Byron Bay, New South Wales - Wikipedia Byron Bay, New South Wales This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2009 ) Town in New South Wales, Australia Byron Bay New South Wales Byron Bay from Cape Byron State Conservation Area Byron Bay Coordinates 28 ° 38 ′ 35 '' S 153 ° 36 ′ 54 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 28.64306 ° S 153.61500 ° E ﻿ / - 28.64306 ; 153.61500 Coordinates : 28 ° 38 ′ 35 '' S 153 ° 36 ′ 54 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 28.64306 ° S 153.61500 ° E ﻿ / - 28.64306 ; 153.61500 Population 4,959 ( 2011 census ) Postcode ( s ) 2481 Elevation 3 m ( 10 ft ) LGA ( s ) Byron Shire County Rous State electorate ( s ) Ballina Federal Division ( s ) Richmond Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.5 ° C 16.9 ° C 1,509.2 mm Byron Bay Lighthouse Tallow Beach looking south from the lighthouse Overlooking Wategos with Julian Rocks in the background Byron Bay with sugar cane burning in the distance Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far - northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 772 kilometres ( 480 mi ) north of Sydney and 165 kilometres ( 103 mi ) south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2011 census, the town had a permanent population of 4,959. The town is in turn the nucleus of Byron Shire, which had 29,209 residents. The local Arakwal Aboriginal people 's name for the area is Cavvanbah, meaning `` meeting place ''. Lieutenant James Cook named Cape Byron after Naval officer John Byron, circumnavigator of the world and grandfather of the poet Lord Byron. Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Tourism 5 Heritage 6 Events 7 Markets 8 Transport 9 Education 10 Sport and recreation 11 Media 12 Notable residents 12.1 Former notable residents 13 In fiction 14 References 15 External links History The history of Europeans in Byron Bay began in 1770, when Lieutenant James Cook found a safe anchorage and named Cape Byron after a fellow sailor John Byron. The first industry in Byron was cedar logging from the Australian red cedar ( Toona ciliata ). The timber industry is the origin of the word `` shoot '' in many local names -- Possum Shoot, Coopers Shoot and Skinners Shoot -- where the timber - cutters would `` shoot '' the logs down the hills to be dragged to waiting ships. Gold mining of the beaches was the next industry to occur. Up to 20 mining leases set up on Tallow Beach to extract gold from the black sands around the 1870s. Byron Bay has a history of primary industrial production ( dairy factory, abattoirs, fishing, and whaling until 1963 ) and was a significant, but hazardous, sea port. The poet Brunton Stephens spoke of cattle grazing on the `` mossy plains '' of Cape Byron in a poem he penned in 1876. The first jetty was built in 1886, and the railway was connected in 1894, and Cavvanbah became Byron Bay in 1894. Dairy farmers cleared more land and settled the area. In 1895, the Norco Co-operative was formed to provide cold storage and manage the dairy industry. The introduction of paspalum improved production, and Byron Bay exported butter to the world. The Norco factory was the biggest in the southern hemisphere, expanding from dairy to bacon and other processed meat. The lighthouse was built in 1901 at the most easterly point on the Australian mainland. In 1930, the first meatworks opened. The smell from the meat and dairy works was, by all accounts, appalling, and the annual slaughter of migrating whales in the 1950s and 1960s made matters worse. Sand mining for monazite ( zircon, uranium and thorium ) between the World Wars damaged the environment further, and one by one, all these industries declined. Longboard surfers arrived in the 1960s and used natural breaks at The Pass, Watego 's, and Cosy Corner. This was the beginning of Byron Bay as a tourist destination, and by 1973, when the Aquarius Festival was held in Nimbin, its reputation as a hippy, happy, alternative town was established. Shipwrecks litter the bay and surrounding areas. Geography Byron Bay is part of the erosion caldera of an ancient shield volcano, the Tweed Volcano, which had erupted 23 million years ago. The volcano formed as a result of the Indo - Australian Plate moving over the East Australia hotspot. Climate Byron Bay has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa in the Köppen climate classification ) with warm summers and mild winters. Winters