If you haven’t already heard of the eclectic beach town of Byron Bay, Australia, you’re in for a real treat. This has been a growing hot spot along Australia’s East Coast for the past few years and I can see why. I have never been anywhere quite like Byron Bay. Its a perfect mix of modern chic and hippie surfer town. This place oozes creativity and open-mindedness. People here are friendly, proud of their town, and often barefoot. With all the attention Byron Bay has been getting, it can be hard to decide what to do while you’re here! Fear not, I have outlined some of my favorite things below.
As a note, we didn’t have a car and didn’t want to rent one at this time so this is a great guide for those of you who are carless. You can get anywhere here on foot (within 30 minutes) or by bike. Even if you have a car, you’ll want to check all of these things out as well 😉.
Visit the Industrial Area
As with many cities around the world, Byron Bay is revamping what used to be an industrial area and turning it into a chic place to hang out. There are many coffee shops here (including most of my favorites) as well as a brewery that you CANNOT MISS (more on this next) and more affordable places to stay. We stayed in an Airbnb out here and loved it.
The industrial are is only 5 minutes drive from the main drag on Jonson Street, about a 30 minute walk or 10 minute bike ride. If you are staying in town, I recommend renting a bike and riding down here for a day of beer tasting, shopping in the most beautiful stores in town and hanging out on the dog beach (more on this coming as well!). Plus riding your bike around this area is quite fun in and of itself.
Be sure to check out Treehouse, Folk, Thousand Mile Table, or Froth for some coffee/ delicious eats while you’re over here!
Go to Stone & Wood Brewery
If you have been in Australia for a while, you might have noticed this craft beer in bars and bottle shops. It is a very well-known brewery on the East Coast and for good reason: their beer is DELICIOUS. The company takes pride in the fact that they are a 100% Independent Regional Brewer. It was a big decision to invest in building this brewery that could help support their high demand without outsourcing, not to mention, investing in an awesome local hangout.
Beers here can only be served in “tasters” but that’s ok because you can have as many tasters as you like. Ya know, as long as you don’t get too crazy. They release new beers all the time and serve them until they run out so there’s no telling what awesome concoction you might get to try when you arrive. There was an AMAZING hazy mango IPA called Sticky Nectar when we were there, but as for all year, the Gatherer is a DELICIOUS watermelon wheat beer and the Cloud Catcher is a great Pale Ale. Coming from the States, where craft beer is king, I can say Stone and Wood has super impressive beers.
The brewery has a great vibe and have events often so be sure to check out whats going on when you’re in town here. There was a local food event happening on our first visit (yes, we went back a few times) but we caught the tail end and I was SO disappointed. So don’t be like me and check out what they have going on! Theres a lot of stuff you don’t want to miss.
Hang out at Belongil Beach (or one of Byron’s other amazing beaches)
I am pointing out Belongil because that was our favorite place while we were there. It’s closer to the Industrial area and a short walk from the main beach but remains a lot less crowded. Plus, IT’S A DOG BEACH. Do I need to say more??? There are dogs EVERYWHERE and I loved it. Not to mention, ladies, with less people around I felt more comfortable laying out topless. (I know we all love when we get to do this.) But of course, you can do that anywhere here. Byron is a chill town to say the least.
If dogs aren’t you’re thing, check out The Pass, it’s an amazing beach tucked away along your walk up to the lighthouse. You’ll also pass Wategos Beach over here, another great option. Whichever you choose, you will not be disappointed, the water is SO clear and you can swim in all of them 😉 (Some beaches in Australia have swimming restrictions due to surfing or saltwater crocs!)
Eat at Treehouse on Belongil
Right off of Belongil Beach you will find the MOST CHARMING cafe and restaurant tucked away in the trees. PLEASE EAT HERE. It is so good. Everything we had here, from breakfast tacos to salt and pepper calamari to chicken nachos, was insane. Plus the eclectic decor is everything. They seemed to have pulled mismatched vintage chairs and couches together in just the right way to create what I can only call a vintage-chic treehouse. Just go, you won’t regret it.
If you can, plan for a night when they have live music. We happened upon some music one night and it was amazing. We saw Sunday Lemonade, a couple up from Melbourne on an East Coast tour. They were so talented, I can only imagine these guys know what they are doing when booking great music.
25 Childe St. Byron Bay, NSW 2481
7:30am-11pm daily
Have Coffee at Folk
Folk Byron Bay might just be the cutest cafe I have ever seen. With what they refer to as a “lush environment” you immediately feel at home and close to nature in these incredibly charming digs. Folk’s food menu is focused on a vegetarian and plant-based diet but don’t let that scare you meat-eaters off, the food here is crazy good. The banana buckwheat pancakes are literally one of the best meals I have ever had.
This place is of course very instagramable and you have likely seen it on a popular feed or two, but it is just such a charming place to relax and enjoy the morning and a delicious cup of coffee. Even more than that, Folk has a focus on ethical and sustainable living as well as supporting the community, what more could you want?
1/399 Ewingsdale Rd Byron Bay, NSW
7:30am- 2:30pm daily
Check out the Drum Circle on Main Beach
This has become an iconic piece of Byron Bay culture. Every night around sundown, a drum circle forms right by the parking lot of the Main Beach and people head down to hang, play games and watch the sun go down. Theres a great vibe around here at this time, lots of energy and everyone is welcoming. Not to mention, the sunset (although over the hill) is beautiful. The sky lights up with different colors each night. It does get chilly so bring a sweater 😉
Go Shopping!
