Wind through the sugarcane fields of South Ballina and Sugar Beach Ranch feels increasingly removed from the everyday.

Spread across 60 acres at Keith Hall, this private beachfront property combines open paddocks, native bushland, abundant wildlife and direct access to South Ballina Beach, creating what the family behind the ranch calls "Nature's Playground."

Guests can stay in self-contained two-bedroom bungalows, choose secluded camping or bring their own horse for a coastal horse stay. A 15-metre heated magnesium pool adds another place to unwind, while the beach, dunes and surrounding landscape provide plenty of reasons to simply slow the pace.

Horses are central to the ranch's story. The Murphy family brings more than 30 years of horsemanship experience, and today the property offers equine wellness experiences alongside Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning delivered with an experienced certified practitioner.

Wellness retreats bring together horse-human connection, nature, meditation, yoga and other restorative experiences, while the property can also host team wellbeing days, corporate experiences, weddings, intimate elopements, photoshoots and productions.

There's a strong conservation story running through the ranch too, with regenerative planting, wildlife habitat protection and environmental initiatives forming part of its longer-term vision.

Around 40 minutes from Byron Bay, Sugar Beach Ranch is somewhere to stay, gather, retreat or reconnect — a coastal sanctuary where the paddocks eventually give way to the sea.