About 500,000 visitors a year come to see the still-functioning Cape Byron Lighthouse. Perched on a cliff that rises 118 metres above the Pacific Ocean, the view during sunlit days is fabulous, but sunsets and sunrises are a special draw. Ian Robertson/QMI Agency

Byron Bay, Australia

BYRON BAY, Australia -- This resort town in New South Wales was abuzz with "schoolies" the day I visited.

Just as Canadian students have "March Break," so too do their Australian counterparts. As in "Schoolies."

In a seaside resort town such as this, with school out last November for spring break, there were throngs of young people along the streets.

Beaches, pizza and sandwich "take-aways," bars, the inter-state bus stop and The Balcony -- a century-old downtown wooden hotel converted into a restaurant, where I had a late supper of mushroom soup, crusty toasted bread and a litre of bottled water for about $20 including tip -- were hopping. And that was at 10 p.m.

In the daytime, "schoolies" still roamed and played on the beach, but the atmosphere was more relaxed.

With glorious sunshine and the temperature a relatively dry, manageable mid-20s Celsius, my only regret was a schedule that gave me only one day and two nights to explore the town and its surroundings.

First things first. What to wear?

"Preferably a T-shirt, with a surfing theme and you'll fit right in," affable Russell Mills, a Northern Rivers Region tourism representative, said with a chuckle, as we settled into the Byron Beach Cafe for lunch. Seafood, naturally.

"It's more laid back here," Mills said.

Seeing the casual dress of patrons, including families in swimsuits collecting snacks at the outdoor counter under the Casuarina trees where a plover and bush turkey roamed the front lawn, he was right. With a population of about 5,000, or more than 28,000 if you include Byron Shire, this town near the continent's most easterly site is a popular destination for backpackers, international and Australian tourists and the afore-mentioned "schoolies." 

Pastimes include hiking, kayaking, skydiving, scuba diving, snorkeling, whale-and people-watching, beach games, shopping along wide streets of mostly small stores, plus dining at a range of inexpensive to trendy cafes plus award-winning restaurants.

"Cape Byron cuts around so far it's almost like a cradle, which means it's a great place for swimming and surfing and aquatic life," Mills added.

Ah, surfing! 

Though waves weren't high, a glance along Main Beach showed plenty of enthusiasts wet and waiting with surfboards. On a nearby grassy knoll, a class of would-be enthusiasts in wetsuits were being given strategic lessons.

The town has several similar sites: Belongil Beach, The Wreck -- named for the Wollongbar, which sank during a cyclone in 1922 -- Clarkes Beach, Little Wategos' Beach and "very exclusive" Watego's Beach, where Mills said guests at the Rae's on Wategos boutique Moroccan-Mediterranean style resort have included actors Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman, plus Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.

Located in the far-northeastern corner of the state, 175 km south of Brisbane, Byron Bay lies just off a main highway which, I easily travelled in my rental car despite using right-hand steering.

This area was named by Vancouver Island and Newfoundland explorer-cartographer Capt. James Cook after Royal Navy officer John Byron, who was Newfoundland's governor in 1769 and grandfather of renowned British poet Lord George Byron.

Europeans settled here in the 1880s, naming streets after British writers and philosophers. Primarily an industrial town and seaport until after World War II, the first business was harvesting Australian red cedar, followed by dairy farming, slaughterhouses and whaling, which ended in 1963.

The town declined after the war, until occasional young visitors recognized the thrill of riding waves. Tourism was born, with a counter-culture developed largely by surfers and hippies who bought cheap properties, whose values rapidly rose.

In recent years Mills said  "Australian families are discovering it more ... definitely changing the feel of the place."

Special events added to the popularity, including yoga retreats, pagan gatherings, a writers festival, a film festival, a triathlon every May that attracts more than 1,000 competitors, plus the Byron Underwater Festival. There are also farmers', craft and artisan markets.

The biggest attraction, with 120 performers and 17,500 visitors a day, is the Byron Bay Bluesfest held in April. Launched modestly in 1990 by Emmy-winning music producer Peter Noble, Australia's now-largest jazz festival moved last year to Tyagarah Tee Tree Farm, 11 km north of here. It attracts Australian stars and international acts such as the Blind Boys of Alabama, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Grace Jones and Leon Russell.

"It's great to have that calibre of event in a country town," Mills said.

Lighthouse stays

It's not often you can stay overnight on top of the world.

But 3 km outside of town on the continent's most easterly site, visitors can book ex-keeper's quarters near a lighthouse on a cliff that rises 118 metres above the Pacific Ocean.

Completed in 1901, with an eight-ton Parisian optical lens, Cape Byron Lighthouse was by 1955 the country's most powerful. Near the 100-hectare Cape Byron State Conservation Park, the 22-metre-tall white concrete block building topped by a crown-like glass tower is the area's top attraction.

The vantage point provides a fabulous view, attracting about 500,000 visitors a year -- especially at sunset and sunrise.

Beaches stretch forever from the cliffs, were visitors can see bottlenose dolphins, green sea turtles and whales, which National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Andy Robinson said migrate by the thousands from May through November.

Overnighters, he said, "can literally sit out on the veranda and see humpback whales passing."

To the north, "Mount Warning," or 'Wollumbin' in Banjalang Aboriginal dialect, was clearly visible above the rainforests.

Parks and Wildlife Services of New South Wales acquired the property in 1998, after the light became automated. Half the staff are Aboriginals, who for thousands of years visited Cape Byron to swap stories, find marriage partners and trade goods.

The lighthouse was being renovated when I visited but normally 40-minute tours are available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays ($8 for adults, $6 for children, $25 per family).

One keepers' home is original, another is from the 1950s and two newer ones have integrated themes including cozy rooms and long halls whose doors let in welcome sea breezes. With two accommodating up to six people, rates for three-to-seven-day stays in the semi-detached homes range from $900-to-$3,500.

Contact

Cape Byron Trust, Tallow Beach Rd., Byron Bay NSW 2481; or online: visitbyronbay.com/accom_result1/cape-byron-trust.

IF YOU GO TO AUSTRALIA

GETTING THERE

Virgin America flies from Toronto to Los Angeles, where you can connect to V Australia flights to Australia. V Australia offers periodic discounts on round-trip flights from L.A. to several cities “Down Under.” See virginamerica.comand vaustralia.com.

MORE INFORMATION

For information on travel to Austalia, contact Tourism Australia at australia.com. For information on New South Wales and Byron Bay, contact visitnsw.com and visitbyronbay.com.