to Lennox Point is now protected as the Lennox National Surfing Reserve[dead link].

Located on the northern edge of the village is Lake Ainsworth, a freshwater lake that has distinctive tannin-stained waters from the surrounding tea trees.

Get in

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Lennox Head is halfway between Byron Bay 20 min to the north and Ballina 15 min to the south.

By car

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  • 40 minutes from Lismore
  • 1.5 hours from the Gold Coast
  • 2.5 hours from Brisbane
  • 9.5 hours from Sydney
  • 22.5 hours from Melbourne

By plane

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Nearest airport - Ballina Byron Gateway Airport (BNK IATA) is a 10-minute drive. The flight from Sydney takes around 1-1.5 hours. There is also a direct service from Melbourne. You can fly in to Ballina with Virgin, Jetstar or Rex from Sydney and from Melbourne with Jetstar several times a week. The shuttle buses that service the Ballina Byron Airport will also drop off in Lennox.

The drive from the Gold Coast Airport (OOL IATA) at Coolangatta is less than 1 hour.

Bus services - Premier, NSW Trainlink, Blanches Bus Company, Byron easybus, Northern Rivers Buslines.

Get around

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A taxi service is available in Lennox Head , however, there is no rank and you can not simply flag one down - you will have to book a cab in advance (Freecall number-1800 992066) if you want to go anywhere.

There are limited public bus services to Lismore, Ballina and Byron Bay. Ballina Byron Gateway Airport Services Route 640 connects Ballina Byron Gateway Airport with Ballina, Lennox Head, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby seven days a week. On public holidays the Route 640 Sunday timetable operates, except on Christmas Day (no service)

  • Surf skis, catamarans and windsurfers are hirable from the eastern shore of Lake Ainsworth. The protected waters of the lake are an excellent spot for windsurfing beginners.
  • The reef off the southern end of Seven Mile Beach, just north of Lennox Headland, is known as the Moat or Boat Channel and is within the Cape Byron Marine Park. The reef is an excellent place for snorkelling and provides good seasonal opportunities to view tropical fish, crustaceans and shellfish.
  • Lennox Point is popular with surfers who come for the famous and long right hand break [dead link]. Hang-gliders launch from its 65m cliff depending on wind strength direction. The point is also a great spot to watch the dolphins surfing and the annual whale migrations. Walk the new trail from the board-walk at the south end of the beach, east out to the point and up to the lookout.
  • Lennox Head, Seven Mile Beach - patrolled seasonally. Popular for body surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing. Be wary of rips. Dog walkers can exercise their hounds, leash free, from the access point at the northern end of the lake. The northern half is open to 4WDs (access via Camp Drewe Rd) but you'll need to buy a permit first ($96/166 6/12 months).
  • Lake Ainsworth, a freshwater dune lake with waters distinctively stained with tannin from the surrounding tea trees.
  • Lennox Head Bora Ring - Raised ring of sand 20-30 cm in height. The Bundjalung tribal site is on the western outskirts of the town. It is on cleared land, about 100m west of Gibbons Street surrounded by residential housing.
  • Lennox Head Heath - Behind Lake Ainsworth and to the north of the village, the specialised habitat of coastal heath provides good bird watching at any time, but in Spring a vast carpet of wildflowers attracts great numbers of birds. Birds seen include Brahminy Kite, Whistling Kite, Swamp Harrier, Rainbow Bee-eater, Superb Fairy-wren, Variegated Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Little Wattlebird, Brown Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Tawny Grassbird and Golden-headed Cisticola.
  • Lennox Head Heritage Walk

Regional Markets: The markets in and around Lennox Head have something for everyone - plenty of local arts and crafts, seasonal plants and produce, and a wide variety of food.

  • Lennox Head Markets 2nd & 5th Sunday of the month, Near Lake Ainsworth.
  • Byron Bay Community Markets 1st Sunday of the month, Buttler St Reserve.
  • Ballina Markets 3rd Sunday of the month, Circus Ground Canal Rd.
  • Bangalow Village Markets 4th Sunday of the month, Showground.
  • Summerland Credit Union rediATM 76 Ballina Street, Lennox Head.
  • 1 ANZ ATM Caltex Service Station, Lot 5 Byron Street Lennox Head. 

Best to book in advance during school holidays.

Budget

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  • The Bream Hole 71 Ballina Street, Lennox Head +61 2 6687 7034 . Seafood, take away.‎
  • Fishy Fishy 3/80-84 Ballina Street, Lennox Head +61 2 6687 5599 BYO, Seafood, sit down or take away.
  • iWok Restaurant & Bar 7 Park Lane Lennox Head +61 2 6687 7478 Licensed BYO Chinese, Asian.

Mid-range

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  • 1 Lex Thai Garden, 49 Ballina Street, ☏ +61 2 5602 5188. Very popular Thai eatery with all the classics and some tasty specials like the Andaman Talay seafood bowl with Ballina prawns. Most dishes are sweet and mild to cater to local tastes. (updated Dec 2024)

Drink

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  • The Lennox, Corner Byron Street & Pacific Parade Lennox Head, ☏ +61 2 6687 7312. Fresh local produce in the upstairs bistro while enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the open air balcony. Live music regularly in the downstairs bar 

Sleep

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Stay safe

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When at the beach always swim between the flags and follow Surf Lifesaver directions. Rips occur at times when the surf is rough.

Connect

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Internet - available Wi-Fi at a number of cafes in the village. New internet facilities available. Buy your vouchers from the Seagrass grocery store at the south end of the shopping area.

Go next

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This city travel guide to Lennox Head is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.



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