\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/030Nightcap-National-Park.jpg\")
Terania Creek, deep in the heart of Nightcap National Park<\/p><\/div>\n
When loggers clear-felled \u201cThe Big Scrub\u201d of northern NSW for the valuable Australian Red Cedar tree from the mid-1800s right through to the banning of logging in 1982, the native Bundjalung people displaced from their traditional homelands retreated to the few remaining pockets of untouched rainforest. One of these pockets, a luxuriant swathe of Bangalow Palm forests and spectacular waterfalls, was a sacred place to the Widjabul clan, and is today known as Nightcap National Park. Its survival is largely due to the efforts of protestors (hence the name) who put a halt to logging operations along Terania Creek in 1979. The Falls are among Australia\u2019s tallest and most spectacular, and lie along the outstanding Protestors Falls trail \u2013 an easy walk of about 1.5km return, partly along a boardwalk, which begins at the Terania Creek picnic area about 15km from the village of The Channon. Following heavy rains in 2008, the forest floor is a carpet of newly emerging Bangalow Palms. And the Falls themselves are scenic enough to justify any number of return visits.<\/p>\n\n
Zentveld\u2019s has become the caffeine purveyor of choice at the highly acclaimed annual Byron Bay Writers\u2019 Festival, the only known place where writers\u2019 block comes rated at SPF15+.<\/p>\n
4. Explore the Byron hinterland coffee-growing trail<\/h2>\n
Coffee, Byron Bay-style, takes on a quality all its own. In the hinterland behind Byron Bay, more than 150 boutique coffee orchards have been established since 1990, with a total output of 120 tonnes by 2003. That\u2019s been forecasted to rise to around 700 tonnes by 2010.<\/p>\n\n
Most overseas coffee is grown in the tropics, at an altitude of more than 1000m. In the Northern Rivers, by contrast, most of the plantations are at around 200-300m above sea level. \u201cBut what we lose in altitude, we make up for in longitude,\u201d says Rebecca Zentveld, of Zentveld\u2019s coffee plantation near Newrybar. The company also sources a good proportion of its beans from northern Qld, thus obtaining a blend with good body. Zentveld\u2019s has become the caffeine purveyor of choice at the highly acclaimed annual Byron Bay Writers\u2019 Festival, the only known place where writers\u2019 block comes rated at SPF15+.<\/p>\n\n
Not all Northern Rivers coffees are grown at low altitude. John and Effie Vikas, of Clunes Country Coffee, comparatively high on the Bangalow-Lismore road, produce a rich blend from locally grown beans (with a very pleasant onsite caf\u00e9 an added bonus). Equally good blends come from neighbouring growers Bangalow Coffee and Nashua Coffee at (where else) Nashua Road, Nashua.<\/p>\n\n
Between Newrybar and Suffolk Park, a roadside stall at Broken Head Road Coffee Plantation offers just-roasted coffee to passers-by. Marketed as \u201corganically grown, hand-picked and sun-dried,\u201d help yourself to freshly roasted beans or ground coffee from an honesty box, and leave money in a little tin. How low-tech can you get? That\u2019s Byron all over.<\/p>\n
5. Go kayaking in Belongil Creek
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/030Belongil-Beach.jpg\")
Just west of Main Beach, looking across Bilongil Beach towards Mt Warning.<\/p><\/div>\n
The Belongil precinct is home to some of Byron\u2019s top beachside dwellings, the ambience of which is disturbed only by frequent disagreements with the local council over residents\u2019 rights to build sea-walls to protect their valuable properties. But there\u2019s one place not subject to tidal or political erosion: Belongil Creek (or, more properly, Belongil Estuary). You can launch a kayak near the Belongil Beach Resort and kayak a few kilometres inland (depending on tides), past scenic wetlands and through rural landholdings that, funnily enough, still exist in today\u2019s holidaymaker-fixated Byron Bay.<\/p>\n
6. Discover Arakwal National Park
