My Roaming Backpack finally reached Byron Bay, and..Im in love! Yep, that
pretty much sums it up! Ive been thinking about how to describe Byron
to all of you, but its really difficult. Much like The Arts Factory,
we are speaking of such a high level of awesomeness here, that words
just don’t, and wont do it justice. Nevertheless, Ill give it a
shot, but please keep in mind that this really only scratches the
surface of the true vibe of Byron.
Byron Bay marks the most easterly point
of Australia, and is famous for being one of the best surf spots in the entire world! one of the, if not the most popular tourist town
of this country. It is a clean, relaxed, colorful, positive, hip,
chic, earthy, organics, local/fresh-produce kinda town. Everyone
loves it; the locals, the beach bums, surfers, party-people,
tourists, grand-parents, children, nature-lovers, wild-life
enthusiasts, farmers, merchants, backpackers, hippies, musicians-
everyone. At the risk of sounding like a cliche
tourist advertisement, its true, there is something here for everybody. So far, in the 6 weeks Ive spent
in Australia, it is my favorite place to be, and I can see myself
going back there, again and again.. and again! Since Ive left Byron,
people ask “So, where'd you last come from?”, when I say Byron,
they reply “Lucky!”, or “Im so jealous!” If you're not there,
you want to be, even if you don't know it yet!
The town is a precious gem of calm,
situated in between other average, chaotic, "box-store" commercialized
towns. However the Shire of Byron Bay is committed to keeping its
wholesomeness in tact. You will not find a Target, or McDonald's here,
and probably never will! The town boasts its commitment to small
businesses, and local products and the residents voice
their opinions strongly about changes in the community. They
have a large pull, and fight to keep Byron from becoming
commercialized like surrounding towns, and to maintain their identity
as a small, ethical, artistic haven (as I read in the local paper, The Echo) There
are strict town laws about littering, and even throwing a cigarette
butt on the ground will lead to a $200 fine. It is refreshing to see
a group take such pride in their community and work to protect it's image, history and message to the world- GO TEAM BYRON!
The town is composed of only a few
small streets that back-up Byrons beautiful Main Beach. I hope it
stays this way, and I hope in the future they will be turned into
walking streets. Walking down the streets is such a huge part of the
experience. You see buskers on just about every corner,
playing just about every instrument, and singing -you name it, they're
there.
My favorite was hearing a man sing “Imagine” by John
Lennon, and a girl who was playing the harp beautifully. It makes you
stop for a moment, and listen- and that is when you are truly alive,
when you are in the moment.
I think it is great what the Byron
community does, and I'm sure a lot people are grateful like me. I hope
they never stop. During my visit, I heard that Byron has the
highest population of artists per capita, and is home to one of
my favorite musicians, Ben Harper. It is also the birth place of The
Arts Factory, The Blues Fest and so many other music festivals.
Check out this Ben Harper music video-
it was filmed in Byron Bay, Lennox Head
and surrounding areas. I was just there!
Taking a tour of the town you will
seemingly go back in time. You will see 70's muscle cars,
rainbow-painted hippie vans, hippie chicks and dudes, drum circles,
local markets, vegetarian restaurants, heaps of local, hand-made
jewellery, natural-material clothing, natural cosmetics and health
products, organic hair salons, hand-rolled incense, legal smoking
herbs, didgery-doos and djembe drums! Then theres the handful of
beaches and hiking trails, the magnificent view from the famous
lighthouse, the beautiful beach houses, fresh-sea food restaurants,
beach pubs selling the local brews and wine, boutique coffee shoppes
and book stores, surf schools, souvenir and travel shoppes, the list
goes on and on!
It just doesnt get much better then
this! After hitting the beach, and strolling the streets of Byron all
day, sun-kissed, in shorts and flip-flops ( or as the Aussies call
them, “thongs”) you really feel like you walked straight out of a
classic Australian movie. It doesnt take long to get used to summer
living here, thats for sure!
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