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Byron Bay
Byron Bay or 'Byron' is just south of the Queensland border. It is a popular surfing area where at the right time, dolphins surf the waves along side surfers. There are numerous restaurants, cafes and fish and chip shops. Byron has
excellent surfing beaches which seem almost endless. There is Main Beach which is good for swimming and sometimes has good surf. The eastern end of Main Beach is known as Clarks Beach, The headland at the end of Clarks is called The Pass and the best surf is off here and at Watego's Beach, which is next door. Tallow Beach stretches 7km to Broken Head, where it leads to Seven Mile Beach, which goes 10km south to Lennox Head.Things to Do - Byron BayPick up the Byron Body & Soul Guide from the tourist office. which details many local practitioners. For a good, cheap body and soul pick-me-up, try Relax Haven (tel 6685 8304) at Belongil Beachouse (see Accommodation), where you can indulge in a two-hour float and massage session for $40.Adventure sports abound in Byron Bay. Perhaps the most unusual offering is a two-hour trapeze lesson ($35) at Flying Trapeze (tel 6685 8000; Byron Bay Beach Resort, Bayshore Dr). Rockhoppers (tel 0500 881 881; cnr Jonson & Marvell Sts) leads adrenalin-charged rainforest mountain-bike adventures ($69), white-water kayaking ($69), 
canyoning ($120) and more. You can rent mals from Byron Surf (tel 6685 7536; 84 Jonson St) for $5 an hour. Byron Bay Surf School (tel 1800 707 274; 9 Marvell St) and numerous other outfits offer four-hour introductory lessons (around $35).About 3km offshore, Julian Rocks Marine Reserve attracts a profusion of marine species and divers. One-day introductory classes should cost $125 to $150 and PADI certification courses $350 to $400. Two trustworthy operators are Byron Bay Dive Centre (tel 1800 243 483, 6685 8333; 9 Marvell St) and Sundive (tel 6685 7755; 8 Middleton St). You can paddle alongside dolphins with Byron Bay Sea Kayaks (tel 6685 5830), run by the Byron Bay Adventure Company, which charges $45 for four hours including afternoon tea. Byron Boat Charter (tel 6685 6858) arranges dolphin- and whale-watching trips ($50; two hours). The Byron Gliding Club (tel 6684 7627), Byron Airwaves (tel 6629 0354, 0427 615 950) and Skylimit (tel 6684 3711) offer instruction in hang gliding and ultra-light flying ($70 to $190). Skydive Byron Bay (tel 1800 666 770, 6685 5990) will strap you to an instructor and dump you out of a plane for a 25-second freefall for $230; add $110 if you want to video it for your mum/dad. The Nimbin Shuttle Bus (tel 6680 9189) runs daily trips ($25 to $30) on Sundays to markets in the local area, including a trip to Nimbin. Rockhoppers has day-trips to climb Mt Warning in the hinterland, including sunrise excursions. Jim's Alternative Tours (tel 6685 7720) is a long-running local outfit that calls itself 'the tour with the tunes'. It visits Nimbin, rainforest and Minyon Falls where you can have a dip (tours $30). Lennox headMany travellers find Lennox Head, 18km south of Byron Bay, to be a welcome break from the hype of other east-coast beach resorts. The town shares its name with the dramatic headland (a prime hang gliding site) south of town. Lennox has some of the best surf on the coast, including long right-hander breaks, especially in winter. Lake Ainsworth, just back from the beach, is popular for sailing and windsurfing. The water is softened and stained brown by tannin from the surrounding Melaleuca trees (or tea trees), which is supposedly good for the skin and hair.Photography and some text courtesy Tourism New South Wales www.visitnsw.com.au
HostelsLennox Head Beachhouse YHA Lennox Heads Australia Arts Factory Lodge Skinners Shoot Rd, Byron Bay, Australia Aquarius Backpackers Byron Bay, Australia Backpackers Inn Byron Bay. Cape Byron Lodge 78 Bangalow Road Byron Bay NSW 2481 Phone (02) 66856445 Backpackers Holiday Village Hostel 116 Jonson Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 Phone (02) 66858888 Belongil Beachouse Hostel Childe Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 Phone (02) 66857868 Belongil by the Sea Childe Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 Phone (02) 66858111 Blue Iguana Beach House Bay Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 (02) 66855298 Cape Byron Hostel Cnr Byron & Middleton Streets Byron Bay NSW 2481Phone (02) 66858788 Byron Bay YHA – J’s Bay Cnr Carlyle & Middleton Streets Byron Bay NSW 2481Phone 1800 678195 Nomads Byron Bay Cnr Lawson & Fletcher Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 (02) 66858695 Byron Bay Bunkhouse 1 Carlyle Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 (02) 66858311
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New South Wales