Byron Bay Hotels

Byron Bay is a coastal town in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, located just off the Pacific Highway, approximately 800 km north of Sydney and 175 km south of Brisbane. Nearby Cape Byron is the easternmost point on the Australian mainland. Byron Bay is famed worldwide for its surfing beaches, scuba diving, whale watching, rural beauty and a laid back lifestyle. It is a major tourist centre. Byron Bay and its surrounding area have a population of about 30,000. The area has experienced a dramatic increase in tourism now standing at 1.7 million+ visitors per year. A small town that has always prided itself on having no traffic lights now has traffic jams at the roundabout during the summer. There are many thriving home-based businesses focussed on alternative, cultural and knowledge industries, with a growing population of artists, writers and filmmakers. Byron Bay is the eastern most point of Australia 's mainland on the New South Wales ' north coast. It is famous for its alternative lifestyles and attracts people from all walks of life. Captain James Cook named the area on May 15, 1770. He named the area Byron after John Byron, the grandfather of Lord Byron (the famous poet) and a navigator.