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Byron Bay is a beachside town in the north of the
state of New South Wales in Australia. It is located
759 kilometres north of Sydney and 140 kilometres
south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent
to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland
Australia. The town has a population of about 5,600
people and is the nucleus of Byron Shire, which has
in excess of 30,000 residents (ABS estimate
2003).[citation needed] Captain James Cook named
Cape Byron after circumnavigator of the world John
Byron, grandfather of the poet, Lord Byron.
History
For thousands of years Aboriginal people came to the
Bay to swap stories, find marriage partners and
trade goods. They called it Cavvanbah.
European history began in 1770, when Captain James
Cook found a safe anchorage and named Cape Byron
after John Byron, who had circumnavigated the world
and who was later the grandfather of English poet
Lord Byron. In the 1880s, when Europeans settled
more permanently, streets were named for other
English writers and philosophers.
The first industry in Byron was cedar-getting, the
"red center" from the Australian red cedar, Toona
australis. 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.
Byron Bay has a history of primary industrial
production (dairy factory, abattoirs, whaling until
1963, fishing) and was a significant, but hazardous,
sea port.
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,[citation needed] expanding
from dairy to bacon and other processed meat.
Byron Bay with sugar cane burning in the distanceThe
lighthouse was built in 1901 at the most easternly
point on the Australian mainland. In 1930, the first
meatworks opened.
Despite this success, Byron Bay struggled to become
a viable community, and was always a poor working
town. The smell from the meat and dairy works was,
by all accounts, appalling,[citation needed] and the
annual slaughter of whales in the 1950s and 1960s
made matters worse. Sand mining between the World
Wars damaged the environment further, and one by one
all these industries declined.
After all the factories and industries closed,
surfers discovered the wonderful natural breaks at
The Pass, Wategos and Cosy Corner and the
longboarders arrived in the 1960s. 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. Tourism
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, and the
scenery attracts sky divers. 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. Visitors are encouraged to use
sustainable options for moving around town like
walking and cycling.[citation needed]
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.
Events
Events held at Byron Bay include yoga retreats,
pagan gatherings,[citation needed] music festivals
such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
at Easter and Splendour in the Grass, the Byron Bay
Writers' Festival, the Byron Bay Film Festival and
the Byron Underwater Festival. The area is famed for
its hardcore punk scene, producing the
internationally famed bands Parkway Drive and 50
Lions. 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
craft market held on the same site on the first
Sunday of each month and an artisan market held on
Saturday evenings at Railway Park.
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