The Bellinger River runs through the heart of the valley and through the town itself, and it is the reason the landscape looks the way it does — lush, green, subtropical, with weeping willows along the banks and swimming holes beneath the old bridge. Swimming in the river on a summer afternoon is one of the simple pleasures of being in Bellingen; the water is clear and cool, and the setting — weeping willows, the old bridge, farmland beyond — is idyllic.
Canoe and kayak hire is available in town for paddling the calmer stretches. The river also supports platypus — the best time to spot them is at dawn or dusk in the quieter bends upstream from town. Upstream from Bellingen, the valley narrows and the river runs through denser forest; day trips by canoe can take you into some beautifully remote country.