have daily maximums usually reaching 19.4 ° C and a minimum of 12 ° C. Summer can be hot, with a daily average of 27 ° C. Summer evenings can be wet, cooling the day down. Climate data for Byron Bay ( Cape Byron AWS, 2002 -- present ) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° C ( ° F ) 34.0 ( 93.2 ) 34.0 ( 93.2 ) 32.4 ( 90.3 ) 29.8 ( 85.6 ) 26.9 ( 80.4 ) 25.0 ( 77 ) 24.1 ( 75.4 ) 28.3 ( 82.9 ) 32.0 ( 89.6 ) 34.0 ( 93.2 ) 33.3 ( 91.9 ) 34.8 ( 94.6 ) 34.8 ( 94.6 ) Average high ° C ( ° F ) 27.8 ( 82 ) 27.5 ( 81.5 ) 26.5 ( 79.7 ) 23.9 ( 75 ) 21.2 ( 70.2 ) 19.3 ( 66.7 ) 18.6 ( 65.5 ) 20.0 ( 68 ) 22.0 ( 71.6 ) 23.6 ( 74.5 ) 25.1 ( 77.2 ) 26.4 ( 79.5 ) 23.5 ( 74.3 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) 21.1 ( 70 ) 21.0 ( 69.8 ) 20.0 ( 68 ) 17.6 ( 63.7 ) 14.9 ( 58.8 ) 13.1 ( 55.6 ) 12.0 ( 53.6 ) 13.1 ( 55.6 ) 15.2 ( 59.4 ) 16.9 ( 62.4 ) 18.6 ( 65.5 ) 19.8 ( 67.6 ) 16.9 ( 62.4 ) Record low ° C ( ° F ) 16.5 ( 61.7 ) 16.0 ( 60.8 ) 14.7 ( 58.5 ) 10.9 ( 51.6 ) 9.3 ( 48.7 ) 6.5 ( 43.7 ) 7.1 ( 44.8 ) 6.6 ( 43.9 ) 9.7 ( 49.5 ) 9.5 ( 49.1 ) 11.8 ( 53.2 ) 13.9 ( 57 ) 6.5 ( 43.7 ) Average rainfall mm ( inches ) 164.4 ( 6.472 ) 166.6 ( 6.559 ) 142.1 ( 5.594 ) 183.5 ( 7.224 ) 99.4 ( 3.913 ) 164.9 ( 6.492 ) 96.3 ( 3.791 ) 75.4 ( 2.969 ) 47.0 ( 1.85 ) 95.8 ( 3.772 ) 93.4 ( 3.677 ) 139.3 ( 5.484 ) 1,509.2 ( 59.417 ) Average precipitation days 15.4 15.3 16.4 15.5 13.8 14.0 12.3 8.2 9.0 12.7 11.5 14.1 158.2 Source : Bureau of Meteorology Tourism The main beach in 2006 Byron Bay Lighthouse The town has several beaches which are popular for surfing. It is a resort popular with both domestic and international tourists, including backpackers, who travel along the Australian coast ; the scenery also attracts skydivers. The area is also noted for its wildlife, with the whale watching industry a significant contributor to the local economy. An oceanway runs from the centre of town to the Cape Byron lighthouse. This allows visitors to walk and cycle to the lighthouse. Temperate and tropical waters merge at Byron Bay, making it a popular area for scuba diving and snorkelling. Most diving is done at Julian Rocks which is part of the recently established Cape Byron Marine Park and only a few minutes boat ride from Main Beach. Byron Bay also lies close to subtropical rainforests, and areas such as the Nightcap National Park with the Minyon Falls are all within easy reach of the town. Byron Bay is now also a popular destination for Schoolies week during late November and early December. Heritage The following places are listed on the Register of the National Estate : Cape Byron Light, built in 1901 Broken Head Nature Reserve ( south of Byron Bay ) Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve ( north of Byron Bay ) Julian Rocks Nature Reserve Two Sisters Rocks, located at Broken Head Events Festivals held in Byron Bay include the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival at Easter, Falls Festival NYE and Splendour in the Grass, the Byron Bay International Fashion Festival on 29 April each year, the Byron Bay Writers Festival, the Byron Bay Film Festival, Byron Bay Surf Festival, Byron Spirit Festival and the Byron Underwater Festival. The Byron Bay Triathlon is held on the second Saturday in May every year. 1,300 competitors from many different countries enter this Olympic Distance event. The vibrant musical community has produced internationally renowned bands such as Blue King Brown, Parkway Drive and 50 Lions. Markets Byron Bay also has a number of regular markets including a weekly farmers ' market at the Butler Street Reserve every Thursday with over 70 local farmers selling fresh produce. There is also a Byron Community Market held on the same site on the first Sunday of each month and the Artisan Market held on Saturday evenings at Railway Park from October to Easter. There are three annual specialist Beachside Markets held in January, Easter and September. Transport A bus station in Jonson Street is serviced by Greyhound Australia, NSW TrainLink and Premier Motor Services coach services from Sydney and Brisbane. The Byron Bay Train service will operate as a shuttle between Byron Bay station in the Byron township and North Beach station. The privately - run service operates on a 3 km section of the disused Murwillimbah line. It is expected to open by Christmas 2017. Byron Bay railway station was a stop on the Casino to Murwillumbah railway line