byron bay

Before we left Park Beach Resort Motel, we asked Lyn if there was anything worthy of seeing on our way to Byron Bay. She presented a print-out and ticked a few places.

Within Coffs Harbour, Coffs Harbour Jetty Marina was the first one on the list. It’s a marina with a long jetty. So long that you could walk up to Mutton Bird Island! Of course, we didn’t have time to go and walk around anything in the morning.

The other places to visit around Coffs Harbour are:

• Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Woolgoolga
• Look at Me Now, Headland at Emerald Beach, where there’s a pretty good chance to see kangaroos.
• Sealey Look-Out (North of Coffs Harbour: a nice drive up through Banana hills of Coffs Harbour with a great view of Coffs Coast)
• Dorrigo is a drive up the mountain (west of Coffs Harbour) through Bellingen. AT Dorrido, there is the Sky Walk Pier and a possibility of a serene walk through the rainforest.
• Dangar Falls (waterfall and rainforest)
• Urunga (this is about 20 minutes south of Coffs Harbour which is a great candidate to do on the way back)
• Red Rock is 40 km away from Coffs Harbour and a locely spot with estuary, Little Beach, back beach and walking tracks.

Byron Bay Here We Come!
Before the trip, my husband couldn’t stop raving about the apartment he rented for us in Byron Bay. I thought he was exaggerating. Well, he wasn’t.

We had the whole top-floor apartment to ourselves because he didn’t want to have anyone above us. The apartment complex had a pool, even though it was on the beach—I mean, there was only a main road separating us from the beach: no wonder they called it Bayview Beachfront Apartments (you can find the link at the end of this post). A large living room, dining room, kitchen, a balcony overlooking that same beach and the whole place was decorated with prints on the walls. It was heaven.

Being in the centre, any place was close. The shops, the supermarket, the restaurants, the cafes, and even the bookshop.

Since I struggled to read on my Kindle at the beach without my reading glasses and sunnies, I decided to buy myself a paperback.

That’s how I ended up buying Emily Henry’s Book Lovers at The Book Room Collective. Later, I went back and bought a notebook as well.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry turned out to be an excellent read. It was the first time I read one of her books. It was funny, entertaining and light. Exactly what I wanted. Highly recommend this book, and I reckon you shouldn’t wait until you have a holiday in Byron Bay.

You could grab your own copy from Amazon AU or Amazon US, depending on your location and thank me later.

More Shopping
It is natural that a book and a notebook weren’t the only things I bought from Byron Bay. I had been looking for a yellow Turkish towel for a long time. The search was over when I found one at a lovely and incredibly artsy shop.

These cotton towels are based on the peştemal-style Turkish bath towels and are very absorbent without being heavy.

Now, you don’t have to go to Byron Bay for this beautiful towel because you can get one from Amazon AU or Amazon US, depending on your location. And also, yours doesn’t have to be yellow: they have other beautiful colours as well.

Wildlife in Byron Bay
Is there any part of Australia where you cannot spot wildlife? Never. Even if you think there is no sign of an animal, you hear the lorikeets making a hell of a lot of noise in the trees.

Byron Bay is home to valuable and protected species, such as flying foxes. Apparently, flying foxes are quite social animals. They hang around together in camps. I happened to see one of their camps while walking around town.

And of course, there are other fellas that come out and say hello to you when you least expect such a thing, like the lizard in the video below.

They fly out of their camp on dusk and come back at dawn. When they get back they need to find their pups, often amongst hundreds of others. Mums calling out to their pups can make the camp very noisy.

Dining in Byron Bay
Byron Bay turned out to be a vegan paradise! Not only did we stay so close to one of the most famous completely vegan restaurants—No Bones—nearby, but also, every place we went to, they had something for us on their menu!

I will separate a couple of special places where we dined during our stay in Byron Bay, but for every other place, I have this for you.

Beach Hotel
This place was awesome on many levels. They had our kind of food, they had live music, they were nearby, and it was such a vibey place.

On one of those days, we popped in for some chips and beer and on one another day, we decided to try their cauliflower dish.

Harissa Roasted Cauliflower, as seen below, was delicious. It was also enough for two.

Beach Hotel’s Harissa Roasted Cauliflower (chilli roasted cashews, pepitas, rocket & hemp pesto).

The Hideout
Well, this place wasn’t hiding well and they had a lovely staff and very convenient food for us. Because sometimes all you want is some dips, chips, pickled peppers, beetroot ravioli and coconut dessert.

Di Vino, if you want Italian
This is the place where we had our last dinner, and it was awesome! Sometimes, all you want is a little bit of pasta, gnocchi, wine and a nicely stretched Italian accent. Byron Bay once had it all. Unfortunately, Di Vino is now permanently closed.

Elixaba Plant-Based Restaurant & Bar
Located in Feros Arcade (which was, as it is now, permanently closed), Elixaba became a great spot for us to grab a light bite while shopping in the area.

They served all-vegan, gluten-free food here and herb-infused drinks,with a little positive message.

The decor was quite earth-y and the food was fresh. Have a look at the video below: drinks changing colour, beautifully presented little parcels with peanut dipping sauce, and the place.

Links
Bayview Beachfront Apartments
The Book Room at Byron
Beach Hotel
The Hideout Cafe (no website however they’re on social media even though their last post dates back to 2024)
Instagram & Facebook

If you haven’t read it, this is how our trip to Byron Bay started: you can read it here.