Byron Bay is home to some of the most spectacular waterfalls you have ever seen including the stunning Dalwood Falls. But why are we drawn to the beauty of waterfalls? Well, they present a certain reassuring sense of order in a chaotic world of ever-present randomness. The order is evident when we see its graceful patterns or awesome geometric shape. When we see a natural waterfall flowing and mesmerizing us, we get the sense that things feel “right” and healthy. And of course what a great way to spend your day with mates.
So there you have it, what do we do on a lazy Sunday with onshore winds, meaning the surf is a non-existing grovel. We grab a bunch of mates, fill an Esky and head to one of my personal favorites; Dalwood Falls.
It is a short drive to Alstonville through the lovely little town of Ballina, now unfortunately, I am not too great with directions, so my advice would be to pull into one of the local stores and ask for some directions.
Remember to take a camera as it is an extremely scenic drive. The drive and the waterfall itself will never disappoint, especially if you have a packed Esky and a boom box of some sort.
Dalwood Falls is made up of large natural swimming holes, open calm waterfalls, rocks to sun bake on. Lots of people jump off the rocks, but beware there have been a number of spinal injuries here so strongly recommend not doing it even if you see other people jumping. I would suggest bringing some sort of floating device to be truly and ultimately relaxed, floating around the swimming hole.
Dalwood Falls is a very unique waterhole, very big and open with lots of room to spread out and enjoy. As you are walking down to the waterfall, you will notice on your left hand side a small track which leads to a beautiful pond of lily pads. This is yet another great photo opportunity not to be missed.
Now you know, if you are ever stuck with a day of bad surf and want some different surroundings than the inside of your hostel, this is how you should spend your time.