until 2004. It was served by trains from Sydney and for various periods also by services originating at Casino that connected with expresses running between Sydney and South Brisbane. A 3.4 km section of the Murwillumbah railway line is to be rehabilitated in 2016 for a two car self - propelled diesel train planned to run from the town centre to the Elements of Byron resort and nearby attractions. An earlier local train service, known as the Byron Bay Tram conveyed passengers from about 1928 until about 1954 between the railway station and the `` new jetty '' where connections were made with passenger carrying ships of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company. Motive power was a Simplex petrol locomotive, locally known as the `` Green Frog '', and the passenger vehicles comprised former Newcastle B2 class steam tram trailer 74B and former Sydney C class electric tram C37. After the trams stopped running both the cars went to a heritage tramway in Parramatta Park where 74B was destroyed by fire. The Simplex was built in Bedford England and went into service in 1923 shunting freight to and from the `` old '' jetty adjacent to the township and then to `` new '' jetty to the north when it was completed in 1928. Later it hauled whales from the jetty to the rendering down works, livestock to the meat works, mineral sands and meat wagons to the station for onward movement and regularly shunted Norco and other railway sidings and between these duties ran the passenger tramway until the coastal passenger shipping service stopped. The Simplex locomotive was retired in 1984 when the meat works closed and is now stored in a shed near the Kendall Street level crossing under the care of volunteers and the Byron Bay Council. Education Byron Bay schools include Byron Bay Public School, Byron Bay High School, St Finbarr 's Primary School, Byron Bay Community School, and Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School. Among these are a number of early childhood facilities including Byron Bay Preschool and Periwinkle Preschool. In the fields of adult education there are Lexis English Centres ( previously Global Village English Centres ) and Byron Bay English Language School ( BBELS ) ( both organisations providing English language tuition to international students ), the Byron Region Community College, which is a registered training organisation and the SAE Institute Byron Bay which is a government - accredited, degree granting institution in the fields of audio engineering, digital film making, multimedia and animation. Sport and recreation The Byron Bay Surf Club is the longest - standing current sports club ; it has been one of Australia 's leading surf clubs and has been in continuous operation for more than 105 years. The rugby league club the Byron Bay Red Devils and the Australian rules football team Byron Magpies are well known. Byron Bay FC has won the Football Far North Coast Premier league three times, most recently in 2013. Other clubs include Byron Bay Golf Club, Byron Bay Cricket Club, Byron Bay Rugby Union Club, Byron Bay Gliding Club, and the Byron Bay Bowling Club. The Byron Bay Ocean Swim Classic is held every year. Media The Byron Bay area has a number of newspapers : The Byron Shire Echo ( Independent weekly A3 ) The Byron Shire News ( APN weekly A3 ) The Saturday Star ( Independent A5 monthly ) The Bagg ( Independent weekly A3 gig guide ) The Northern Star ( APN daily, produced in nearby Lismore ) The community radio station Bay FM broadcasts on 99.9 FM from within Byron Bay itself. Other local stations in the Byron area are : 2LM 900 AM ( commercial ) 100.9 ZZZ FM ( commercial ) ABC Northern Rivers 94.5 FM River - FM 92.9 FM ( community ) All major television channels are available in Byron Bay and the wider Northern Rivers region : Prime, 7Two ( Seven Network affiliated channels, commercial ) NBN, Go ! ( Nine Network Australia, commercial ) Southern Cross Ten, One HD ( Network Ten Australia, commercial ) ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3 ( Australian Broadcasting Corporation ) SBS ONE, SBS Two ( Special Broadcasting Service, semi-commercial ) Notable residents Daevid Allen, musician Renee Bargh, TV presenter John Butler, guitarist, founder of the John Butler Trio Toni Childs, musician John Cornell, businessman and Delvene Delaney, actress and co-host of Sale of the Century Eka Darville, actor Chris Hemsworth, actor