Yamba, NSW 2464

Perfectly good spot to spend your advancing years. There's more than enough to do and keep you occupied, and you can swim and go walking most of the year. Getting doctors appointments can be difficult, but that's the only con, and is a problem seen in most country towns. We don't know many people with young families, but there's plenty of schools etc here too.

We moved back after many years away. Hasn’t changed that much which was/is good, as we are close to retiring. Great coastal walks, bush land and scenery. Good choice of eating out and restaurants. Neighbours are quiet but friendly.
Weather is warm most of the year, and a mild winter. Good for arthritis issues.
The town can close off during heavy rain/ floods, but this is only a minor inconvenience.
Certainly would recommend it as a great place to live and play.

Unless you’ve lived here more than 10 yrs the people are not welcoming. It’s sad as the place is gorgeous .. some (some) of the people spoil it due to their unwelcoming behaviours My immediate neighbours are a prime example

Wonderful scenery - the Clarence River is a beauty, the beaches are superb, the views from most everywhere spectacular.
Great climate - OK the 3 summer months are a bit humid but winter is to die for (I've never needed a heater), spring and autumn are warm and sunny. However, when it rains it really rains, 10 inches in a day isn't that unusual, and low-lying areas flood, occasionally the town gets cut off as it only has one access road.
Poor public infrastructure - even though rates are very high the water supply is periodically poor and many buy their drinking water. Local roads are a problem, there is only one road in and out and it is really stretched during peak tourist periods where the towns population trebles. Police presence is inadequate even though crime is low, more often than not you wait if you need a policeman. Medical facilities are OK GP-wise, but local hospitals in Maclean and Grafton are limited in expertise and equipment, if you're really sick it's Lismore or the Gold Coast. If you need public transport to get around you'll find life difficult.
Sport and leisure - the golf course is magnificent, the bowling club very well patronised (it even has a ten pin bowling alley), sports fields for rugby league and union, cricket, gyms, annual triathlon, surfing, deep sea and river fishing, the list goes on and on. Two of the best sited pubs in the land, quality and reasonable restaurants, bowling and golf clubs, an upmarket backpackers hostel, dozens of indoor/outdoor cafes, a cinema, a thriving U3A, Wires animal rescue, bridge and euchre clubs, etc.
Employment - plenty of work for the skilled, all tradesmen, professionals such as doctors, dentists, vets, accountants, lawyers, optometrists, physios, a thriving tourist and hospitality sector, and quality aged care hostels..
Schooling - state and catholic primary schools, high school in Maclean, Tafe offering limited courses, good library facilities.
Shopping - a reasonably sized Coles supermarket, butchers, bakers, clothing stores, post office, telecoms, IT, alcohol outlets, half a dozen service stations, travel agent, newsagents, reject shops, shoe shops, and a large industrial centre with furniture and floor covering, hardware, paints, boat building, engineering, etc.
Cost of living - food is reasonable, fuel a bit expensive, ocean and riverfront real estate expensive.

In summary, I wouldn't live anywhere else but it's a horses for courses thing. If you aren't sporty, don't like the outdoors and can't cope with mass tourism in peak season the town isn't for you. If you want to change the place into a metropolis, a 'jobs and growth' precinct, then you'd be better off living in a big city because most locals resist 'progress'.

One of my favorite places in the world. The town, although small, is rife with activities and beaches, and fun things to do. There's a cute little movie theater, wonderful shops, lots of new 'hipster' cafes and restaurants. There's icecream and fudge shops and surf shops galore. Perfect for laid back, beach lovers who dont want to be mixed up with the city mumbo-jumbo. NO CONS THAT IVE EVER SEEN

Multiple patrolled beaches both for surfing and relaxing, two cinemas in town plus surf brand shops and designer clothes stores along the main strip. The best frozen yogurt shop ever!
Country clubs, golf courses, swimming pools, pubs and lawn bowl competitions for visiting families. The people are the most friendly and humorous you'll meet anywhere.
Dozens of restaurants, plus the hotel/pub overlooking the main beach and the kiosk literally metres from the sand. We enjoy Yamba every year we visit.