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\nArakwal, one of the newest national parks in NSW, was opened and dedicated by Arakwal tribal elders in 2001. The easiest access is via Ironbark Avenue \u2013 take Bangalow Rd towards Ballina, then turn left into Ironbark about two klicks south of the Byron Bay CBD. A walk through pristine bushland leads past a sandblow (veer hard left, or you\u2019ll lose the track) to Tallow Beach. Exercise care if swimming at Tallows, as the beach is unpatrolled and subject to dangerous rips and undercurrents. Opposite the golf course, a bike path also leads through the Arakwal wetlands to another section of Tallow Beach. The wetlands here are at their most scenic after heavy rains.<\/p>\n
7. Dine fresh at the weekly Farmers\u2019 Market<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s1.at.atcdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/030-61266-063.jpg\")
An enthusiastic busker at Bangalow Market.<\/p><\/div>\n
Organic sourdough breads; Bangalow farm cheeses; organic veggies; pecan nuts from the Nimbin Valley; Dunoon macadamias; Tweed Valley beef; fresh Brunswick River whiting and prawns; these local delicacies and more are on sale every Thursday morning at the Farmers\u2019 Market on the Butler St Reserve. Official hours are 8-11am, but locals get there from 6:30am onwards, with onsite coffee stalls making the gathering something of a social event. The only downside is that high stall rents tend to force up prices; so for cheaper produce you may prefer to shop at the fruit stand outside the caravan park on Ballina Road (opposite Byron Bay Golf Course).<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the unique mix of natural and cultural environment that draws people here. There aren\u2019t many other places on earth that enjoy such assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
8. Browse the funky antique shops of Bangalow<\/h2>\n
Bangalow could be light years away from Byron Bay, its proximity (just 7km) to Byron notwithstanding. The scenic Old Bangalow Rd winds up through the hills behind Byron Bay, twisting and turning upon itself like an itchy snake. Drivers have to be super-careful to avoid gawking at the spectacular scenery to the detriment of their road-handling capabilities.<\/p>\n\n
By contrast with Byron Bay, Bangalow seems quieter than a country cousin on Serapax \u2013 except, that is, on market day (last Sunday of the month), when bumper-to-bumper traffic clogs the narrow streets. On all other days, the visitor has free rein to browse, graze and check out the many antique shops and caf\u00e9s that make Bangalow just a cut above its brash lowland neighbour.<\/p>\n\n
Take time to peruse the eclectic merchandise of the Wax Jambu Emporium, the clothing at Don\u2019t Tell Mama, or the fine \u201cAntiques for the People\u201d at Mostly Mao. The Bangalow Historical Museum is also well worth a visit. Later, adjourn for a coffee at the Utopia Espresso Bar, which delivers a super-charged brew made from its own special blend of Zentveld\u2019s.<\/p>\n
9. Get a surf lesson from the experts<\/h2>\n
Just west of Main Beach, looking across Bilongil Beach towards Mt Warning.<\/p><\/div>\n
The Belongil precinct is home to some of Byron\u2019s top beachside dwellings, the ambience of which is disturbed only by frequent disagreements with the local council over residents\u2019 rights to build sea-walls to protect their valuable properties. But there\u2019s one place not subject to tidal or political erosion: Belongil Creek (or, more properly, Belongil Estuary). You can launch a kayak near the Belongil Beach Resort and kayak a few kilometres inland (depending on tides), past scenic wetlands and through rural landholdings that, funnily enough, still exist in today\u2019s holidaymaker-fixated Byron Bay.<\/p>\n
6. Discover Arakwal National Park
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\nArakwal, one of the newest national parks in NSW, was opened and dedicated by Arakwal tribal elders in 2001. The easiest access is via Ironbark Avenue \u2013 take Bangalow Rd towards Ballina, then turn left into Ironbark about two klicks south of the Byron Bay CBD. A walk through pristine bushland leads past a sandblow (veer hard left, or you\u2019ll lose the track) to Tallow Beach. Exercise care if swimming at Tallows, as the beach is unpatrolled and subject to dangerous rips and undercurrents. Opposite the golf course, a bike path also leads through the Arakwal wetlands to another section of Tallow Beach. The wetlands here are at their most scenic after heavy rains.<\/p>\n
