Lennox Head – Views Unlimited ...
Wayne Kampe

TUCKED away neatly between the towns of Byron Bay and Ballina is a high, wide and handsome headland known as Lennox Head. Accessed by road, via the coastal highway which connects Ballina and Byron Bay (east of the Pacific Highway), this interesting holiday spot is a little over three hours easy driving from Brisbane and nine hours from Sydney. New South Wales residents can also avail themselves of rail travel, as the XPT Countrylink train services the region.

ACCOMMODATION

There is a wide range of accommodation available at Lennox Head, which is more properly designated a locality, rather than a town. For those who travel on a restricted budget, Lennox Head Backpackers is situated at No.3, Ross Street, Ph.(02) 6687 7636. Self-contained holiday units and houses are available through Elders Real Estate Ph.(02) 6687 6155. Campers and folk, with a yen to see Australia with their home in tow, will find that the nearby Lake Ainsworth Caravan Park, Ph.(02) 6687 7249, will allow them to become very comfortable while they explore the area with fishing rod, surf board or camera.

SHOPPING & DINING

Lennox Head offers a variety of shops including a small supermarket, fresh fruit and vegetable store, a butcher, clothing and surf outlets, as well as a souvenir store. The place has a very friendly atmosphere, maybe not quite as laid back as nearby Byron Bay but, if one wishes to whiff a little burning incense and take in the vista of alternate life-stylers doing their somewhat different thing, Byron Bay is only a fifteen minute drive north. Lovers of dining out will also find several very attractive eateries at Lennox Head, as I did.

TENTS, VANS & BOARDS

There are no camping grounds at Lennox Head, per se but those at nearby Lake Ainsworth – virtually a holiday destination in its own right – fit the bill nicely. This neat little lake is situated on Pacific Parade, not far out of town. Ainsworth is a tea-tree lake and the waters are correspondingly stained in the standard manner of our coastal wallum and tea-tree swamps. Clear but brownish is how the water is best described. The placid and sheltered waters of the lake are ideal for sailing, wind surfing and canoeing. Kids just love to swim in the quiet corners of the lake.

I noted ample powered and un-powered sites at this spacious and well set out camping ground, which offers the dual attractions of the lake as well, as a very beautiful beach within walking distance. A small shopping centre is located near Lake Ainsworth camping grounds providing a lot of basic items for visitors.

Just fifty metres across the road from Lake Ainsworth Caravan Park is the renowned Seven Mile Beach, a surfers’ mecca, famous for the right-hand point break generated by nearby Lennox Head. I’m no surfer but information is, that when conditions are right, this is one of the world’s longest right-hand surf breaks. Several major surfing competitions are held here each year. Incidentally, Seven Mile Beach is patrolled.

SPORTS, MARKETS & RAINFORESTS

One would have to be a pretty bad sort of couch potato to be bored at this place. Sporting enthusiasts are well catered for with fishing on the doorstep, lawn bowls and squash clubs at Lennox Head, plus five golf courses located within little over half an hour’s drive. In a somewhat unique touch, there are some very interesting markets held on the second and fifth Sunday of each month, with stalls set up around the southern shore of Lake Ainsworth. A wide variety of goods, ranging from home-made sweets to handicrafts and tropical fruit, are usually for sale. These markets are a great attraction and are well patronised.

Eco-tourism is very much a part of Lennox Head. There are waterfalls and rainforests nearby and it’s a short drive to Mount Warning, an extinct volcano which has three World Heritage listed national parks within a thirty kilometre radius of the ancient caldera. Beautiful beaches and rainforest walks are a part of the area’s attraction and, on a summers day, the combination of a sea breeze and deep shade, provided by one of the rainforests, is greatly appreciated.

BEACH & REEF FISHING

Beach fishing in the area is one of the great attractions and the gutters that form inside the headland along Seven Mile Beach are home to a lot of whiting and dart. Bream and tailor are also sought-after, during the colder months. The beach gutters are rich; I noticed several folk indulging in a spot of beach worming while I was there and if you enjoy beach worming you should not go short of bait. Bait is also available at several outlets in the area, of course.

Fishing the beach formations is not the only form of angling available at Lennox Head, by any means. Boaties enjoy some good fishing as well. At the southern end of Seven Mile Beach is an area protected by a sheltering reef. When sea conditions are favourable, trailer boats can be launched straight from the beach. The attraction is the reef, just outside the nearby point. The main fish species targeted on the reef are mackerel and snapper but other reef fish are also taken. Bream and jew are favourites as well.

WHALE WATCHING

Without doubt, the giant headland at Lennox Head is one of the drawcards of the area. The view is very spectacular and humpback whales can be seen during their annual migration, which usually takes place between May and September. Spotting whales is not the only spectator sport at the headland and watching the daring young and not-so-young men and women in their flying machines is very popular.

HANG GLIDING

What I’m referring to here is the procession of hang gliders that take-off and land from the grassed plateau on top of the headland, at any time when the wind is sufficient to keep them aloft. There are always a lot of folk present at the carpark nearby when the gliders are taking-off and cruising slowly, like giant many-coloured kites. They certainly create a lot of interest. If you are adventurous enough for a tandem joy flight, it’s only a matter of undergoing some basic training, paying the pilot and then off you go!

I see Lennox Head as a family-orientated holiday destination. Hard core fishos might find it a little laid back but, like a lot of other northern New South Wales destinations, when conditions are right, the fishing can be red hot.