Things to Do in Ballina, Australia

Ballina Things to Do

Ballina is located approximated 600 km north of Sydney and 160 km south of Brisbane. This coastal town is connected to the Pacific Highway. Following are some ideas of things to do while in Ballina, Australia.

Macadamia Castle

On our way to Ballina, we stopped by the Macadamia Castle.  As the name suggests, this is where you can find a large range of Macadamia nuts and other products that are grown locally for sale. The souvenir shop has lots of good gifts and is free to browse. The other part is the Animal & Adventure park, geared more towards children, and I thought it was quite expensive.

Ballina Bi-Centennial Gardens

These gardens are located about 2km from Ballina on the old Pacific Highway. We stopped here to see what they had to offer, but found it to be quite a disappointment! You will find plenty of mown grass and picnic tables, free toilets and you are permitted to FREE CAMP for 12 hours without being asked to move on.  All I could find  that was of interest was a large lagoon full of large water lilies which were just starting to flower, water hens and some other birds.

Big Prawn

If you are a tourist visiting Australia, you may have seen just one or two of Australia’s BIG ICONS. Ballina just happens to be known for its prawns, so you can see a beauty there! I will tell you the story of this Big Prawn as I have seen it grow and change colours over many years. It dates back to 1989, when the Big Prawn was tail-less and sat atop the West Ballina transit centre, restaurant and souvenir shop. Inside, visitors could climb up into its head and look through its eyes. Over time, it went downhill and faded significantly, so in 1990 the demolition of it was approved. The Aussies put up a fight to keep it and subsequently, the hardware giant, Bunnings decided to make it stay. You can no longer look out the eyes, but they gave it a much needed tail and it still looks great today.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about things to do in Ballina, Australia.