The NSW’s Far North Coast town of Byron Bay is one of the most celebrated and celebrity-packed places in the country, a mecca for Sydneysiders who flock here all year round for a unique dose of its boho-meets-luxe shopping, restaurants, accommodation and beaches – especially the beaches.

Leave the sun, sea and sand of Byron Bay to explore the lush hinterland and the charming towns and villages that are sprinkled across the landscape.The first stop, less than an hour’s drive along the Tweed Valley Way (and A1) is the town of Murwillumbah. With a wide main street lined with heritage Federation-era buildings that hint at its prosperous past Murwillumbah has now settled into a charming small-town groove, with the drawcards now being its cafes, shopping and regional art gallery.

Heading south out of Murwillumbah, the village of Uki (pronounced yook-eye) sits in the shadow of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) at the entrance to Wollumbin National Park ( FYI, the park is currently closed). Plan a visit to coincide with the Uki Buttery Bazaar Markets, held in the old buttery on the third Sunday of every month, or the local Farmers Market at the Uki Hall every Saturday morning.

From Uki, the road to the town of Kyogle is sandwiched between national parks dense with the rainforests that gives this drive its name. This area, part of the Bundjalung nation, is rich in Indigenous history and forms part of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, home to some of the oldest rainforest on Earth, dating back millions of years.

It’s another 50 minutes from Nightcap National Park to the regional city of Lismore. With the feel of a big country town, complete with gregarious, welcoming locals, Lismore has a buzzing food, arts and music scene that is worth taking the time to discover.Lismore Regional Gallery is a perfect example: one of the oldest art galleries in NSW (established in 1953, it houses works by the likes of Lloyd Rees, Albert Namatjira and Thea Proctor), it is now part of The Quad, a new culture and arts precinct that is also home to the Northern Rivers Conservatorium and the Richmond Tweed Regional Library.

After passing through the town of Casino, with its main street lined with Art Deco buildings, take a detour off the Buxner Highway into the Mallanganee National Park, created in 1999 and covering 1144 hectares, to stand in open-jawed wonder at the views from the Mallanganee Lookout. On a clear day looking out over Mallanganee Nature Reserve and Cambridge Plateau, you can see Wollumbin (Mount Warning) to the east and the Great Dividing Range to the west.

The pretty historic town of Tabulam is the last official stop on the Rainforest Way. While it lays claim to being the location of the longest single-span truss timber bridge in Australia, it also provides easy access to two of the area’s most stunning national parks: Richmond Range and Tooloom.While Richmond Range National Park is laced with walking tracks, the 32-kilometre Cambridge Plateau scenic drive is the superstar here, tracing the ridge through ancient rainforest and providing views of the Richmond Valley below.