Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

AUSTRALIA’S HOLIDAY COAST 197
Earth ’n’ Sea PIZZA/PASTA This popular spot has been around for years
and offers a fairly extensive menu of pastas and pizzas, including some unusual
combinations such as prawns, banana, and pineapple. Pizzas come in three sizes,
and the small is just enough to satisfy the average appetite.
11 Lawson St. & 02/6685 6029. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$9.50–A$24 (US$6.20–
US$15). AE, MC, V. Daily 5:30–11pm.
The Pass Café MEDITERRANEAN The Pass Café offers fabulous breakfasts
and lunches, so, if you happen to be heading to or from the local rainforest
on the Cape Byron Walking Track, you’ll find this a great place to stop off.
Breakfast items range from simple fresh fruit and muffins to gourmet chicken
sausages. Lunch specials include Cajun chicken, octopus, and calamari salad, as
well as fresh fish, meat dishes, and plenty of good vegetarian options.
At the end of Brooke Dr., on Cape Byron Walking Track, Palm Valley. & 02/6685 6074. Main courses
A$10–A$25 (US$6.50–US$16). MC, V. Sun–Wed 8am–3pm; Thurs–Sat 8am–6pm.
Raving Prawn SEAFOOD Fish cover the walls at this excellent place, but
there’s more than that on the menu. You can tuck into veal, chicken, or vegetarian
dishes if you want to, but I wouldn’t miss out on the fabulous signature
dish, the jewfish (a kind of grouper) with an herb-mustard crust. The forestberry
tart is the best dessert on the menu.
Feros Arcade (between Jonson and Lawson sts.). & 02/6685 6737. Reservations recommended. Main
courses A$19–A$27 (US$12–US$18). AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Sat 6–10pm (until around 9pm in winter). Open
daily during school holidays.
MURWILLUMBAH
321km (199 miles) N of Coffs Harbour; 893km (554 miles) N of Sydney; 30km (19 miles) S of Queensland
border
The main town of the Tweed Valley, Murwillumbah is a good base for touring
the surrounding area, which includes Mount Warning, picturesque country
towns, and countryside dominated by sugar cane and banana.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Murwillumbah is inland from the Pacific Highway. The
nearest airport is at Coolangatta, 34km (21 miles) away, over the Queensland
border. Countrylink trains (& 13 22 42 in Australia) link Murwillumbah with
Sydney, taking around 13 hours. Greyhound-Pioneer buses (& 13 20 30 in
Australia) run from Sydney to Murwillumbah; the trip takes 14 1 ⁄2 hours.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Murwillumbah Visitors Centre, at the
corner of the Pacific Highway and Alma Street, Murwillumbah, NSW 2484
(& 02/6672 1340), is worth visiting before heading out to see more of the
Tweed Valley or the beaches to the east. Another option is the Tweed Heads Visitors
Centre, at the corner of Bay and Wharf streets, Tweed Heads, NSW 2485
(& 07/5536 4244). Both are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm,
and Saturday from 9am to 1pm.
SEEING THE AREA
If you’re looking for a big avocado to go with your Coffs Harbour Big Banana,
then head for Tropical Fruit World, on the Pacific Highway (& 02/6677
7222), 15km (9 1 ⁄2 miles) north of Murwillumbah and 15km (9 1 ⁄2 miles) south
of Coolangatta. The Tweed Valley’s top attraction grows some 400 varieties of
tropical fruit, which can be discovered on an interesting 1 1 ⁄2-hour tractor-train
tour of the 81-hectare (200-acre) tropical fruit plantation, as well as on 4WD