Byron Bay (Australia)

...This year I was in Byron Bay on December 25th, a place where wonderful weather and places being open every day of the year are the least of the differences.

Byron Bay is a 2 hour drive from Brisbane, and is just over the state line in New South Wales, meaning that for 6 months of the year there's a time difference with Queensland. It's a popular destination for natives and foreigners, and has many different faces: chilled beach resort, ...
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We were in Byron for 4 days and had planned for it to be our down time - I met up with a few friends who had also been travelling Australia so we could celebrate together, and our plans stretched not much further than 'Find pool. Find beach. Unpack bathers. Enjoy' but despite our best intentions we did end up fitting in a few activities.

Before Byron I'd tried surfing once with little success. I put it down to the Sydney weather ... more

How did you spend Christmas this year? Mine was pretty usual. I went for a walk on the beach as I always do. I ate too much, again as per usual. I indulged in present giving and receiving. But this year I also went out for a pancake breakfast, did a little shopping, had a massage and a spell in a flotation tank and lazed by a pool until gone midnight, dressed only in bathers and a Santa hat. This year I was in Byron Bay on December 25th, a place where wonderful weather and places being open every day of the year are the least of the differences.

Byron Bay is a 2 hour drive from Brisbane, and is just over the state line in New South Wales, meaning that for 6 months of the year there's a time difference with Queensland. It's a popular destination for natives and foreigners, and has many different faces: chilled beach resort, hippy hang out, hip MTV socialite town, backpacker Mecca. Not bad for a place that is on the small side and doesn't have that an extensive range of attractions.

We were in Byron for 4 days and had planned for it to be our down time - I met up with a few friends who had also been travelling Australia so we could celebrate together, and our plans stretched not much further than 'Find pool. Find beach. Unpack bathers. Enjoy' but despite our best intentions we did end up fitting in a few activities.

Before Byron I'd tried surfing once with little success. I put it down to the Sydney weather (raining), the water temperature (freezing), the gear (half wetsuits, pre-moistened for our (dis)pleasure) and the instructor (con man / pervert). My lesson in Byron, however, was much better. My friend Jen and I went with STYLE SURFING for a 3.5 hour lesson at Tallow Beach where we donned thin t-shirts, grabbed our boards and were soon riding the waves. Byron has several such schools, probably all similar, but this one was certainly good, with fun instructors who knew what they were talking about, a beautiful setting and perfect waves, plus an in-water photographer to capture our best moments - quite a feat where I was involved as my surfing technique leaves a lot to be desired, and snapping me in the 2 seconds when my bum is not in the air, downward dog style, takes skill. Lessons cost $60, including pickup from accommodation in the town, and we had a fab time.

The most easterly place in Australia, Byron offers fantastic sunrises which, while beautiful, are also extremely early in the day. With this in mind, and realising correctly that few people are human at that time of the morning, our hostel took matters out of our hands, offering us a $5 fully organised trip. Leaving at 5.30am we drove up to the famous lighthouse, collapsed on the grass and waited for the sun to do its thing. An hour later we were back in bed. Perfect.

The beaches in Byron, of which there are several, are beautiful with soft sand and stinger free water meaning you can swim in the sea in peace, just keeping one eye open for sharks. The main beach is crowded at weekends but is the one with the best surf patrols so a good option for weak swimmers for those who have a tendency to drown. The waves are strong here, and though so is my swimming, there were a few times I was swept along against my will. It was here in Byron that, through necessity, I perfected the under-water-boob-check, glancing down to ensure everything supposed to be encased in my bikini still was before I stood up out of the water after a good thrashing. Good thing too as more often than not it wasn't, and the water was generally crowded so forgoing this check could have resulted in an embarrassment known forever more as Nipplegate 2005.

Byron has many spas and resorts dotted around although most of these are somewhat makeshift and cobbled together. We went to Relax Haven at the Belongil Beachhouse on Christmas day, and despite the rather unorthodox surroundings, the treatments were good, even if I did get my wrist slapped for gracing the massage table with sandy ankles by the English masseur who spoke with a fake sounding breathy voice.

We ate out most nights, never at the same place, and never had a bad meal. Prices ranged from the usual to a little more than my regular haunts in Coogee, but were still cheap by English standards. The pizza place near Woolworths can be recommended, as can the ice cream place on Johnson St, though the Chocolate 'factory' was disappointing. Byron had a mix of shops, selling everything from art to souvenirs, from beads to books. There were 2 supermarkets - a large Woolworths and a smaller 5 Star supermarket, and a selection of bakers, so picnics on the beach were easy to throw together. Byron also has 2 cinemas, one showing new films on day of release, and numerous bars and pubs featuring live music.

Flying to Byron is cheap with the new budget airlines' routes - both Coolongatta and Ballina are within easy reach, and I flew from the latter to Sydney for £35 on boxing day - my preference over the 13 hour bus trip my friends were doing. There is a Greyhound stop in time and Oz Experience also stop here on several tours.

I hadn't heard much about Byron before I got there and my knowledge was limited to the fact that it had a nice beach or two. What I didn't know, however, was how much of a hippy feel the town has, influenced by the pot capital of New South Wales, Nimbin, an hour and a bit away. However this impacts a stay in Byron as little or as much as you want it to, and you can have a 'normal', un-themed beach holiday here easily if that's what you're after. There is a good mix of accommodation including many self catering house and apartment rentals and upmarket (=expensive) hotels, and hostels are only a bit more in larger places - I paid the same as normal but here it was for a 4 bedded dorm with the others rather than a room of my own. I might not rush back to Byron for the simple reason that there's not all that much to do here beyond chilling on the beach, but it was a beautiful town and a fantastic, unique place to spend Christmas. Definitely worth visiting once in your life, and if I lived close by - say in Brisbane - I'd happily frequent it as my local beach in summer months.

 

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