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Guide · New South Wales coast ·

Byron Bay weekend: beaches, lighthouse and markets

By the Australia Travel Escapes editorial team · Who we are

A Byron Bay weekend can fit a clifftop walk, a beach afternoon and a market. The walk climbs to the most easterly point of the Australian mainland and passes Cape Byron Lighthouse, which was built in 1901. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) listed the hours, tours, fees and facilities at Cape Byron in October 2012, so check them before you go.

Sources for this section: NPWS, Walking; NPWS, Exploring cultural heritage in the park; NPWS, Cape Byron State Conservation Area; NPWS, Fees, conditions, opening hours; NPWS, Visitor centres; NPWS, Guided tours; Byron Community Market website.

Getting to Byron Bay

Wikipedia puts Byron Bay 772 kilometres north of Sydney. The Byron Visitor Centre lists three airports within two hours' drive: Ballina/Byron Bay Gateway, Gold Coast at Coolangatta, and Brisbane. It says shuttle buses take around 35 minutes from Ballina airport and about 40 minutes from the Gold Coast airport. It adds that direct shuttles from Brisbane airport take around two hours.

The centre says the town is just 6 kilometres off the Pacific Highway. Drivers heading south will see the turnoff on the left about 40 minutes south of the Queensland border, it adds. This is Ewingsdale Road, which leads into the heart of town. Coming from the south, you can take the same turnoff or follow the coast road up from Ballina. The centre also says trains no longer run to Byron Bay, though daily rail and coach services still reach it via the town of Casino.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Byron Bay, New South Wales; Byron Visitor Centre, How to Get Here.

The Cape Byron walk, hours and parking

The Cape Byron Walking Track is a 3.7-kilometre loop through Cape Byron State Conservation Area. NPWS rates it medium difficulty and says you need a good two hours to experience it properly. Most of the track is steep, with many steps, though the boardwalk from Captain Cook Lookout to Brooke Drive is accessible for prams and wheelchairs. NPWS describes the clockwise walk in four stages:

Added up, those stages come to 3.5 kilometres and 70 minutes of walking, less than NPWS's 3.7 kilometres and a good two hours.

The track climbs Cape Byron, which NPWS says its Aboriginal custodians traditionally call Walgun. NPWS says Cape Byron has spiritual, cultural and historical significance for the Bundjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) Aboriginal people. They care for the conservation area in partnership with NPWS and the Cape Byron Trust, under joint management.

The conservation area is open from 8am to sunset, though NPWS says it may close in poor weather or fire danger. The NPWS visitor centre at the lighthouse, on Lighthouse Road, is open from 9:30am to 4:30pm seven days a week, except Christmas Day. Its phone number is 02 6685 5955.

The Maritime Museum, in the former lighthouse keeper's office at the base of the lighthouse, is open from 10am to 4pm daily. NPWS says its staff run lighthouse tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with extra Saturday tours in NSW school holidays. Ask the visitor centre whether Saturday tours are running. NPWS also lists 20-minute tours with volunteer guides, subject to availability.

NPWS says fees are charged at several of the conservation area's car parks. Its fees page lists a vehicle entry fee of $7 an hour for cars at the lighthouse. It lists fees of $2 an hour at Captain Cook Lookout, The Pass and Tallow Beach.

Sources for this section: NPWS, Walking; NPWS, Aboriginal heritage; NPWS, Fees, conditions, opening hours; NPWS, Visitor centres; NPWS, Guided tours.

Whales, beaches and the water

NPWS says humpback whales make their annual migration between May and November, so July is inside that window. It says the walking track has great places to watch for them. Its climate page calls Cape Byron a great spot to watch for whales in winter, from June to August, and says to remember binoculars.

For the beach, NPWS suggests The Pass, Wategos or Palm Valley. It calls Wategos a sheltered cove where you can watch surfers and bottlenose dolphins ride waves into shore. NPWS also lists diving, snorkelling and kayaking, with or without a guide.

Sources for this section: NPWS, Walking; NPWS, Climate; NPWS, Cape Byron State Conservation Area.

Markets and food

The Byron Community Market is held at Butler Street Reserve on the first Sunday of each month. It is also held on the third Sunday in November, December and January. Earlier this week, its website listed Sunday 7 July as the next market and said it was on. The site told visitors to check the market's Facebook page for the latest updates. The market is open from 8am to 3pm, and animals are not allowed on the market grounds.

The Byron Visitor Centre says the Byron Bay Farmers' Market is on Thursday mornings. That is outside a Saturday and Sunday weekend. The centre also lists a Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings in Bangalow. For a bite to eat at the cape, NPWS lists the Cape Café, with panoramic views.

Sources for this section: Byron Community Market website; Byron Visitor Centre, Markets; NPWS, Cape Byron State Conservation Area.

A simple two-day plan

On Saturday, start at Captain Cook Lookout around 9am and walk the loop clockwise. NPWS's stage times put the lighthouse about 50 minutes in, close to the time the Maritime Museum opens at 10am. Allow a good two hours in all, look for whales on the way, and spend the afternoon at The Pass or Wategos.

On Sunday 7 July, the first Sunday of the month, go to the Byron Community Market in Butler Street Reserve. The market runs from 8am to 3pm.

NPWS says the conservation area may close in poor weather or fire danger. Check the Fires and closures notice on its website before you drive up, or call the visitor centre once it opens at 9:30am.

Sources for this section: NPWS, Walking; NPWS, Fees, conditions, opening hours; NPWS, Visitor centres; NPWS, Cape Byron State Conservation Area; Byron Community Market website.

Sources

  1. NPWS, Cape Byron State Conservation Area: archived page
  2. NPWS, Exploring cultural heritage in the park: archived page
  3. NPWS, Walking: archived page
  4. NPWS, Fees, conditions, opening hours: archived page
  5. NPWS, Visitor centres: archived page
  6. NPWS, Guided tours: archived page
  7. NPWS, Aboriginal heritage: archived page
  8. NPWS, Climate: archived page
  9. Byron Visitor Centre, How to Get Here: archived page
  10. Byron Visitor Centre, Markets: archived page
  11. Byron Community Market, home page: archived page
  12. Wikipedia, Byron Bay, New South Wales: archived page