Byron Bay Hinterland, New South Wales, Australia Travel Information

While Byron Bay is well known for its glorious beaches and its barefoot style that has made it a favourite holiday destination, in the hills behind the town is a luxuriant patchwork of tropical fruit farms, rainforests, velvet river valleys and World Heritage national parks that were created by the giant Tweed Volcano.

Dominating the region, the spike of Mount Warning is the first point on the Australian mainland to feel the glow of the rising sun, and any moderately fit person should be able to make the two-hour climb to the 1175m summit. Hard up against the Queensland border is the Border Ranges National Park, 31,000 ha of Antarctic beech forests with World Heritage credentials.

To the south is Nightcap National Park, for many years a running sore in relations between loggers and conservationists. One of the best short rainforest walks in the country is the track to Protester's Falls on Terania Creek, which begins in a forest of bangalow palms and crosses the creek to a sheer cliff face where a 30-metre veil of water sprays into a green pool.

Link to accommodation, cottages & bed and breakfasts on the Far North Coast of NSW

These hills are also home to small communities of alternative lifers, the ideological relations of the folk at Nimbin, which became in the 1970s the laboratory for an experimental society that would get back to grass roots living, reinvigorate the human psyche and generally save the planet. Nimbin still wears its long hair, its bells, braid and its slightly outrageous manners with pride. Even if you aren't moved to abandon your creature comforts for life in a yurt, a carrot juice and macrobiotic pie in one of Nimbin’s cafes is an essential North Coast experience.

IMAGINE…spectacular scenery, lush rainforests, hidden waterfalls and soul-soothing tranquillity…an encapsulation of nature as diverse as it is beautiful. Add the quaint hamlets, colourful village markets, winding country lanes with picturesque plantations, antique shops and galleries…and if you can tear yourself away, a short drive will bring you to the beaches, restaurants and the ‘buzz’ of Byron Bay.

The Byron Hinterland offers you a wide range of accommodation. The choice is yours – farmstays, guesthouses, rural homesteads or cottages. Whether they be on a hilltop, in a valley or beside a waterfall, you will be assured of a friendly, country ambience you will remember for years.

Australia’s most easterly point, Byron Bay is now indisputably established as one of the world’s premier tourist destinations and it’s easy to understand why – it simply has so much to offer!

Boasting seven world-class surfing beaches, a spectacular coastline that stretches for 37 kilometres and the sub-tropical beauty of the World Heritage-listed Mt Warning National Park, Byron and its hinterland has a plenitude of natural attractions.

Just as big a drawcard is the gregarious café and restaurant scene that spills out onto the pavements of the plaza-like streets of the town centre. With over 22 types of national cuisine represented in over 125 eating establishments, Byron is not only a gourmet delight but also a cosmopolitan melting pot.

Many too make the pilgrimage to Byron and nearby Nimbin, to experiment with alternate lifestyle options and natural therapies – growing numbers choosing to stay on indefinitely. All this adds to the colour and easy-going atmosphere of the place.

Geography and History

Situated within the Caldera Plate, an old shield volcano created 23 million years ago, the area has a unique geography reminiscent of a tropical island. Rising like a pre-historic beacon from the fertile green slopes around it, Mt Warning is visible from a surprising distance.

Sighted in 1770, the headland where the lighthouse now sits was named Cape Byron by Captain Cook. Later, when Captain Rous discovered the Richmond River in 1828, the bay was charted and selected as a landing spot. Not long after, this site became the first settlement and by the 1800s was a thriving agricultural centre with cedar logging, dairy & pig farming and whaling the primary industries.

After the closure of the whaling station in 1962, Byron Bay’s alternative community evolved, spawning new industries such as eco-tourism, perma-culture, coffee, fishing and macadamias.

Activities and Attractions

With an average temperature of 22° in winter and 27° in summer, the fabulous beaches of Byron Shire are idyllic for swimming, surfing or snorkelling year round. Indeed with such a perfect temperature range, virtually any outdoor act-ivity is possible. Canoeing, rainforest walks, fishing, windsurfing or cycling – to name just a few – can be planned regardless what month of the year you visit.

From May to October, the yearly migration of Hump-back Whales can be observed from the vantage point of Cape Byron Headland. Travelling at around five knots, the whales leave the Antarctic cold in search of food in May, with return sightings again starting in August through till October. While on the Headland, be sure to take one of the coastal tracks that wind their way past Wategos Beach and the lighthouse right out to the eastern tip of Australia’s mainland.

With a flourishing arts community, Byron and the surrounding villages have 18 galleries and craft shops to explore. Make a day of it! Start in town and work your way up into the beautiful hinterland area – be sure to allow sufficient time for Bangalow which not only has terrific art and antique shops but also fantastic food.

For those wanting adventure – sky-diving, hang-gliding and Harley Davidson rides are available. If you have kids in tow (or not), try the full-size circus trapeze at Byron Bay Beach Club.

With 7,500 hectares of unspoilt rainforest at Mt Warning in Byron Bay’s hinterland, a day spent discovering its pristine waterfalls and sub-tropical flora and fauna is not only advisable but essential to a complete ‘Byron Experience’.

With its climate, lifestyle and activities, Byron Bay and its hinterland has become far more than just somewhere to stopover on a trip up the coast – it is now very much the destination.

Byron at a glance

Location - 800km north of Sydney, 200km south of Brisbane
Climate - Perfect! Summer – 27° Winter – 22°
Population - Diverse & cosmopolitan 27, 565 residents of Byron Shire
Attractions - 7 world-class surfing beaches 37km of white sandy beaches, 7,500 ha of rainforest, 125 cafes & restaurants, 18 art galleries
What’s missing? - Traffic lights, High-rise, You!