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Iluka is a small, sleepy beachside coastal village of 1,800 (2021) in the Clarence Valley region of New South Wales' Northern Rivers. The town's nature reserve, the Iluka Nature Reserve, is a 
UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Get in
[edit | edit source]By car
[edit | edit source]Iluka is around 17 km (11 mi) from the Iluka Road Exit on the M1 Pacific Motorway, the primary road between Sydney and Brisbane. The feeder road is reasonably maintained, with an 80 km/h speed limit.
Note there's no direct road access from Yamba without using the motorway.
By coach
[edit | edit source]NSW Trainlink operates 1 daily coach in each direction from Grafton and Ballina, connecting to the Casino/Brisbane XPT (the daytime North Coast service). The timetable is as follows.
| Stop | 143 (from Grafton) | Stop | 144 (from Ballina) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | 5:20PM | Ballina | 6:20AM |
| Iluka | 7:01PM | Iluka | 7:45AM |
| Ballina | 8:30PM | Grafton | 9:40AM |
By bus
[edit | edit source]The 386 bus route (timetable) from Maclean operates thrice a day. Make sure to have some cash on hand with you, as some buses may not have EFTPOS terminals.
By ferry
[edit | edit source]As of August 2026, Clarence River Ferries operates 4 daily shuttle ferries from Yamba to 1 Iluka Jetty (Iluka Wharf) (leaving at 9:30AM, 11AM, 3:15PM and 4:45PM – note the 4:45PM service does not return to Yamba for the day), with a 5th service at 1:45PM on M, Tu, Th and Sa. Services do not run on Christmas Day or Australia Day.
One-way tickets cost $11.90 one way and half that ($5.95) for pensioners and children under 16. If you're travelling as a family, a pass (including return) for 2 adults and up to 4 children costs $80.
Bicycles are permitted on the ferry.
Get around
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The town centre is small enough to be traversed on foot. However, the furthest you can likely go without a car is up to Iluka Bluff via the rainforest trail. Anything beyond that and you'll be significantly pressed.
See and do
[edit | edit source]- Beaches: Iluka has multiple – 1 Iluka Beach, 2 Queen St Beach, 3 Andersons Beach and 4 Clarence River Beach.
- 5 Bundjalung National Park. Contains the Iluka Bluff within Iluka, among many other hiking trails and lookouts.
- 6 Iluka Museum, 2 Charles St, ☏ +61 407 627 892, ilukahistorygroup@gmail.com. Wed Fri Sat 9AM–1PM. Small local history museum with a range of different local history artifacts.
- 7 Iluka Nature Reserve. A
UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. It contains one of the last few remaining littoral forests in the Southern Hemisphere and is a particularly popular spot with birdwatchers. - 1 Iluka Rainforest Walking Track, cnr Long St and Crown St or Bluff Road (coloured on map). A 2.6-kilometre-long trail through the centre of the rainforest. The trail is covered in fern trees and vines, and there are plenty of birdwatching opportunities throughout.
- 8 Woombah Coffee Plantation, 51 Middle Street, Woombah, ☏ +61 2 6646 4380. Probably the world's southernmost coffee plantation.
Buy
[edit | edit source]Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe, 2A Charles St, ☏ +61 2 6646 6668. Mid-range boathouse specialising in Japanese cuisine.
- 2 Iluka Bakery, 6 Young St, ☏ +61 2 6646 6235. Mon–Fri 5AM–3PM; Sat 5AM–1PM; closed Sun. Local town bakery.
Drink
[edit | edit source]- 1 Sedgers Reef Hotel, 74 Queens La, ☏ +61 2 6646 6122. Daily 10AM–10PM.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 Iluka Motel, 47 Charles St, ☏ +61 2 6646 6288. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM.
- 2 Iluka Riverside Holiday Park, 4 Charles St, ☏ +61 2 6646 6060. Check-in: 11AM, check-out: 10AM.
Connect
[edit | edit source]Go next
[edit | edit source]- Yamba is just south of the river.