BY ROBERT CATTO
““Where the river met the sea, the beaches ran north and south,
white and broad as highways in a dream,
and men and babies stood in the surf while gulls hung in the haze above...””
We’ve been away.
It’s been quite a while since I posted an essay here—but also, we got out of town for a few days.
If you’ve visited Australia, you’ve probably heard of Byron Bay; it’s one of those towns whose reputation precedes it—beautiful beaches, surfers with Kombi vans, a relaxed lifestyle, music festivals, did I mention the beaches?
And yes, all of that is true, which is why when a friend very kindly offered his house for a week, we jumped at the chance to have a bit of summer in winter. (And yes, this is what Byron looks like in winter!)
Like so many places along the coast of Australia, it’s a beautiful spot with beaches that seem to never end. It’s easy to see why people are drawn here; but at the same time, the rise of tourism over the past few decades has definitely changed the vibe of the place.
Locals have trouble finding affordable accommodation these days, with many landlords putting properties perpetually on sites like Air BnB rather than taking long-term tenants. The fame of the town has brought a stream of models and influencers, inspired a (much-maligned) Netflix series, and prompted films stars to take up residence in the area.
So, much as Byron likes to project itself as a chilled-out place for surfers and backpackers—and it’s fair to say a large percentage of vehicles have roof-racks with boards on them, not to mention wetsuits drying over car doors, and mattresses in the back of vans—the signs throughout town saying “Strictly No Camping” suggest a different relationship with the chilled out wave-chasers who made it so popular.
It’s the way of all things, I suppose; popularity creates demand, which increases pressure on housing and public services. I’m just not used to seeing such a great difference between the reputation of a place and the reality, I suppose.
The old Byron still exists—people still live in seventies bungalows down quiet residential streets in some parts of town; you can still catch a football game right from the sidelines in the local park; and the old lighthouse still shines over the town at night.
But a couple of things really brought it home to me while we were there, how much Byron is now defined by wealth.
On the first day, we were sitting on a balcony having lunch, and watched someone parallel park a (vintage) Rolls Royce outside the shops on the main street. Okay, sure, one nice car doesn’t mean the whole town has changed…necessarily.
Then, on the final day, as I was photographing a giant peace sign above a shop for lease in the centre of Byron, not one but TWO Lamborghinis thundered past me, towards the beach.
That’s the vibe, now.
