BYRON BAY,  is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites. Cape Byron State Conservation Park is on a headland with a lighthouse. Between June and November, humpback whales can be spotted from headland viewpoints such as the Captain Cook Lookout.

Byron Bay was famous in the 1960’s for 3 things – whaling, meat and surfing. Byron Bay had a whaling station right on the Main Beach where the locals would stand on the wharf and watch humpback whales being brought in to slaughter for their oil and blubber. Later the whaling station was turned into a meat works and eventually closed altogether. Tourists can now enjoy seeing the very much alive whales (and lots of dolphins too) during their migration along the coast.

Surfing has long brought visitors from far and wide to the aqua blue shores of Byron Bay, thanks to the 7 major breaks. No matter what the weather, there is always a wave in Byron Bay. To this day it remains one of the most popular and well known surf spots in Australia and overseas. You haven’t surfed until you’ve surfed Byron man!

The history of Europeans in Byron Bay began in 1770, when Lieutenant James Cook found a safe anchorage and named Cape Byron after a fellow sailor John Byron.