Byron Bay – Australia

I discovered Byron Bay in 2012 and I immediately fell in love.
From that moment, I knew I would be back ! But never imagined I would live there for 4 years. What an adventure !

There is something magnetic about this place ! Strong, Powerful energies… some call it a HEALING place.

And just like chocolate ; as soon as you taste it, you just want more ! 🙂

But don’t be a fool. Byron is also a transient place as Aboriginal say. And it’s good to be there as much as it is good to leave once the healing is done !

So, here is when my introspection started… Surrounded by spiritual beings, beautiful beaches, subtropical weather and an incredible wildlife…

I hope you will enjoy these pictures and the little video I’ve put together for you…

OCEAN & BEACHES

SUNRISES – SUNSETS & COLOUR PALETTES IN THE SKY

NATURE & WILDLIFE

THE NIGHTLIFE

A few addresses:

• The Beach Hotel: mostly for the 4’20 sound on Mondays, and some other shows on the weekends
• Woody’s: for the after party on electronic music
• The Balcony: to start the evening with a few oysters/fries and a cocktail on top of the building (above the French Bakery)
• The Bolthole: for tapas and cocktails
• the Locura: to see the drag queen performances at the Cherry Pop event, here for tickets
• The Rails: The place to meet your Byron Crew and enjoy live ‘country’ music most nights of the week
• The Brunswick Hotel: a 15′ drive out of Byron, totally worth the trip for a lovely evening/night out on Fridays and Saturdays. More info here
• The Bilinudgel Hotel: Wink Wink Nudge Nudge, to party with a ‘conscience’. Real good electronic music played by real good Dj’s, once a month. Book your ticket here
• The Northern: iconic in Byron Bay. I’m personally not a fan of the atmosphere/music but it’s a good place to sometimes discover bands and dj’s

THE COFFEES

My favourite cafés:

• Barefoot Brew Room: hidden in Lateen Lane. From far my favourite coffees
• Safya: a good place to sit and have a coffee/brekkie after the lighthouse run 😉 Totally guilt free
• Sparrow : for their yummy Macadamia lattes ❤
• Nirvana Hibachi Bar: It wouldn’t be fair of me to forget this new lovely café that just opened. Created and managed by my dear friend Ben. I wish him all the success he deserves.
• Folk Cafe: in The Industrial Estate. Don’t be in a rush, it’s always crowded
• Luscious, in the Industrial Estate: my favourite for lunch !!!
• Top Shop: delicious coffees and burgers. I love this place.
• The Hole in the Wall: a classic for a cuppa on the go (and delicious wraps + brownies!)
• Sunday Sustainable Bakery
• The Roadhouse: when you have time (it’s often crowded) and want to sit in the sun next to influencers 😉 – joke apart: the food is good and coffees too! + Pizza nights
• The General Store: perfect to sip your coffee while scouting around garage sales (most Saturdays)
• NOT TO FORGET the beautiful Harvest Cafe: Café, bakery and luxurious restaurant in Newrybar
• Woods: in Bangalow
• Doma café: in Federal (up for a drive through the countryside anyone?)
• Scratch Patisserie: pastries and coffees to die for. Located in Mullumbimby so about 20min drive… Worth the trip ❤
• While in Mullum, I’ll also mention the Rock n roll café: perfect for lunch in a totally relaxed atmosphere
• Yami: in Brunswick, for delicious Middle East food and yummy coffee
• The Belle General café: in Ballina

THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Link here to the Byron Community Centre: to get all the information about what’s happening in Byron

THE SHOPPING

Clothing:

• Enzo & Toto: my favourite of all time !Beautifully curated European and Australian brands. Family owned business, amazing team with whom I was lucky enough to work,
• Driftlab: 2shops, One in Byron Bay and the other (my favourite) in Newrybar
• Rowie The Label: in Byron and Bangalow
• Norfolk: in Brunswick
• Assembly Label: love the pure simple design
• Zulu and Zephyr: love the quality of the cuts and creations
• Spell: I have to say, it is not my style at all but it seems to be many people’s favourite…
• garage sales: out and about in iron, most Saturdays !
• The flea market: at the BYS, in Byron Bay
• The markets, in and out Byron: the list is here and also here 🙂

– For the rest, I go to Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and the Rummage market in Brisbane 🙂

Homeware:

• I have to say, I do most of my purchases on Byron Bay Swap and Sell on Facebook. But I also like going for a browse around the following addresses:
• HABITAT in the Industrial Estate. Art, clothing, homeware, flowers,… you name it. See here for more info. and Check out those guys:
• Tigmi Trading
• Uscha for the sustainability, eco friendly, handmade products… All that with intention and lots of love behind the scenes
• Nikau in Byron Bay is definitely most people’s favourite when it comes to flowers, plants & pots
• I like Pampa and Marr-kett for their beautiful rugs and other various homeware
• I loved Ahoy traders, which is now in the hands of Jai Vasicek (check him out! his artwork is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!)
• Lest we forget the beautiful Newrybar Merchants, in Newrybar Village, where I was lucky to work with a beautiful team and inspiring creatives
• + Luther &Co, just next door.
• Bisque, in Bangalow is worth the visit too
• And of course a massive shout out to those guys: Brotherwood for their stunning wood work. Created by 3 talented men. Also Check out Israel.d.bush breathtaking work on Instagram. Not only is this guy a beautiful soul, but also a woodwork legend !!!
• And beautiful Uniqwa up the Gold Coast for beautifully curated furniture from around the world.

And voilà! That’s it for this article. I hope you liked it. Hit me up with your favourites 😉

PS: if you come to Byron, please be respectful.
Respect the environment, the locals, the rules (it goes for surfing too!!) …

Cheers, x

Axelle