There is no on-site restaurant, but the camp kitchen here punches above its weight with a fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster and electric stovetop, plus undercover BBQs nearby. We loved firing up the barbie at dusk after a swim, then carrying plates down to the river bank to watch the pelicans cruise past as the light faded over the channel. The on-site kiosk handles the morning milk-and-bread emergencies so you don't need to move the car.

The whole town is essentially your dining room. Wander five minutes into the village and you'll hit Footbridge Cafe opposite the river park, where the breakfast bowls and big share plates are a local institution. Get there before 9am on a weekend or be prepared to queue with the surfers, it's that good. We grabbed takeaway coffees the first morning and ended up coming back the next day for a proper sit-down brunch under the trees.

For dinner, Hotel Brunswick is the heart of the town. The beer garden under the giant poinciana trees is pure Northern Rivers magic, with live music most weekends, schooners of local Stone & Wood and a kitchen by the Blue Duck team turning out wood-fired pizzas and seasonal pub classics. Just up the road, Saint Maries tucked beneath The Sails Motel does some of the best pizza and natural wine in the shire, and Roco Ramen & Sake is our pick for a cosy, slurpy night when the southerly is blowing.

If you want to splash out, River is multi-award-winning chef Michael Lee's love letter to the Northern Rivers, all hyper-local produce and considered plates. For something completely different, book a sunset cruise on M.V. Jasmine, a floating Mediterranean cocktail bar that potters along the Brunswick River with seasonal share plates and a very good negroni.

The park's location is the headline act. You can wander straight out the gate, cross the footbridge and be ankle-deep in the Brunswick River within minutes, or walk five flat minutes the other way to Main Beach, a long ribbon of golden sand that stretches 10 kilometres south toward Byron. We hired a kayak and SUP from the on-site rental and spent a glassy morning paddling up the river, watching kingfishers dart through the mangroves. Kids gravitate to Torakina Beach, the calm river-mouth swimming spot just across the bridge, with shallow water and a grassy park behind it for picnics.

In town, the Brunswick Picture House is the cultural heart of the village, a beautifully restored 1920s theatre programming everything from indie films to circus, cabaret and live music. Check the schedule before you arrive, the Sunday afternoon shows are a holiday highlight. On the first Saturday of the month, the famous Brunswick Heads Old & Gold Festival markets take over Banner Park with vintage stalls, plants and food trucks under the figs.

Lace up the runners for the Brunswick River Walk, a flat ramble along the water past fishing boats and pandanus, or push on to the Yalla Kool Lookout for ocean views. Between May and October, head out on a whale-watching tour or simply scan the horizon from the headland, the humpbacks pass close to shore on their northern migration.

Further afield, Byron Bay is just 15 minutes south for the lighthouse walk, surf lessons and busier nightlife, while Mullumbimby, the funky hinterland town, is a 12-minute drive inland with great cafes and the Wednesday farmers market. The Cape Byron Lighthouse sits at Australia's easternmost point and is well worth the early start to catch sunrise from the deck.