Things to do in Byron Bay
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Twisted Sista
Bounteous baked goods include huge muffins, cheesy casseroles and overstuffed sandwiches on beautiful bread. Outdoor tables add to the slightly happy hungover vibe.
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Balcony
The eponymous architectural feature here wraps around the building and gives you tremendous views of the passing Byron parade and the always-clogged traffic circle. The food is Mediterranean fusion, with global influences. The drink list is long.
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Byron Orion
Orion's open door policy stops passers by in their tracks. It could be the delicious red vinyl walls and supper cocktails, but we're pretty sure it's the hot and spicy scents courtesy of Gujurauti beef, rogan josh, and vindaloo. Breakfast is decidedly Australian free range eggs.
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Dish
Ivy-clad walls and floor-to-ceiling glass create an atrium atmosphere at this dishy restaurant. The equally sophisticated cuisine includes pan-roasted eye fillet with potato, onion and bacon croquette.
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Bay Leaf Café
This tiny wedge-shaped bohemian cafe has a small but excellent menu prepared in a busy open kitchen. Best meal of the day is breakfast. That is, unless fresh homemade pasta takes your fancy.
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Mary Ryan's
Snuggled up to the ABC bookshop, this literary cafe provides coffee drinkers with a caffeine high. Speaking of high, the ceilings are, leaving plenty of wall space for artworks.
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Mongers
Tucked behind the Beach Hotel, this fish-and-chips joint issues forth to tables of devotees. It's a narrow, back-alley space but the quality is all high-street.
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Espressohead
Tucked away behind Woolworths; locals flock to this place for its excellent coffees. See if you can count the number of dodgy vans for sale on the bulletin board.
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Diving & Snorkelling
A number of dive outfits in Byron Bay take advantage of the town's close proximity to the Julian Rocks Marine Reserve. About 3km off shore, this reserve has been rated one of Australia's top ten dive sites, with over 600 species of fish plus whales, dolphins and turtles. Outfits with good reputations include Dive Byron Bay and Sundive.
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Railway Friendly Bar
This indoor-outdoor pub, aka 'The Rails', draws everyone from grey pensioners and lobster-red British tourists to acid-soaked hippies and high-on-life earth mothers. Its cosy interior is the old railway station. The front beer garden, conducive to boozy afternoons, has live music every night. The pub grub is excellent, so too the St Arnou beer on tap.
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Buddha Bar & Restaurant
Once fed, the young and funky mingle on leather lounges beneath wickedly low lighting in Byron's sultriest drinking hole. The global soundtrack traipses from hip hop to Latino, with jazz and electronic pitstops along the way. DJ's and acoustic sets also get a go.
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Orgasmic
Plop your bum on a cube cushion at this alley eatery that's one step above a stall. Takeaways include big mezze plates, ideal for quick picnics.
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Cardamom Pod
Fusing flavours from the sub-continent with an Aussie twist, this teeny gem serves excellent salads, curries and samosas at a handful of tables. The whole menu is vegetarian and you can vacuum your tofu and pumpkin salad here or get it to go.
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Fins
Tucked behind the boisterous Beach Hotel pub, this elegant sibling serves fish tagines, Mauritian seafood sambals and Tiger Abalone. The marine mains are touted as the best on the coast and celeb chefs pop in to prepare degustation nights.
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Fresh
Top spot for breakfast with excellent pancakes. At night, sit at open-air tables and chow down on a menu running the gamut of light (salads) or heavy (braised beef cheek) dishes. People-watching is half the appeal.
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Casa Pepe
It’s strictly vegetarian, but this cosy restaurant is worthy of all dietary persuasions. Happy patrons sit in the sheltered courtyard and tuck into pizzas, pies, soups and tofu burgers for lunch and smart pastas for dinner.
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Captain Cook Lookout
Start your 4km (2.5mi) walking track around Cape Byron from the Captain Cook Lookout on Lighthouse Rd. The rainforest stretch near the lookout provides a good chance of seeing wallabies, bush turkeys and feral goats.
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Great Northern
You won't need your fancy duds at this brash and boisterous pub. It's loud and beery with live music most nights and even louder when hosting headline acts. Live music almost nightly. Soak up the booze with a wood-fired pizza.
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Succulent Cafe
And succulent the steak sandwiches, grilled mahi mahi salads, and chilli prawn linguini are! This narrow café packs plenty of flavour and ingredients into a fresh menu. Mosaic-tiled tables and great coffee.
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Cape Byron Kayaks
Cape Byron Kayaks offers great half-day kayaking tours in and around Cape Byron Marine Park. Exhibitionist dolphins are the main attraction, and the tours provide commentary and much needed Tim-Tams and coffee.
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Dolphin Kayaking
Dolphin Kayaking offers great half-day kayaking tours in and around Cape Byron Marine Park. Exhibitionist dolphins are the main attraction, and the tours provide commentary and much needed Tim-Tams and coffee.
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Kidz Klub
Kidz Klub offers excellent adventure tours, workshops, yabbying, bushwalking and school holiday programmes for kids aged four and up, plus babysitting for all little tackers. Rates are variable.
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The Pass
For the famous breaks, walk from Main Beach past Clarks Beach to The Pass, which leads onto Watego's and Little Watego's Beaches. Dolphin sightings are common at these spots.
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