The beautiful beachside town of Yamba is now going to be spoilt by the construction of a 115 seat McDonalds restaurant with Drive-Thru at 7 Treelands Drive, Yamba.

4,000 people petitioned and wrote to the local Council saying they were against it but they approved it anyway. What a shame. I hope all visitors to Yamba will continue to support the local cafes and eateries and ignore this ugly American food giant.

We have family in Yamba and consider moving down there for the beaches and relaxed life style. Drawback is that it is difficult to earn a good income in the area. Local apartments and caravan parks are excellent value and we always have lots of fun down there. Lots of retirees....

If you love the beach, Yamba is the place for you. Still affordable, Yamba is how small beach towns used to be. On the down side it is not convenient to shops and medical facillities. Still a wonderful place to live, and I am sure in time, Yamba will grow and in time these facilities will be made available

Loved Yamba & wish we could continue to live there. We bought our first home & are now renting it out due to family reasions we had to move. Have many beautiful memories there. A great place to live but the only down fall is work. I had a great job & positon but without that role it would of been hard for me to find something as good or challenging. If you have work under control than you are set for a great lifestyle in Yamba. Great for day visits to other local coastal areas that are more populated. It was always nice to visit other areas but it was a good feeling to return home to Yamba.
Being a small town that is so beautiful is really not enough for the general population. It has low job opportunties, this means that you may put up with positions due to the fact you don't have many other job opportunities. The medical facilities can not provide for the growth of the town which means if you are only needing to see a doctor once in a while than it is hard to get in for an appointment. Public transport to other major towns are not the best service & you could do with a regular shuttle bus to the closest air port Graften or even Ballina. Police stop work at a certain time during the night & our closest headquaters is in Graften. You have to way up the pro's & the cons.
The question is would I return to live there one day? Well yes I would like to think I would.

I see reviews raving about Yamba are by people who have visited for holidays - I guess it's a case of 'the grass is always greener'?
Reality bit us hard on Saturday night when a large group of noisy party-goers rained bricks and rocks at police officers attending a noise complaint and setting fire to their paddy wagon, causing in the vicinity of $50,000 in vehicular damage. The local officers who attended the initial complaint called re-inforcements from other regional stations & as a result over a dozen people were arrested, both minors and adults (one was 50 years of age).
Sure, every town & city has it's problems, but police presence in Yamba is spread very thinly here. In a region with about 20,000 residents there are only around 12 officers to service it. Living in a fast-growing township where facilities and services are over-stretched by demand for same, average income lower than state average, high unemployment with few work opportunities, coupled with sea-changers moving in from elsewhere to retire with their disposable income & fancy cars demanding modern housing with a water view & all mod-cons all makes for a potential recipe for disaster.
'No alcohol zones' are posted around town but do nothing to stop people walking along residential streets anytime day or night drinking alcohol. Just stand outside the local bottle shop & see how many people come out sucking on a beer and get in their car & drive off with it in one hand. The weekly 'police report' cites mostly charges for DUI, driving without a licence, ignoring curfew or bail conditions and violations of restraining orders. Only time for containment rather than preventative measures. A drug clean-up in Byron area only moved operations south to the Clarence Valley. Our mental health services are virtually non-existant and I agree with another reviewer about lack of medical and specialists help. Many of my older neighbours have been forced to move back to the cities for even basic assistance.
MP Steve Cansdell is currently petitioning for a 24 hour police presence in Yamba, following a recent armed robbery. This cannot come soon enough for most residents and our local constabulary.
In spite of it all, Yamba is blessed by many beaches, much bushland and bountiful birdlife. By all means please visit and enjoy your holiday but be aware we may face more challenges than where you live and this most recent 'incident' is devastating for Australias No.1 towns residents.

