Byron Bay, New South Wales
|
|
ByronBayLighthouse.jpg
Byron Bay is a town in the state of New South Wales on the eastern most point of the mainland of Australia. The population of the Byron Shire Local Government Area is in excess of 30,000 people (ABS estimate 2003).
Byron Bay is located about 800 km north of Sydney and 200 km south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the eastern-most point of the continent of Australia, and is part of a giant volcanic crater. The Cape Byron Lighthouse was opened in 1901, and is one of the most powerful beacons in Australia. The town has several beautiful beaches and it is a resort popular with both domestic and international tourists and is a favourite town for backpackers who travel along the Australian coast.
There are many pubs and bars, and many alternative lifestyle events including yoga retreats, pagan gatherings and all night dance raves. At Easter it hosts the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, the largest blues festival in Australia. During the winter months (June-August in the southern hemisphere), whales swim past Byron Bay making it a favourite destination for wildlife lovers. Most common are the Humpback whales but many other species are also to be found making their annual sojourn to the north.
Julian Rocks, only two kilometers off shore 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 in summer and grey nurse sharks in winter. Three different species of sea turtles can be encountered on a single dive.
There is a very strong community feeling in Byron and resistance to major multinational corporations has been strong. An attempt to open a franchise of McDonalds failed. Other corporate chains such as Club Med which planned to build a resort north of the town also failed.
Byronbay.jpg
Debate also continues in the town regarding the costs and benefits of tourism to Byron Bay. The council wished to impose a public toilet levy on all visitors from Queensland claiming that this was necessary to protect the area and city from over-use from visitors and traffic. The council also implemented a paid parking trial in an effort to alleviate the congestion but this trial was not extended after protests from local businesses and unhappy tourists who complained that the laid-back feel of the town had been compromised. In addition, the poorly maintained single-lane (in each direction) road that leads from the Pacific Highway 10 km west of Byron Bay into the town, has become a major bottleneck for tourists entering Byron Bay during peak holiday seasons.
In early 2005, the Byron Shire Council proposed a plan to charge an entry fee to the town in order to help pay for the growing costs of accommodating tourists. Although it does not have the power to implement this, many people have taken note of this gesture and will follow it keenly.
References
- Entry toll plan for Byron Bay visitors (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Entry-toll-plan-for-Byron-Bay-visitors/2005/01/21/1106110947569.html?from=moreStories)
External links
- Byron Bay Information Portal (http://www.byron-bay.com/)
- Virtual tour of Byron Bay (http://www.virtualbyron.com/tour.php)de:Byron Bay