Elsa Pataky, actress In Hearts Wake, metalcore band The Jezabels, lead singer Hayley Mary and keyboardist Heather Shannon Kerry O'Brien, journalist Parkway Drive, a metalcore band formed in 2002 that have toured around the world several times Ric Richardson, inventor Scott Owen, bassist for The Living End The Space Cowboy, a record - breaking `` sword swallower '' and street performer who hails from Byron Bay Peter Gifford, bassist for Midnight Oil Mouche Phillips, actress Simon Baker, actor Olivia Newton - John, singer, songwriter, actress, novelist Elle McPherson, model, entrepreneur Jack Johnson, musician Naomi Watts, actress Jordan Barrett, fashion model Former notable residents Paul Hogan, actor, and Linda Kozlowski, actress William ( Bill ) Clifford, General Manager of NORCO in the 1920s, described as founder of the dairy industry, lived in Byron Bay from the late 19c until the 1920s. Parcels, band, formed at Byron Bay High School, now based in Berlin In fiction John Macgregor 's 1986 novel Propinquity is partly set in Byron Bay and nearby Mullumbimby. The 2008 - 2009 ABC drama series East of Everything, written by Deb Cox and Roger Monk, is set in the fictional town of `` Broken Bay '' which is based on a somewhat more run - down version of Byron Bay and its surrounds, with much of the filming taking place in and around Byron Bay including obviously recognisable landmarks such as the lighthouse and local beaches. The town also features in the 2016 open world racing video game, Forza Horizon 3. References ^ Jump up to : Australian Bureau of Statistics ( 31 October 2012 ). `` Byron Bay ( Urban Centre / Locality ) ''. 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 April 2015. Jump up ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics ( 31 October 2012 ). `` Byron Shire ''. 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 April 2015. Jump up ^ `` Aboriginal elders gather at historic meeting place ''. Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Byron Bay ''. Geographical Names Register ( GNR ) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 June 2009. Jump up ^ Watson, Penny ( November 2009 ). `` New South Wales ''. In Vaisutis, Justine. Lonely Planet : Australia ( 15 ed. ). Lonely Planet Publications. p. 195. The Grandfather of the (... ) poet Lord Byron was a renowned navigator in the 1760s, and Captain Cook named this spot after (... ) him. ( In the 1880s, when Europeans settled more permanently, streets were named for other English writers and philosophers. A star - struck clerk in Sydney thought the grandson was the one being honoured, and named the streets - and the town - after poets : Keats, Jonson, Shelly. ) Jump up ^ Creamery Tramway at Byron Bay Longworth, Jim Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, October 1996, pp. 295 -- 298. ^ Jump up to : `` Beauty and the beast ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 March 2005. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008. Jump up ^ Cumbebin swamp nature reserve National Parks and Wildlife Service ( New South Wales ) page 20 Jump up ^ `` Industry ''. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2017 - 03 - 10. Retrieved 28 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Newrybar ( Record # 514 rare - earth element deposit in New South Wales, Australia ''. mrdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 28 September 2017. Jump up ^ Catriona Elder, Keith Moore, eds. ( 2012 ). New Voices, New Visions : Challenging Australian Identities and Legacies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 55 -- 63. ISBN 1 - 4438 - 3756 - 3. CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter ( link ) Jump up ^ `` The Lost World ''. Big Volcano Visitor Guide. Retrieved 19 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Cape Byron AWS ''. Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 23 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Byron Bay ''. Visit NSW. Retrieved 19 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Byron Bay Schoolies ' put Gold Coast to shame ' ''. Brisbane Times. 30 November 2009. Jump up ^ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, pp. 2, 214. Jump up ^ Byron Bay International Fashion Festival Jump up ^ `` Byron Bay Writers ' Festival ''. Northern Rivers Writers ' Centre. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Welcome to the Underwater Festival 2012 ''. Underwater Australasia. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Byron Farmers ' Market ''. Retrieved 19 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Byron Markets ''. Byron Community Centre. Retrieved 15 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` The World 's First Solar - Powered Train Heads to Byron Bay ''. Broadsheet. Retrieved 2017 - 10 - 29. Jump up ^ Cornell. Delaney sell up Byron properties The Northern Star 11 December 2012. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) The Daily Telegraph 15 January 2015. Jump up ^ Kerry O'Brien Archived 25 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The Weekly Review 11 August 2011. Jump up ^ Ric Richardson Sydney Morning Herald 22 April 2014. Jump up ^ Who owns Hoges ' house now ? The Northern Star 2 October 2012. Jump up ^ Plaque on a memorial to Bill Clifford in front of Byron Bay railway station ; A Few Geraniums, the story of Elizabeth Smith Beryl Moore 2009 Jump up ^ Pentelow, Orla ( 9 May 2017 ). `` Boyeurism : Parcels ''. Vogue. Retrieved 12 January 2018. External links Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Byron Bay. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Byron Bay, New South Wales. `` Byron Bay ( Cape Byron Lighthouse ) ''. Climate Averages for Australian Sites. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2006 - 11 - 25. Northern Rivers Geology Blog - Byron Bay VISITNSW.com - Byron - Bay Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia Federal divisions Cowper Page Richmond State electorates Ballina Clarence Lismore Tweed Local government areas Ballina Byron Clarence Valley Lismore Richmond Valley Tweed Major cities Ballina Byron Bay Casino Grafton Lismore Tweed Heads Minor towns Alstonville Bangalow Billinudgel Bogangar Brunswick Heads Evans Head Federal Iluka Kyogle Lennox Head Maclean Mullumbimby Murwillumbah Nashua Nimbin Nymboida Ocean Shores Pottsville Suffolk Park Wollongbar Yamba Rivers Back Barcoongere Beaury Bielsdown Boundary ( Glen Fernaigh ) Boundary ( Nymboida ) Brunswick Clarence Coldstream Coopers Corindi Esk Evans Glen Fernaigh Leycester Little Nymboida Mann Nymboida Orara Oxley Richmond Rous Sandon Sandy Shannon Brook Tweed Wilsons Wooli Wooli Ranges and mountains Lamington Plateau McPherson Tweed Tweed Volcano National parks Bellinger River Border Ranges Chaelundi Nightcap Nymboida Nymboi - Binderay Richmond Range Tooloom Yabbra Nature reserves Andrew Johnston Big Scrub Booyong Broken Head Brunswick Heads Davis Scrub Limpinwood Numinbah Victoria Park Surfing areas of Australia Agnes Water Angourie Point Bells Beach Bondi Beach Burleigh Heads Byron Bay City Beach Cow Bombie Cronulla Currumbin Alley Duranbah Beach Esperance Floreat Beach Gold Coast Gnaraloo Greenmount Beach Huzzas Jan Juc Johanna Kirra Manly Margaret River Maroubra Newcastle Noosa Heads Northern Beaches Rainbow Bay Roaring Beach Scarborough Seaspray Shark Island Ship Stern Bluff Snapper Rocks South Coast Stradbroke Island Sunshine Coast Supertubes Surfers Paradise Thirteenth Beach Torquay Woodside Beach Yallingup Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Byron_Bay,_New_South_Wales&oldid=835740945 '' Categories : Towns in New South Wales Tweed Volcano Bays of New South Wales Northern Rivers Entertainment districts in Australia Surfing locations in New South Wales Populated places established in 1770 Arts districts Byron Bay, New South Wales 1770 establishments in the British Empire Hidden categories : Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2011 ID same as Wikidata Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2011 ID different from Wikidata CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from July 2015 Use Australian English from July 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Articles needing additional references from November 2009 All articles needing additional references Articles with short description Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2008 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Català Cebuano Deutsch Español Français Gaeilge 한국어 Italiano Nederlands Occitan Polski Português Русский Саха тыла Scots Ślůnski Svenska Українська 中文 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 April 2018, at 13 : 57. 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Question: where is byron bay on a map of australia
Answer: the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia