Byron Bay, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

Lennox Head, Don Balch

The Surf

Byron Bay is mainland Australia’s eastern tip, sticking out into the Pacific and attracting a wide range of curious visitors. Dolphins and sharks frequent the veritable array of long golden beaches and rocky headlands that have attracted surfers for almost half a century. From a sleepy coastal hippy town that encompassed the N.S.W North Coast vibe, Byron has mutated into a virtual city, attracting movie stars, property developers and hordes of backpackers. While there are some epic set-ups, a lack of decent size swell dictates conditions are fairly inconsistent, relying on summer cyclone swells or big winter south’s to create waves worth remembering. Typically, shoulder high waves snap across the sandbanks in clean, small size swells, while bigger days see short, steep close-outs relying primarily on wind and tide to give rideable waves at the main beaches. It’s these bigger days that get the handful of pointbreaks to rumble into life when locals descend from miles around. Byron Bay gained its popularity in the 60’s as a stop on the ultimate road trip from Sydney to Noosa, at a time when 10ft mals would ideally fit the ruler-edged, leisurely right points that dot the coast.

When to Go

The main 2-8ft (0.6-2.5m) winter swells occur April-September from lows stationed in the Tasman Sea producing consistent E-S swells. In summer, December-April, there is the tropical NE cyclone season in the Coral Sea. There are usually about 2-3 per month lasting 3-7 days. However, they’re not as predictable and wave-generous as Antarctic Lows. If the cyclone is too close, the surf will be choppy and erratic. Wind is crucial, the best being SW, which often blows May to August. Between January and April, winds are sea breezes with dominant NE direction. Occasional hot NW’ers will groom everything on the coast but as temps rise, the NE’ers kick back in. As a general rule, beachies are better at high tides and pointbreaks on the low tides. Tide range can reach 6ft (2m), get a tide table.

Population
Byron - 6,500

Coastline
1,900 (1,180mi)

Timezone
GMT +10hr

Travel Information

Weather The North Coast climate is much closer to the Gold Coast subtropical weather than Sydney. The northern rivers provide as much humidity but hills and mountains like Mount Warning (1160m/3535ft) provide more inland breeze at times. Summer temps average 21-28°C (70-82°F) and winter temps 15-21°C (59-70°F), giving Byron Bay an excellent year round climate. The beaches around Byron offer clean, warm water, 26°C/79°F in summer and 21°C/70°F in winter, a springsuit should be enough for most sessions, the need for a light fullsuit only required on cold winter mornings or in cold SW’ers.

Nature It’s a model of mixing nature and development. The coast looks untouched with erosion beating wooden stairways to walk around headlands. Gaze at whales Feb-March and schools of dolphins May-October. Socialising is great in lively bars like the Beach Hotel, which displays big screen surf videos.

Hazards A shark death happened in 1994 with a diving honeymooner off Julian Rocks. Lots of shark sightings though at Tallows, Suffolk Park and Ballina. Bluebottles (stinging man-o-war) on NE winds are more of a nightmare. Crowds are the thickest ever but respect and competitiveness are the rules.

Hints Don't bother travelling with equipment; shapers like McTavish, Maddog and latest Bamboo surfboards have showrooms both in town and the industrial estate. Expect $350 for a shortboard and $450 for a longboard. Beginners can have a go with Byron Bay Surf School, Stylesurfing or Kool Katz. Avoid Dec-Jan high season.

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