Byron Bay - City of Australia

Byron Bay is a town in the state of New South Wales on the easternmost point of mainland Australia. The town is the nucleus of Byron Shire, which has in excess of 30,000 people (ABS est. 2003). Captain James Cook named Cape Byron after circumnavigator John Byron, grandfather of English poet Lord Byron.

Byron Bay is located 759 kilometres north of Sydney and 140 kilometres south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the most easterly point of Australia.

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.

The beginning of Byron Bay's modern shape occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s when surfers from Sydney 'discovered' the warm blue waters and good quality surf. In following years, the attractions of the area became more and more widely known, with an attendant increase in tourism. Progressively the notoriously smelly whaling station and abattoirs closed down, as did the Norco dairy factory, which was once the largest such facility in the Southern Hemisphere.

The following places are listed on the Register of the National Estate:
Cape Byron Lighthouse
Broken Head Nature Reserve (south of Byron Bay)
Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve (north of Byron Bay)
Julian Rocks Nature Reserve
Two Sisters Rocks (south of Byron Bay)