A Few Days in Byron Bay

Byron Bay has lots of highlights, good food, great beaches, scenic walking and the most easterly point of Australia. Anything goes in Byron so amongst other activities you can hang glide, surf, have a massage or go for some crystal healing, the possibilities are endless.

Quick Tips:

Book your accomodation in advance - this place packs out quickly particularly in the summer. Book your seat on the bus too - when I was there, it was the height of the summer and people with open ended tickets just couldn't get a seat on any of the long distance buses.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking or cycling are your best methods of transport as it's nose to tail cars on the main street and parking is impossible.

Arriving in Byron - the best options are by bus or train there are several a day from most major cities including Sydney and Brisbane, Surfer's Paradise etc.

This YHA hostel is one of 2 in Byron. The other is called Jay's Place and is just around the corner. The hostel is close to Main Beach and is very handy for the town too. The hostel has free bikes and boogie boards for you to borrow though you have to leave a deposit. The hostel also has a BBQ each week - as much as you can eat for $10. The kitchen area is quite small but the dining area is high in the trees and overlooking the heated swimming pool! The staff are really helpful, the dorms and bathrooms are spotlessly clean. There is also internet access and a room to lock your bags in for those hours when you're waiting for the bus !

A good choice of food available here and some intersting pizza combinations. I had a four seasons pizza - a quarter ham & pineapple, a quarter Vegetable & garlic, a quarter pepperoni and a quarter Chilli mince and onion. It was delicious ! I also a starter of garlic bread, which was large and very garlicky. A very enjoyable meal and although a little pricey, worth the extra.

The large white lighthouse can be seen on top of the cape for miles and is worth a visit. Not just because the lighthouse was built in 1901 and is still one of the most powerful lighthouses in the southern hemisphere, but because the view is incredible. On the road up to the lighthouse there is a great view down the coast over Tallow Beach. You can take the pretty walk through the woodland to the lighthouse - it's quite steep in places so be prepared. Once at the lighthouse there are some basic amenities, toilets, shop etc. Then there is the walk behind the lighthouse down to the sea - passing the most easterly point of Australia, it's easy to miss if you're not paying attention but there is a large compass on the ground near the spot. Look out for dolphins and depending on the season, humpback whales. You also stand a good chance of seeing wallabies and a host of bird life.

I rented a car for the day - Byron Bay is full of places to rent from - sadly the only place that had a car left was Hertz at $70 for the day and a far bigger car than I wanted...but still I'm on holiday ! The tourist information centres and infact the hostels all have details of the best places to rent cars - some have discount deals dependant on where you are staying, others supply lots of maps and discounts on petrol.

I set out from Byron for the 10 minute drive to Bangalow, which has pretty craft shops and lots of antique shops. Then it was on to Clunes, Bexhill and a stop at Lismore. Lismore has a good tourist information centre on Ballina Street, where I picked up a map and some leaflets. The Wilson River runs through Lismore making it very pretty but it was too busy to stop for long.

After getting a bit lost (not the map's fault just the driver's), I headed out to Woodlawn, Numulgi and Dunoon - all small but pleasant places that I passed straight through, before finding a small road leading to Rocky Creek Dam. Much to my surprise it was almost deserted, with just me and an eldery couple there. There are BBQ facilities, good bathroom facilities and some great walks around and across the dam it's self. The area is very picturesque and peaceful. I ate my picnic here on the picnic tables with cheeky kookaburras who tried to share it !

Back on the road and it's off to Whian Whian State Forest. The road is beautiful with the forest either side - you can't race as not all the road is sealed, but who would want to with scenery like this ? In Nightcap National Park I stopped for a quick hike into the forest - there are lots of signposts and maps as well as water taps at the top of trails.

Back down the road and you come to Minyon Falls which should be 97m high waterfalls, however it was summer and they had dried up. I did come a bit too close to a rather large goanna though and there were lots of other lizards running around. After stopping to help an overheated car it was back to Dunoon for ice cream at what appeared to be the only store in the town.

There is so much to see and do around Byron Bay that I could easily have spent a week here, sadly time was of the essence and a day's touring was all I could fit in.

I'd advise anyone to take some time to explore the local area and visit the local forests and parks, they're very relaxing after the bustle of Byron. Also if you're going to try parking a vehicle back in Byron - you're not likely to manage it - at least not legally - I returned the car early rather than have to worry about it.