Written by 
The walk continues along the breakwall past the Shaws Bay lagoon, a perfect playground for kayakers and paddleboarders.
Lighthouse Beach, one of a series of beaches lining the east Ballina coast towards Lennox Head.Credit: iStock
Eyes, though, are on the other side of the river, where tidal swells smash into the opposing breakwall. Dolphins are a common sight near the river mouth, but even if they don’t put in an appearance, other wildlife fills in. Water dragons scuttle along the rocks and sea eagles swoop down to rest on a wooden post.
The North Wall Walk continues along the breakwall until it juts, lonely and battered, into the ocean beyond Lighthouse Beach.
Rock pools at Shelly Beach.Credit: iStock
The beach is one of a series of beaches lining the East Ballina coast towards Lennox Head, every one of them magnificent and reliably pounded by surf.
Loading
Ballina may be a river city rather than a beach city, but its slightly detached beaches are what bring the joy. At Shelly Beach – which is sandy, not shelly – there’s a sense of escape. Elsewhere on the North Coast, a town would be built behind it, with a sculpted esplanade, ice-cream parlours and fish and chip shops. Here, there’s just a solitary cafe on top of the dunes, a perfectly peaceful perch for watching surfers attack the waves.
The Shelly Beach Cafe has a surprisingly adventurous menu. Halloumi banh mi croissants and nasi goreng with karaage chicken are among the genre-bending departures from standard cafe fare. And it demonstrates that Ballina is, just quietly, beginning to embrace its food and drink.
The Seven Mile Brewing Co leads the charge on the craft beer front, with the deliberately light Cali Cream seemingly laser-targeted for post-surf refreshment. Experimental seasonal efforts, such as a peach IPA and a fruit sour, make it worth moseying along to work through the list.
The riverside Wharf Bar and Restaurant, meanwhile, brags about its wood-fired pizzas. But the real lure is the seafood, caught by the fishing boats heading out along the Richmond every day.
The chowders, seafood mixed grills and lavish platters are made for indulging in as the sun goes down over the river. And the constant in them all is that time-honoured symbol of Ballina – big prawns.
The details
Tour
Out of the Blue Adventures. See outoftheblueadventures.com
Fly
Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly to Ballina from Sydney and Melbourne. See jetstar.com, virginaustralia.com