Byron Bay is situated on the north coast of New South Wales, on the most easterly point of Australia, and is approximately 800km north of Sydney and 200km south of Brisbane. The town is nestled among beautiful beaches and surrounded by lush unspoilt hinterland, and rests by a magnicent headland, home to the Cape Byron Lighthouse.

Byron Bay offers a relaxed coastal lifestyle, and with its ecclectic array of bars, restaurants, cafés and shops, set in this place of superb natural beauty, it is a popular destination for Australian and international tourists, backpackers and travellers alike.

Byron Bay has a gorgeous climate with average temperatures of 21C - 28C in summer and 15C - 21C in winter, making it the perfect place to enjoy outdoor activities all year round - such as surfing, swimming, diving, kayaking, hang-gliding or just relaxing on or walking along the beach.

Byron Bay is home to a number of great festivals and events, including the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, the largest blues festival in Australia, and Splendour In The Grass. During the winter months (June-August), whales making their yearly migration north can be seen swimming past Byron making it a favourite destination for whale watchers and wildlife lovers. Julian Rocks, which is situated two kilometers off shore in the Bay offers some of the best SCUBA Diving Australia has to offer. With tropical and temperate currents converging it is one of the top spots to dive with leopard sharks, grey nurse sharks and a variety of sea turtles.

Byron Bay History

Byron Bay was originally called 'Cavvanba' by the Bunjalung people, who are the traditional indigenous custodians of the area. It was the common territory at the junction of this large group's northern and southern tribes, the Minjangbal and the Arakwal. Some of the first permanent white settlers in the Byron region where the early cedar cutters during the 1860s. It wasn't long before the post office was established and a 1320-foot jetty was completed at the end of Jonson Street, both in 1888, and soon Byron Bay became a busy shipping centre for transporting timber and agricultural products. In 1894 the town's name was changed from Cavanbah to Byron Bay and the railway line between Lismore and Murwillumbah opened. The Norco operation produced its first butter in 1895 - Byron Bay Butter. The lighthouse was opened in late 1901.

Official records state that the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club began in 1907. The club celebrated 100 years of serving its community in late 2006, making it the oldest regional surf club in Australia. In 1954 a cyclone demolished half of the jetty, along with the local fishing fleet, and flooded parts of the town. This also destroyed the fishing industry in Byron. Butter and meat where major industries at this time.

In 1954 whaling became an important industry in Byron, however within 8 years whale numbers had plummeted and the industry came to an end. This was followed by campaigns to save whales, and soon afterwards Byron became a popular place for whale watching. The last butter was made at the Norco factory in 1972. Produce such as tropical fruit, macadamia and tea tree plantations began to replace the dairy industry. In 1973 students and hippies flocked to the area for the Aquarius Festival, and many never left. New settlers and alternate lifestylers began to repopulate the area.