Discovering Byron Bay on a weekend adventure
- Written by: The Times
Follow the headland track to Cape Byron Lighthouse, watch the surfers at The Pass and see what lies offshore. Two days is enough to get to know Byron Bay at walking pace.
There’s a moment on the climb from Wategos when you turn around and realise how far you’ve come. The beach is below you, the surfers look like dots and the lighthouse is still a few flights of steps away. You could have driven to the top, but then you’d have missed the best part of getting there.
That’s a good way to think about a weekend in Byron Bay. Pick one adventure each day and leave enough time to stop when something catches your eye. In a town where breakfast can stretch towards lunch and a quick look at the surf can turn into half an hour, a little room in the itinerary goes a long way.
Saturday morning | Walk to Cape Byron Lighthouse
Start at Captain Cook Lookout and follow the Walgun Cape Byron walking track towards The Pass and Wategos. The full loop is 3.7 kilometres, with steep sections and plenty of stairs. Allow around two hours if you like to stop for photos, watch the surf and take your time at the lighthouse.
At The Pass, spend a few minutes watching how the surfers read the water. From shore you can see them paddle into position, let one wave travel through and turn for the next. It’s a good place to appreciate how much of surfing happens before anyone stands up.
From Wategos Beach, the track climbs towards the most easterly point of mainland Australia and on to Cape Byron Lighthouse. Once you reach the lighthouse, look south. The long sweep of Tallow Beach, with bush behind it and open ocean in front, feels a world away from the small coves you’ve just walked past.
Saturday afternoon | Pick a beach and stay a while
Head back into town for lunch, then spend the afternoon at Main Beach or Clarkes Beach. Main Beach is handy if you want to drift between the sand and the town centre. Clarkes puts you further along the bay, looking towards the headland you walked that morning.
If you’ve always wanted to try surfing, book a beginner lesson. The instructor can choose a beach and session suited to the conditions. For a swim, use a patrolled beach and stay between the red and yellow flags.
Come evening, walk towards Belongil Beach for a last look at the bay as the light fades. Then head back into town for dinner. Staying within walking distance of the centre makes this the easiest part of the weekend. You can leave the car where it is and decide where to eat as you go.
Sunday morning | See Byron from the water
A guided sea kayak tour is a chance to look back at the headland from water level. The beaches and stairs you covered on Saturday line up along the coast, with the lighthouse high above. Dolphins and turtles are among the wildlife you might see, although sightings vary.
If you’re comfortable swimming in open water, consider a guided snorkel trip to Nguthungulli Julian Rocks, about 2.5 kilometres offshore in Cape Byron Marine Park. Tropical and temperate marine life overlap here, so what you see can change with the season and the conditions. Ask the operator about the expected swell, visibility and swimming requirements when you book.
Book one of these outings for Sunday morning and keep the rest of the day flexible. If the sea is too rough for the trip to run, spend the morning browsing the shops and studios in Byron’s Arts and Industry Estate, then make time for a long lunch.
Sunday afternoon | One more look at the bay
Before you leave, go back to the place you wanted more time at on Saturday. That might be Wategos with a takeaway lunch, The Pass to watch another set roll through or a seat above Main Beach with a coffee and your shoes still full of sand.
The most memorable part of the weekend might be the lighthouse climb or the first glimpse of life beneath the water at Julian Rocks. It could just as easily be the twenty minutes you spent at The Pass, watching the same surfer wait for a wave and finally take it.
