You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more colorful or happening joint on the Aussie coast. Seriously. We're talking part hippie digs, part funky surfer town, part backpacker hangout, and hugely artsy, foodie and outdoorsy, all at once. You can splash on Belongil or Main Beach amid browning beach-goers, or, just to the west, hang in the buff with kindred spirits at Tyagarah Beach, or catch some surf off The Pass near the south end of Clarks Beach, or even climb into a restored lighthouse on the cape for a grand, visual sweep of the ocean. In the center of town, on Jonson Street, the main drag, and the surrounding and offshoot streets there, you can browse in a jumble of shops and galleries, maybe slip into a café for a piece of Aussie-style avocado toast and a glass of Hunter Valley Sémillon, or, heck, dive into one of the bars or clubs to groove to some bluesy live music. So, yeah, thumbs up!