A beach town with a chilled out, hippie vibe right next to the sea seemed like a good place for the first stop in my trip up Australia’s east coast. Deemed everything from a gypsy’s paradise to a town of lost souls, Byron Bay is one of those places where you plan to stay for a couple of days and find yourself still there weeks later.
With only five days to experience the town, I booked my stay as close to the beach as I could possibly get – a hostel called Backpackers Inn on the Beach – which was just a two minute stroll down a sandy trail to the beach. Clean, friendly, a small pool in the back and hammocks for lazing the days away, I was happy to make it my home for the week.
The town itself is one full of character and a welcoming atmosphere. Cafes and small shops selling a variety of flowy, beachy, tie-dyed clothing line the streets. Artists have their handmade jewelry set up on the sidewalks and there is a line outside of the teeny tiny Spice cafe – people eagerly waiting for their coffee or a Byron Bay “Famous Brownie”.
As afternoons grew into evenings, cafes became bars and it was easy to spend the hours of 4pm to 7pm hopping from one happy hour special to another. Balcony Bar & Oyster Co. to begin and then off to Sticky Wicket was typical. At that point, it would be time to hit up what I can only describe as a classic dirty backpacker bar, Cheeky Monkeys, for their free or half-priced backpacker dinners and $5 pints.
After spending four months working in Sydney I was very happy to spend my my days here wandering the town, making good use of the beach and catching up with friends who also happened to be in town. On one adventure filled day, I did a great snorkel at Julian Rocks – a popular snorkel and dive spot just a five minute boat ride from the shores of Byron Bay.
Julian Rocks is a treasure chest of beautiful sea life. As soon as we jumped into the water we were treated with a spotted eagle ray floating along the sea floor, who stayed for just a second before disappearing. We saw plenty of colorful fish, starfish, coral and two turtles who stuck around for quite a while.
Hiding in the rocks at the bottom were a number of gentle wobbogong sharks who would come out for a swim every so often. If you’re really lucky you may even spot something bigger, like the leopard shark that had been recently frequenting the area.
My days ended roughly the same way every evening. The sunsets on the beach in Byron were sometimes my only activity planned out for the day and at each one you can follow the beat of the drums to to check out the drum circle at the main beach – a space where locals and visitors can come together to play, to dance, to enjoy. The drumming circle really seems to embody the essence of what Byron is all about – free, spirited and connected.
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with this little town. I loved the nature of it, the people’s happiness, the ever flowing change of people passing through. I loved that a simple walk to grab some food could turn into an hour sat on the sidewalk among a group of people enjoying the music of local musicians sharing their talent. It’s an easy place to take a step back, to meet new people and to adopt the laid back way of life and it’s a place I hope to have the chance to return to when I have the time to really settle in.