Cabarita Beach In Northern NSW – Visitor’s Guide

Cabarita Beach is a must-see location on the Northern Rivers coastline in New South Wales. I have visited this little pocket of paradise over 100 times and it never fails to disappoint.

Cabarita (or Caba as the locals like to call it) is almost completely encircled by a nature reserve. Its stretch of white sand beach and turquoise waters is hard to beat among others along the Tweed Coast.

I have put together this complete guide to Cabarita Beach including how to get there, where to stay and what to expect when you’re there!

 

WHERE IS CABARITA BEACH NSW?

Cabarita is located in the Northern Rivers region which is bounded by the Pacific Ocean and on the edge of remnant coastal rainforests.

Click here to see the location on Google maps.

It’s a 45-minute drive south from the iconic Gold Coast and from Byron Bay, it’s a 30-minute drive to the north.

Exploring the beaches between Coolangatta on the Gold Coast and as far south as Byron Bay is best done in a car.

Search All → Car Rentals in Gold Coast

Cabarita Beach NSW

 

BEST TIME TO VISIT CABARITA NSW

The best time to visit is in the summer months which is December to February. However, this is also peak season nationwide for most locations like this so do take this into account when booking accommodation.

If you want to avoid the crowd, you can visit after the summer anywhere between March to June and you will be surprised how much sunshine this region of Australia receives, almost year-round in fact.

Idyllic scenes at Caba

 

CABARITA BEACH THINGS TO DO

Cabarita Beach is one of the most popular surf spots on the east coast of Australia. In a big swell, the waves wrap in around Norries Headland and line up for a long right-hand point break through the cove and in towards the beach.

There is a lot of localism at this particular surf break so respect the local surfers and don’t drop in on a wave if someone is on the inside of you otherwise you will know about it.

For nature enthusiasts, you can explore the cliffs and grassy headland at the southern end of the beach. There is a wooden boardwalk that leads you right to the top of Norries Headland and offers uninterrupted panoramic views of the amazing coastline right the way down to Byron Bay.

WANT TO SAVE $$$ ON AIRBNB? GET MY AIRBNB MONEY SAVING GUIDE

Exploring the headland

Picture-perfect day

 

BEACH AMENITIES

Like most beaches in the area, there are toilets, freshwater showers, and cooking amenities such as electric BBQs for public use.

I can’t stress enough to take only photos and leave only footprints when visiting this beach. Please dispose of your rubbish in the bins provided or take it home with you if you can’t find any rubbish bins.

 

 

CAMPING AT CABARITA BEACH

Camping in tents on the beach is not permitted and can be dangerous with the changing tides. The best option for camping is to book a night or two at Cabarita Beach Caravan Park which has powered and unpowered sites available.

A park ranger frequently does the rounds of the nature reserves and car parks looking for people illegally camping, so do take note of this or you will be fined.

If you are traveling in a small campervan like most backpackers do when visiting Australia, read the signs carefully in the car parks if you plan to park your van for the night. Some signs will read ‘no overnight camping in vehicles’ or a sign that shows an ‘S’ with a red line through it which means no standing/parking.

When you come across these signs I recommend you obey them or you may be slapped with a hefty fine from the park ranger which can be up to $100 AUD or more.

I myself have camped in a van at many beaches along the east coast of Australia but I make sure to leave my spot cleaner than when I arrived. Respect the land and the locals.

Exploring Norries headland

 

AIRBNB CABARITA

Another option for accommodation is to stay at an Airbnb, which generally has some great deals.

WANT TO SAVE $$$ ON AIRBNB? GET MY AIRBNB MONEY SAVING GUIDE

 

CABARITA BEACH MAP

 

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST

Exploring the many beaches and points of interest around the Northern Rivers New South Wales region is a must.

The township of Cabarita has many cafes, a local pub, and a shopping center, all of which are located on the main street through the town.

Check out my other related posts of the surrounding region:

• Dreamtime Beach – Fingal Heads
• Killen Falls – Byron Bay
• Wategos Beach
• Broken Head Beach

Wategos Beach in Byron