There is no on-site restaurant or kiosk, but that is the joy of staying here. Within a three-minute walk you are in the heart of Brunswick Heads village, where the riverside camp kitchen and BBQs back at the park become the staging ground for everything you have collected on foot. We loved firing up the hotplate at dusk after a fish from the bank, with a cold drink in hand and the river glassing off behind us.

Mornings begin at Bruns Bakery, the heritage corner shopfront on Mullumbimbi Street where bakers have been at it since 1950. The theatre kitchen turns out trays of pies, sourdough and custard tarts from dawn, and the coffee is properly good. Grab yourself a cinnamon scroll still warm from the oven and thank us later. We took ours back to the river the first morning and were back again the next.

For lazy brunches we kept returning to Footbridge Cafe, tucked under the trees beside Simpson's Creek with a deck that catches the breeze. After a swim, a scoop from Bernardi's Gelato on The Terrace is non-negotiable, with flavours churned daily using produce from local farmers' markets.

Come dinner, Rosefina's is the pick for a long, loud table of birria tacos and chocolate tres leches inspired by Chef Rodrigo's grandmother's kitchen. For an old-school Aussie pub night, the wide verandah at the Hotel Brunswick is where the whole town seems to land on a warm evening, with live music spilling out into the beer garden most weekends.

The river is the headline act and the park sits right on it, so most days begin and end on the water. We loved dropping a line straight from the bank at the back of the park, and the kids will likely be in the river within ten minutes of unpacking. Hire a kayak or SUP from Brunswick Buccaneers, the quirky red boat moored opposite the Hotel Brunswick, and paddle the calm green channels of Simpson's Creek, which turn brilliant turquoise in the middle of the day.

A ten-minute walk delivers you to the patrolled surf at Brunswick Heads Main Beach, while the protected sands of Torakina Beach are a better bet for younger swimmers and snorkellers, with small tropical fish darting through the estuary at the right tide. The riverside walk between them is all pandanus, pelicans and footbridges, and we walked it most evenings for sunset.

In the village, the gorgeously restored Brunswick Picture House blends old-world cinema, live cabaret and indie film and is a perfect rainy afternoon plan. Time your stay with the first Saturday of the month and the Brunswick Heads Market sets up under the trees of Memorial Park beside the river, with around 200 stalls of plants, produce, ceramics and hot food.

When you feel like exploring further afield, Byron Bay is a 20-minute drive south for the lighthouse walk and Wategos, while Mullumbimby's main street is 15 minutes inland for galleries, second-hand bookshops and a slower country pace. The Tweed hinterland and Mount Warning region sit just to the north for a half-day out among the rainforest.

We loved that the park sits within an easy three-minute walk of the village, so morning bakery runs and sunset pub drinks never required moving the car, and the back row of sites along the river is where the locals quietly time their bookings for.