Don’t you love when you see this on a must-do list? Just me? Ok, so I love higher end, minimal fashion and Australia does this RIGHT. Byron specifically is a great place to discover local brands and add some effortlessly chic pieces to your collection. Be sure to stop by Afends Byron Bay for awesome men and women’s wear (my new favorite sweater is from their men’s collection), Hope & May for some beautiful minimal home decor and a perfectly curated collection of your favorite brands, and Spell Boutique for ruffled dresses you have likely seen on popular Instagram-gals, such as Gypsea Lust and Elsa’s Wholesomelife. You can find another of my favorite Australian brands, Kivari, tucked away right off Lawson Street as well. Go here for some fun prints and chic femininity.
For a casual look around, just stroll down Jonson Street, Lawson Street and Fletcher Street 😉 or head back to the Industrial Area for some minimalist, modern brands. Check out my list of Byron Bay brands you NEED to know here.
Rent a bike
I know I mentioned this one in passing earlier but do it if you can! We stayed in the industrial area so we rented bikes for the week to get us to and from town and it was so fun and relaxing. I highly recommend you rent bikes from Byron Bay Surf & Bike Hire as they are great quality.
There are so many bike rentals in town and some of them are a little sketchy. Don’t base everything just on first sight prices, thats what we did and the first ones we rented were old bike cruisers with no gears and a few other little issues. Not to mention, they didn’t turn out to be any cheaper to rent for a week.
1/31 Lawson St Byron Bay, NSW
9am-5pm daily
Walk to the Lighthouse (Of Course!)
Alright, so you can’t go to Byron Bay without walking to the iconic lighthouse. (And trust me, you don’t want to miss this.) This is the most beautiful “walk” ever. Maybe not ever, but it’s a pretty great one. Also everyone calls it a walk, I call it a HIKE. No one warns you about this but this is a long, uphill hike, nothing too crazy but its not a leisurely “walk”.
You can always drive up to the lighthouse, but what’s the fun in that? I cannot recommend this walk enough, it is known as the Cape Byron Walking Track and you can find some more detailed info here. You can also check out some video on my Byron Bay Instagram Highlights here. We started at the Main Beach on Bay Street and followed the path all the way up. This is a great way to see all the sights and not miss a thing.
A few tips:
- Bring plenty of water, there is water and a cafe at the top but I wish I would have brought more.
- I recommend wearing good shoes for this, whatever that means for you. You don’t necessarily need full-blown hiking boots for this but I wore sandals and it wasn’t ideal haha
- Go in the morning or evening if you can, because it can get HOT in the middle of the day. Plus we all know how great it is to get to a touristy destination first thing in the morning before it becomes overrun.
There are SO many beautiful views along this walk, including Australia’s most easterly point! You can also often spot humpback whales from this walk too. We only saw dolphins but even that was pretty exciting!
Unfortunately most of my pics from this insane walk got deleted by mistake 🙁 but if you’d like to see what I’m talking about be sure to check out my Byron Bay highlights on Instagram here. It is STUNNING.
Also I highly recommend waking up early to get here for sunrise as well! If you decide to do this one day and don’t want to make the 40 minute walk, you can drive but you want to get there SUPER early because the main parking lot is closed and there are a very limited number of spots!
Enjoy Drinks or Snacks at Rae’s on Wategos
Rae’s is a semi-famous stop for locals and tourists alike. It’s a beautiful white, mediterranean style building overlooking Wategos Beach with food, drinks and even a hotel. It is a HUGE goal of mine to stay in one of their beautiful rooms or penthouses on my next visit to Byron. Rae’s is a bit upscale so drinks are a little pricier than other places but its worth it for the calming, unique ambiance, especially as the sun goes down.
Another plus, after you finish your drinks you can walk right down to Wategos for a nice walk on the beach 🙂
6 – 8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay NSW 2481 Australia
Spend a Morning (or evening!) at The Farm at Byron Bay
I didn’t discover The Farm at Byron Bay until my second trip to Byron. It’s located right outside of town so you will likely need a car or an Uber to get there. The Farm is a very impressive concept with goals to improve the community through food education and intentional, sustainable farming. How cool is that??
With multiple companies on-site working together to build community and a place for learning and amazing, local cuisine, The Farm is a one-of-a-kind experience. We went in the morning and enjoyed DELICIOUS coffee from Three Blue Ducks and pastries from The Bread Social, the bakery located on site. Three Blue Ducks is a full restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and it looks AMAZING, so come hungry! You can also buy local produce form The Produce Store and gelato from Baylato as well as participate in a number of classes and events that take place regularly at The Farm.
11 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale NSW 2481 Australia
Find a Happy Hour
So, if you are new to Australia, you are learning that drinking in Australia can be expensive. But as with all the cities and towns I’ve been to so far, there are always AWESOME happy hours! Usually $5 beer and wine and some snacks as well.
For Happy hour with a view, check out Fishheads. $6 wines, beer and spirits, $12 cocktails, and $7 tapas right on the main beach from 4-6.
You can find a casual sports bar happy hour at Sticky Wicket, $5 schooners of select beer and cider, $5 wines, $10 jam jar cocktails and $1 wings from 5-7. Plus other rotating food specials.
A chic stop with a second floor view, stop by The Balcony Oyster bar. They have daily specials from 4-6pm including $6 wines, spirits, $6 beer schooners and $10 pints, as well as $13 cocktails. They also have a number of specials specific to the day so check them out here!
One of our favorite places for a little happy hour fun was Miss Margarita. Located right near the beach, this little Mexican-style restaurant is so festive! They have $5 Tecate and $11 house and strawberry margaritas from 5-6pm.
So there are some AWESOME things you should definitely add to your Byron Bay to-do list! Please let me know if you have any questions! Leave them in the comments or shoot me an email at hannah@hannaheliz.com 🙂
Also if you are spending more time on the East Coast, be sure to check out these awesome streets in Sydney to get you off the beaten path.
(Love ya.)
Cheers,
Hannah
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