Postcard from Byron Bay

POSTCARD FROM | CABANA TRAVEL | CABANA MAGAZINE

 

"You know things have changed when Matt Damon, Zac Efron and Chris Hemsworth start calling your hometown their own. But as I wandered familiar streets and revisited old haunts, I found the essence of the Byron I knew, writes Harrison Thane, of the much-loved Australian town, Byron Bay.

 

BY HARRISON THANE | CABANA TRAVEL | 11 NOVEMBER 2024

The Cape Byron Lighthouse, perched above Wategos, still stands at Australia’s most easterly point © Harrison Thane 

 

In my 20s, I was too busy in my pursuit of happiness, chasing dreams across the globe, trying to make it as every young director and photographer does—crashing on couches in Hackney, taking up odd photography jobs in China, living in Casablanca, Nairobi, Mozambique, Malta, India, and everywhere in between.

When my parents left Byron as I did, the ties that once anchored me there seemed to loosen, with Australia fading into a distant, almost forgotten chapter. Visiting was never top of my list; the place felt more like a memory than a reality.

My wife and I, now living in on lamu island just off the coast of kenya, decided to take our 4-month-old son to Australia to meet his grandparents, and though they’ve long since left Byron, we managed to steal a short trip back to the town that held so many memories and to reconnect with the place that shaped me, to revisit the beginnings that had so easily faded into the background of my life.

On the surface, Byron seems worlds apart from what it was in the '90s and early 2000s—now an influencer and celebrity hotspot. You know things have changed when names like Matt Damon, Zac Efron, and Chris Hemsworth start calling your hometown their own. But as I wandered through familiar streets and revisited old haunts, I found the essence of the Byron I once knew, quietly holding on beneath the surface.

Wategos Beach, where I met Keith Richards as a 10-year-old, is as serene as ever. My mum used to pick us up from school in her vintage Kombi, surfboards stacked on top, ready for our "Wednesdays at Wategos", she would call it. Those afternoons, filled with barbecues and surfing, defined my childhood summers. The Cape Byron Lighthouse, perched above Wategos, still stands at Australia’s most easterly point, casting its light over the ocean just as it did when I was a kid.

During this trip, we stayed at the iconic Beach Hotel, designed by Ian McKay and once owned by John Cornell, the producer of Crocodile Dundee. Growing up, it was where locals would gather for a drink and a yarn. Today, it still serves as the area’s main watering hole, offering up a mean chicken parm to locals, surfers, and tourists alike.

As I checked in, I noticed The Echo newspaper on the stand. Just as it was when my mum worked there as a graphic designer, the logo unchanged. Back in the day, The Echo was more than just a paper—it was the pulse of the town. I remember poring over it to find odd jobs for pocket money or to check cinema times. Before the web took over, it was what kept everyone connected, a small but enduring reminder of Byron Bay’s rich history and the stories that have shaped it.

In Mullumbimby, perhaps the area that looks most familiar to me and remains the most unchanged, I grabbed a schooner with my old pal at The Middle Pub. We reminisced, catching up on where everyone had ended up, and shared a few laughs about the past. Funnily enough, it was the pub’s 130th birthday—a place that, like Byron, has held on to its roots amidst all the change. It felt good to sit there, surrounded by memories.

A trip to Byron isn’t complete without a visit to Bangalow, where I once came last in the 1997 Billycart Derby—a moment that still makes me smile. Bangalow, much like Mullumbimby, has retained its old-world charm. I remember when you could take the train all the way from Sydney to the now-closed station.

Stepping into the Bangalow Hotel feels like stepping back in time; it’s got that quintessential Aussie pub vibe, where the wooden interiors are worn with age, and the air is thick with the familiar smell of beer. There’s something comforting about these spaces—dimly lit, with a kind of warm, lived-in feeling that makes you feel like you’ve been there a hundred times before, even if it’s your first visit.

 

Rae’s on Wategos has long been a fixture in Byron’s history © Harrison Thane.

 

We stopped in for lunch at Rae’s on Wategos, one of Byron’s finer dining spots and perhaps the first of its kind in the area. Rae’s has long been a fixture in Byron’s history, known for its luxurious yet intimate atmosphere. The interior is a perfect blend of coastal elegance and understated luxury, with whitewashed walls, touches of Mediterranean-inspired decor, and large windows that let in the natural light.

Early 1960s black-and-white images of beach scenes adorn the walls, a nod to a time even before mine. Looking at these old photos, I couldn’t help but wonder what those first surfers and hippies who arrived in Byron would think of it now. Even I, a local whose parents moved here in the early '90s, might be seen as part of the boom they once despised. Back then, Rae’s was where celebrities in the know would gather, far from the mainstream spotlight.

I often overheard conversations about how Byron Bay isn’t what it used to be, but as I revisited these familiar places, I found that despite the waves of change, the old Byron Bay still whispers beneath the surface, and for those who know where to look, the old Byron is very much alive.