Everybody's Favourite Place.....And A Flasher

View of Cape Byron from Belongil Beach
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Another recommendation by fellow travellers and local Aussies, Byron Bay definitely gets the thumbs up from me.

After the disappointment of Surfers Paradise, I was glad to be back surrounded by natural beauty and no high rises or designer shopping malls!

Instead, Byron Bay is this nice little town surrounded by...yep, you've guessed it.....rainforests and beautiful beaches...haha..notice a familiar theme going on with Australia?!

In fact, both travellers and local Aussies alike all name this as one of their favourite places to visit on the East Coast and I can see why!

Belongil Beach - all to myself!
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The main focal area in Byron Bay is the Cape Byron Headland Reserve which is said to be one of the world's most beautiful places boasting rainforest, rugged cliff faces, stunning views of the hinterland and ocean, and outstanding vantage points for watching whales and dolphins from the headland. Cape Byron is also the most easterly point on Australia's mainland. From Byron Bay, the Cape Byron Lighthouse can be seen perched in the distant at the very top of the Headland.

So have I gotten bored of sunshine, stunning beach and sea views yet...haha...not quite...Byron is beautiful and there is nothing that can match waking up and being able to walk down to the beach in a few minutes.

Cape Byron and the lighthouse in the distance
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I actually chose to stay away from the town centre and the Main Beach - which is notorious for being very crowded on sunny days and weekends - staying about a 15 minute walk away right by the beautiful yet slightly quieter Belongil Beach.

The hostel (also with holiday apartments) itself was so so being more popular with Aussies than backpackers and when it did rain (yes, it's not always sunny in Australia - that was a new revelation for me too! It rained cats and dogs the last night I was there!) and at night, the 15 minute walk was a pain in the a##e. But on the mostly hot sunny days whilst I was in Byron, the walk was a refreshing stroll along Belongil Beach through to Main Beach with beautiful views. It was so lovely not to be with the crowds...instead I had most of the beach to myself and was able to enjoy the stunning views of the Cape Byron Headland and the lighthouse in the distance over the clear blue crashing waters.

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Well, apart from the one day where...um, I got flashed by the elderly chap.....did I mention that clothing is optional on Belongil Beach?! Basically, I was walking along minding my own business when I suddenly heard someone yell out from the banks of the sand. I turned around and there he was, this elderly chap sitting in one of the small coves of the sand banks showing me alot more than I had certainly expected! It certainly wasn't pretty and had someone had an aerial view of Byron Bay that day, it would have been funny to see me as alittle dot zooming down the beach as fast as my little legs could take me! Haha!

View of Cape Byron from Belongil Beach
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As mentioned before, the main focal area of Byron is the Cape Byron Headland Reserve and the lonely planet recommends doing the 4km circular walk to be able to enjoy the stunning views...haha....the views are breathtaking....but word of advice...never do it in the heat of noon (although I did remember to take water, a hat and food with me) and go in the morning - apparently the waters there are extremely popular with dolphins and whales ( I saw neither!) - otherwise you'll end up abit red and sweaty like I did!