Byron Bay Travel Guide - Things to see, eat and shop!
I recently came back from a jam-packed trip to Byron Bay and wanted to put together a travel guide for you all on this beautiful, beautiful slice of the Australian Coast.
Byron Bay is one of those places that really gets you and pulls you in, making you want to stay for a long while and never leave. With its gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, carefree beach-side lifestyle, creative energy and love for sustainability, Byron Bay steals my heart again and again.
Here's a guide to this beautiful town, which also happens to be the most easterly point of Australia!
GETTING IN
Byron Bay's closest airport is Ballina Airport, however you may find it easier to take a flight to the more regularly serviced, larger Gold Coast Airport instead and then take a quick 45 minute airport transfer to Byron Bay. This is what I recommend, as flights to Gold Coast often go on sale and transfers to Byron Bay are super easy to get a hold off - we booked our transfers through Klook and had a fabulous drive down Byron. It's about the same price as the bus transfers but are in smaller limousine style vans for a more private and relaxed experience. SUPER recommend.
STAY
There are so many options in Byron Bay - you can stay in anything from a campervan or a caravan park, to something super upmarket like a 5 star resort. For our trip to Byron, we decided to try something in the middle and stayed at the recently opened Byron Palms Guesthouse which just happens to be next to the SPELL flagship boutique (location location, SPELL lovers!)
By the way, you can get 15% off your booking at Byron Palms Guesthouse via their website with 'CONNIE15'!
Byron Palms Guesthouse is a beautiful, intimate property with guest rooms in the main house/building, as well as more private ones scattered at the back of the property. There are multiple common areas in the house for guests to enjoy, including a kitchen where breakfast is served daily and a large pool at the back. It's got such a homely feel, we absolutely loved it here.
CAR HIRE
We decided to hire a car from local business Byron Prestige Car Hire for our trip to Byron because there are just so many beautiful beaches and towns surrounding Byron that we just had to see. Car hire is about $70 a day for a small car and petrol usage is minimal because most things are quite close by with the nearby towns only being a 10-20 min drive away at most.
DRIVING TIPS:
1) PARKING: Parking in Byron is heavily monitored so be sure to follow all parking rules and signs. We unfortunately got a hefty fine whilst visiting Byron Bay Lighthouse at 6am (!) in the morning because car park spaces ran out and we only had half a space left to park in (very sneaky of the council, as there's literally 12 spaces max to park at here). Also, we found Byron Bay to have lots of broken parking meters (pray you don't fined cause you couldn't pay for it), as well as a major lack of car park spaces at major tourist attractions. So do plan ahead!
2) TRAFFIC: We also found Byron Bay to have lots of traffic - it's definitely a place that's grown so busy that the roads simply can't keep up. At times it was faster for us to walk than crawl down the main street in a car. We also found poor adherence to road rules in the town - lots of random U turns in the middle of the road, no indicating, not looking when entering roundabouts etc - so do keep alert.
THINGS TO SEE & DO
Byron Bay Lighthouse
The Byron Bay Lighthouse is possibly the most popular place to visit for tourists! Try to make time for a sunrise or sunset visit, as the lighthouse has beautiful panoramic views from every direction. Do note that the car parks are quite small, so consider taking the walking trail here to save the hassle of finding a car park space.
Fishermans Lookout
Fisherman's Lookout is right at The Pass and a few steps up provides you with the most stunning view of the beach below. The Pass is a really popular place for surfing and the top of Fisherman's Lookout gives a really great vantage point of watching the waves go by.
Do also explore the beach itself, there are heaps of beautiful areas to check out!
Tallow Beach
Tallow Beach is a huge beach that goes on forever! Park at any street / entry to Tallow Beach and you'll likely find yourself with a very private slice of this beautiful coast to enjoy. It's a beautiful place for a picnic, and in the evenings heaps of dog walkers bring their dogs to play. We saw so many cute little dogs including a papillon just like Toro!
Wategos Beach
Another beach to explore is Wategos Beach - yet another beautiful part of the coastline here. Nearby Wategos is Raes, a boutique hotel with restaurant that we were planning to visit but was unfortunately too early for. Do check it out though, as it looks so beautiful and delicious!
Folk Cafe
Near the Arts & Industrial Estate in Byron Bay is a gorgeous little cafe called Folk Cafe. We came here for lunch and sat at the cutest little table out the front. We loved the food here, absolutely delicious with lots of veggie filled options.
Broken Head Nature Reserve
Just around the corner from town is Broken Head Nature Reserve. Over here, there is a stunning trail through the rainforest that leads you along the coastline here with various lookouts to enjoy. To get to the trail, park at the caravan park nearby, then follow the sign for the 3 Sisters Walking track which will take you all the way across to another little beach cove. One of my favourite walking trails here, as it was quite quiet compared to the ones found in Byron Bay Conservation area - which are packed.
Part 2 coming up next!