We have had three years holidaying in Yamba from Sydney and each year gets better. Although it's an 8 hour drive (including stops) it's well worth the effort. If you prefer to fly, Ballina/Byron airport is only 1hr 15min away and both Jetstar and Virgin Blue operate daily services during the summer months and holiday periods.
There are five main beaches in Yamba which offer safe swimming for families with both Main and Pippie beaches having surf life saving patrols during the summer holidays.
Eating out is great, with a variety of excellent restaurants offering a good range of cuisines.
Various cafe's situated in the town centre provide a very pleasant way to rest in between retail therapy expeditions.
Being only a two hour drive from the Gold Coast and three hours from Brisbane, this little town is becoming increasingly popular for holiday makers and retirees alike.
Highly recommended!!!

#1 town in Australia according to an Aussie caravan & camping magazine in 2009 Yamba is a small town wanting to stay that way. That's great, but don't think of retiring here if you need any regular medical attention - you'll have to make the regular pilgramage to the Gold Coast or Brisbane like many other residents.
There are 13 different types of sandflies here too - just ask the full-time researcher based in Iluka across the river - not to mention the mossies which will carry you away if you're not careful (no council mossie controls here). Local pharmacists tell horror stories of hordes of hapless tourists trapped at the Calypso Caravan Park et al..
Like gourmet foods? With a small Bi-Lo supermarket (who discontinued most of the antipasto & 'entertaining' foodstuff lines prior to Xmas-what the?) you'll be hard-pressed to purchase most things readily available to residents of the 'big smoke'. You will also get sick of paying a 'premium' on your grocery items - (e.g prices at Coles Grafton are up to $1.10 less for a $10 item than in Yamba and 20-40 cents more for each gorcery item is not uncommon). At only 14 klms from the Pacific Highway you have to ask yourself - WHY???
Fresh fruit & veg in the country? Don't count on it - the fruiterer that has the monopoly on the fruit outlets here & in nearby Maclean purchase mostly seconds from Brisbane Markets and sell them for premium prices. Your option is a 1 1/4 hours drive (each way) to do a fortnightly shop like many locals do at Grafton or Ballina.
TV, phone and internet reception are compromised here regardless of your provider. Mobile coverage? You'll be lucky - stand outside & point to the stars (of which there are many & the skies are mercifully clear, free of planes (nearest regional airports are at Coffs Harbour or Ballina).
Electricity outages are extremely common - on & off maybe 4 times in a 24 hour period on a bad day - just enough to really bugger up your fridge motor etc. (those surge control power boards are a must here!)
Wildlife abounds, yet unfortunately shore-based fishing is a miss-more than hit activity.
Yet rents & housing prices are more in keeping with better serviced parts of east-coast Oz -coast Oz - (maybe trading on the #1 town publicity?)
In reality there are few facilities/infra-structure in Yamba & surrounds with above average unemployment rate & lower income rate than state/national average for this sized town.
You've got to love a town that has no Xmas stamps for Xmas, is the home of the famous Yamba prawn when the local fishermen voluntarily cease fishing weeks earlier each year due to decreasing prawn stocks, where the price of petrol stays the same for months on end regardless of fluctuating prices (so much for buying mid-week) and where authorities assistance is based on who you know rather than what the actual situation is.
And that goes for most residents - don't think you'll be welcomed with open arms by the locals - they are wary of the 'blow-ins' from all over and tend to keep to themselves - regardless of how you throw yourselves into the local community activities. Someone we know waited 2 years to be invited for a meal and then it was us that invited them - and we were (newish) residents!
Nevertheless, should you choose to move here you will undoubtedly be inundated with visitors wanting to experience the #1 town in Australia...until next year that is....

Yamba is a great tourist destination on the far north coast of NSW. Yamba is seven hours north of Sydney and only three hours south of Brisbane and is situated on the Clarence River. There are some fantastic beaches to suits the surfer or family. Fishing is very popular and good catches are possible from the beach, rocks or boat. Yamba has some great accommodation options including caravan parks and motels as well as guest houses and B& B’s. There is plenty of shopping and some good restaurants. There is a golf course, bowling greens, swimming pool etc plus a cinema, arts and crafts and natural attractions such as whale watching and the nearby National Parks.