Byron Bay

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If you are travelling north, Oz Experience will stop in Byron Bay only to pick up and drop off travellers.

If you are travelling south, Byron Bay is an overnight stop for the bus.

Byron Bay is the type of place that most of our travellers spend at least a few days.

Book your accommodation early in summer and at peak times (Easter) to ensure yourself a bed.

Oz Experience recommends:

Nimbin day tour with Jim's Alternative Tours
Tandem Sky Dive over the beautiful Byron Bay coastline
Staying at Backpackers Holiday Village or The Arts Factory

Related Passes:

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Byron Bay's Photos (Randomly taken from Flickr)

Byron Bay [1] is a coastal town on the far North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales, located just off the Pacific Highway, approximately 800 km north of Sydney and 175 km south of Brisbane. Nearby Cape Byron is the easternmost point on the Australian mainland.

[Edit] Destination Info

You can't miss spending a few days in Byron Bay, mainland Australia’s most Easterly point. It is a small, relaxed seaside town where locals enjoy a variety of alternative lifestyles - it's the sort of place you will easily find yourself staying a while at as you discover more and more. There is a number of ways to travel to Byron Bay. From Sydney you can travel by plane, coach or bus and from Brisbane the best option is coach. An alternative is to take one of the many surfing or backpacker tours along the east coast. BackpackerTravel has a number of options for both the independent traveller and for people wanting to travel in a group.

[Edit] Stuff you need to know

How to get around There is no regular public transport within Byron Bay - it's not really needed as the town is quite small. Most destinations within the bay are walkable, including The Lighthouse Walk. The Byron Shire Council has installed parking ticket machines, with the fee being $2 per hour.

Bring your id out with you in Byron - all clubs and pubs will want to see it.
Currents can be quite strong on all beaches so watch lifeguard's warnings closely

[Edit] Things to do:

Surfing

Byron Bay has some of the best surf in Oz with a variety of beaches within the town limits. It has occupied the imagination of Australians for many years for its climate, lifestyle and warm water.

Byron Main, the best-known beach in Byron, usually has smaller waves which break close to shore. At the southern end of Byron Main beach lies the Pass. The Pass can be very crowded, along with Byron Main on summer days but is perfect for long boarding with wide rollers that go forever. Watego's Beach is just around the corner from the Pass and Byron Main. It is somewhat hidden from view, lying on the north side of the Byron point. Watego's has a cult longboarder crowd because its waves generally don't have enough push as other breaks. It generally has smaller surf than the Pass. The surf runs west towards Byron Main and takes a bit more skill to paddle out to than the Pass or the main beach. The Pass is always crowded when the winds or swell are right, and because of the easy paddle it has a lot of beginners which can make it very dangerous with wayward boards. Tallow's Beach is the least known and least used Byron beach for those who don't surf. Tallow's Beach is on the south side of the Byron headland, is very long and has a variety of breaks along its length. The surf is generally larger as most swells go straight into it. It is very uncommon to see tourists along this beach because the only place from which it can be seen in Byron is the top of the Byron headland.

It is not uncommon to surf among pods of common dolphins as the evening winds down in Byron, especially if you are surfing Watego's or the Pass.

Diving and snorkeling

Byron Bay has some of New South Wales's best scuba diving. Most diving is at Julian Rocks, only five minutes off shore. The depths around Julian Rocks are 5-25 meters, and it's suitable for snorkeling.

There are many interesting bars in the evening and Cheeky Monkeys Party Restaurant is a favourite of Oz Ex buses that have just arrived.
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival [2]. Held at Byron Bay each Easter.
Splendour in the Grass Music Festival [3]. Alternative to mainstream festival over 2 days in July (winter) each year.
Schoolies in Late November/Early December celebrating school leavers from across Australia

[Edit] Free Stuff

Go to the Lighthouse for sunrise (the first place in Australia each day to see the sun rise) or laze on the beach
Enjoy one of the best surf beaches on the East Coast where dolphins are frequently spotted off the coast.