The first port of call for surfers and sun lovers who hop over the Queensland-NSW state line, Tweed Heads faces the Pacific Ocean in a flurry of gold-glinting sands and legendary breaks. Surf competitions and surf shacks are on every corner, so don’t even think about leaving without hitting the barrels or whitewash for a ride – Duranbah Beach is for the maestros; Fingal Beach has fewer crowds.

But the adventure doesn’t end there, because Tweed Heads tour guides are also at hand with wild bushwalking expeditions. As the town filters up the Tweed River and Terranora Creek into the MacPherson Range, the landscapes become all pasture, forest, and field. Soon, that transforms again, into misty rainforests and sub-tropical teak groves, all clambering up the sides of great Mount Warning – the remnant of an ancient volcano cone.

Back in the center, you can experience the buzz of a classic East Coast surf city in its cafés filled with long-haired board riders and coastal promenades to stroll up. Don’t miss the Razorback lookout overlooking the Tweed Valley and Gold Coast, and a visit to the Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, chronicling the culture of the land’s traditional people.