7. Dine fresh at the weekly Farmers\u2019 Market<\/h2>\nAn enthusiastic busker at Bangalow Market.<\/p><\/div>\n
Organic sourdough breads; Bangalow farm cheeses; organic veggies; pecan nuts from the Nimbin Valley; Dunoon macadamias; Tweed Valley beef; fresh Brunswick River whiting and prawns; these local delicacies and more are on sale every Thursday morning at the Farmers\u2019 Market on the Butler St Reserve. Official hours are 8-11am, but locals get there from 6:30am onwards, with onsite coffee stalls making the gathering something of a social event. The only downside is that high stall rents tend to force up prices; so for cheaper produce you may prefer to shop at the fruit stand outside the caravan park on Ballina Road (opposite Byron Bay Golf Course).<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the unique mix of natural and cultural environment that draws people here. There aren\u2019t many other places on earth that enjoy such assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
8. Browse the funky antique shops of Bangalow<\/h2>\n
Bangalow could be light years away from Byron Bay, its proximity (just 7km) to Byron notwithstanding. The scenic Old Bangalow Rd winds up through the hills behind Byron Bay, twisting and turning upon itself like an itchy snake. Drivers have to be super-careful to avoid gawking at the spectacular scenery to the detriment of their road-handling capabilities.<\/p>\n\n
By contrast with Byron Bay, Bangalow seems quieter than a country cousin on Serapax \u2013 except, that is, on market day (last Sunday of the month), when bumper-to-bumper traffic clogs the narrow streets. On all other days, the visitor has free rein to browse, graze and check out the many antique shops and caf\u00e9s that make Bangalow just a cut above its brash lowland neighbour.<\/p>\n\n
Take time to peruse the eclectic merchandise of the Wax Jambu Emporium, the clothing at Don\u2019t Tell Mama, or the fine \u201cAntiques for the People\u201d at Mostly Mao. The Bangalow Historical Museum is also well worth a visit. Later, adjourn for a coffee at the Utopia Espresso Bar, which delivers a super-charged brew made from its own special blend of Zentveld\u2019s.<\/p>\n
9. Get a surf lesson from the experts<\/h2>\n
An enthusiastic busker at Bangalow Market.<\/p><\/div>\n
Organic sourdough breads; Bangalow farm cheeses; organic veggies; pecan nuts from the Nimbin Valley; Dunoon macadamias; Tweed Valley beef; fresh Brunswick River whiting and prawns; these local delicacies and more are on sale every Thursday morning at the Farmers\u2019 Market on the Butler St Reserve. Official hours are 8-11am, but locals get there from 6:30am onwards, with onsite coffee stalls making the gathering something of a social event. The only downside is that high stall rents tend to force up prices; so for cheaper produce you may prefer to shop at the fruit stand outside the caravan park on Ballina Road (opposite Byron Bay Golf Course).<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the unique mix of natural and cultural environment that draws people here. There aren\u2019t many other places on earth that enjoy such assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
8. Browse the funky antique shops of Bangalow<\/h2>\n
Bangalow could be light years away from Byron Bay, its proximity (just 7km) to Byron notwithstanding. The scenic Old Bangalow Rd winds up through the hills behind Byron Bay, twisting and turning upon itself like an itchy snake. Drivers have to be super-careful to avoid gawking at the spectacular scenery to the detriment of their road-handling capabilities.<\/p>\n\n
By contrast with Byron Bay, Bangalow seems quieter than a country cousin on Serapax \u2013 except, that is, on market day (last Sunday of the month), when bumper-to-bumper traffic clogs the narrow streets. On all other days, the visitor has free rein to browse, graze and check out the many antique shops and caf\u00e9s that make Bangalow just a cut above its brash lowland neighbour.<\/p>\n\n
Take time to peruse the eclectic merchandise of the Wax Jambu Emporium, the clothing at Don\u2019t Tell Mama, or the fine \u201cAntiques for the People\u201d at Mostly Mao. The Bangalow Historical Museum is also well worth a visit. Later, adjourn for a coffee at the Utopia Espresso Bar, which delivers a super-charged brew made from its own special blend of Zentveld\u2019s.<\/p>\n