Big River
Northern NSW is endowed with some big rivers, bigger than anywhere else in the dry continent of Australia. Of these, the Clarence River is the biggest, most navigable and most easily accessible. The bar is a little tricky with only 2.9m over it if you follow the leads (we did on the way in but it was calm and we will probably go north of the leads on the way out to stay in deeper water). Leads in so many places here are only a reference; once you acquire a little local knowledge you can just use them as a rough guide. They provide a simple line of attack and do not necessarily guide you over the safest water.
At the Yamba Sailing Club we were seriously advised to do a pub crawl from Yamba to Ulmarra in order to appreciate the river, and there is truly no better way to enjoy this beautiful, broad watercourse. Drink water if you must, but stop at the hotels! They are great examples of friendly Australian country pubs and most serve excellent food. To top it off they all have a free public jetty virtually at their front door, and most of these jetties are brand new floating pontoons, some even with water and electricity. This is the only place I have ever encountered with such wonderful hospitality for passing boats.
See the gallery photos here.