Far North Coast NSW

Timing is everything when you travel innit? In so many ways we’ve timed our far north coast interlude all wrong.

1. There has been absolutely no swell – nothing. Being in a surfing mecca and the ocean being flat torments Tim no end.

2. Unbeknown to us we arrived at Broken Head (just south of Byron) just before a Queensland long weekend, which also featured a big ocean swim with 1200 entrants and a surfing competition in the area. Byron was absolutely jam packed for the entire long weekend, with the normal hordes of backpackers, as well as Qld long weekenders. There was even an enormous traffic jam coming into Byron on Sunday, which admittedly was market day. (Which were great by the way, like the best stalls of the Denmark markets multiplied by 10!)


3. On Tim’s birthday on Monday, we went for a bit of an exploration into the hinterland to the beautiful Protestor Falls in the Nightcap National Park and to Nimbin. It was the day after the two day Mardi Grass festival and the whole of Nimbin seemed to be suffering a serious hangover, it was so seedy and horrible. Giving Nimbin the benefit of the doubt, we think we got our timing wrong there as well.

4. Despite moving to Brunswick Heads for a bit more chilled-out-ness (see below) we’ve managed to time it to coincide with some major roadworks on the Pacific Highway that have been making the earth shake.


I (Nic) was last in Byron Bay about 11 years ago and it has changed a lot. I remembered the main street being charming with little weatherboard shops and a very subtropical feel. Now, the street is dominated by hideously expensive surf shops, others selling cheap Indian clothes and other ‘homeware’ shops selling South Asian crafts. I think all the small independent shops I remember have moved to Bangalow which feels a bit like Byron used to feel. Not sure what the remaining shops in Byron would do without craftspeople and sweatshops of South Asia!


There is no bush camping for a long way around here so we were forced to stay in yet another caravan park. We’ve stayed in quite a few in NSW, because so often it is the only place to camp in the places we want to be (i.e. near the surf breaks!).

Broken Head, just 8km south of Byron was surrounded by nature reserve and right on the beach, and seemed perfect for the first night. Until all the long weekenders/ocean swimmers from Queensland arrived and completely surrounded us with their elaborate tent cities. And of course we ended up right next to the loudest group who yelled along to the Angels song ‘Am I Ever Going to See Your Face Again’ (complete with the answering chorus) until late despite our pleas for just a little lowering of volume. So we packed up from there and moved a little north of Byron to the substantially more chilled out Brunswick Heads, right on the river (with Mt Warning in the background) which we’ve explored in the tinnie.


After that big long whinge, you might reasonably ask why we are perservering and why we don’t head bush again? It is all about the surf, Tim ain’t going anywhere until he gets a good surf in this surfing mecca, and we’ve heard that the swell is picking up in the next few days. And despite the timing issues, we have had fun around here - been eating some sensational food, and exploring into the hinterland, around Cape Byron and the lighthouse, and the Brunswick Heads area.


STOP PRESS: The swell finally picked up on Wednesday and Thursday and Tim finally got his surf at Byron. Despite our pre-dawn arrivals The Pass was absolutely packed, although people tell us it can be even more hassled, with over 100 surfers out there in the lineup!!