Best Beach and Things To Do in Byron Bay

By Roberto – (Updated Jan 23)

⏱ 5 min

Welcome reader! I hope you’re having a great day ok? This post contains some things to do in the Byron Bay region, which has –  according to many locals – a “special energy” 🤙🏽 .We don’t know if the energy is there or not, but it is a remarkable place to visit for many reasons, from the beaches to the variety of food. 

We spent 4 days in an AirBnB here and it was the slowest part of our road trip. From Coffs Harbour we drove to Lennox Head for a beach day at Seven Mile Beach, and from there to Byron Bay. We had time to go shopping, get a haircut, try restaurants, spend a day at a memorable beach, and more! If you are out of ideas or want to figure out what to do in Byron Bay, keep reading this post.

Best Things To Do in Byron Bay, NSW

Look for Byron’s energy

Byron Bay, or just Byron, brings together backpackers, hippies and “pijippies” (posh-hippies in Spanish). Here, you’ll see barefoot people with dreadlocks, surfers, and overall, a peaceful atmosphere. I’d say that Byron is a place for disconnection, and compared to other more expensive places like Noosa, it has its own authenticity. The first thing to do here, would be to go out and discover this essence of Byron. Ride a bike or walk around the streets, go to restaurants and beaches to “feel” Byron.

Discover Byron’s Beaches 

Another plan is to discover the beaches in and around Byron, and good for us – and you – there are many! We did some research beforehand, and we put all the beaches in the following map. If you like vast long beaches, Tallow Beach is a good idea for the morning, but to honest, it’s the average long Australian beach. 

Best Beach in Byron Bay

A better option is Wategos Beach, a charming beach with surfers, amazing sunsets, and it is connected to the Lighthouse with a short walk. Nevertheless, the very best beaches are outside of Byron, and we want to provide more details about it here. We are talking about the region of Broken Head Nature Reserve. 

This National Park has 3 amazing beaches: Kings Beach, Brays Beach and Whites Beach, in order of distance from Byron and beauty. The three beaches share a similar landscape of rocks, sand and trees, with the perfect combination of blue and green water. We read that the first two beaches had sharp rocks. The third beach, Whites Beach, looked amazing and we spent an entire day there.

To get to Whites Beach – or the others – simply drive to the Broken Head Nature Reserve from Byron Bay. The road in the National Park is gravel, and SUPER important, the parking is limited. We went in the midweek, around 10 am, and we got the last parking spot. There is only space for 15 cars max. Definitely I don’t recommend going there on a Sunday at 12 pm. 

Once you arrive to the parking area, there is a short 15 min walk but with a lot of stairs. You’ll have a view of the stunning beach and once at the bottom, I recommend finding some shade close to the rocks. This beach has everything we like: clean sand and amazing surroundings 💚 with trees and rocks that give the beach character. 

Swim at Killen Falls

Both if you are tired of beaches or have time to experience something different, Killen Falls are well worth a visit. Reaching this waterfall takes only a 30-minute drive from Byron Bay. While there isn’t any signs to get to them, its parking area can be found in Google Maps. From here, it is an easy 5-minute walk to the waterfall lookout. The view entices you to continue for 5 more minutes, on a more difficult path to the bottom of the waterfall. 

If you have ever wished to swim in a big natural pool with a waterfall, this is a good place to do it. However, expect to swim with turtles and fish! The water is brown, because the bottom is a bit muddy, and you have to walk on stones which make you walk like a clown. Killen Falls is a touristic place, so don’t expect to swim alone. We shared the place with 20 other people. 

Byron Lighthouse and its stunning views

Cape Byron Lighthouse is placed on Australia’s most easterly point, and the views of Byron’s beaches are a must-see. There is a recommended walk around the lighthouse (less than 4km), which is good for stretching the legs or a lazy evening. There are some great views of the surrounding beaches and the sunsets there can be epic.

We were more lazy due to “Byron’s energy” and we decided to directly park our car in the Cape Byron Lighthouse precinct – $8 vehicle/h and $4/h motorcycles fee – and just did part of the hike. Find more information on the official website 

Shopping and Eating in Byron Bay

In short, Byron has 3 different areas: the Lighthouse area, the shopping area, and the rest. The rest includes all the houses, apartments, campsites, and some other stores or breweries. In the shopping area, which is formed by several intersections of lively streets, you will find stores of swimming clothes from all the famous surf-urban brands. Volcom, Rip Curl, Vans, Roxy, Reef, …the list is infinite. There aren’t so many boutiques, but I’m sure you will find something you like – we did.

In addition to the stores, there are options for groceries, souvenirs, and restaurants. We tried The Roadhouse Byron Bay for brunch, Yulli’s Byron Bay – excellent Asian vegan, and Il Buco Cafe & Pizzeria for dinner. We liked them all! And you’ll find many more restaurants for all the budgets and appetites.

One last – and useful – piece of advice would be: use Woolworths’ parking! It’s free for 3 hours and you avoid paying parking fees over there. 

To sum up, Byron Bay is a wonderful destination to spend time in, and make these plans. What do you think about Byron? Would you like to go? Do you have other recommendations or do you know about secret beaches? Let us know!

Hasta la vista! 👋🏼

Further Reading…

If you want to see more adventures around the Byron Bay or the East Coast of Australia, check these other posts about hikes, waterfalls, random places… and enjoy as we did!