Byron Bay's history can be told from many points of view.

There is a story as old as time of a landscape forming and changing, a lush and fertile coastal paradise, wrapped by the silhouette of the Nightcap Range, teeming with plant, bird and marine life. 

There is an ancient story which is the indigenous people's history of Byron Bay, from mists of the the aboriginal Dreaming. It is a story closely linked to this landscape whose spirit is being kept alive by the descendents of this long tradition, the Arakwal people, the traditional custodians of Byron Bay.

There is the seafaring story of European explorers.

The intrepid Captain James Cook was the British explorer to whom we give the honour of being the white discover of the Great Southern Land.

Brooks Camp - the first building in Byron Bay circa 1883

Cook noticed two prominent landmarks as he sailed along the lush coast of what was to become northen New South Wales, and  which are still the most significant features of the Byron Bay vista - Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point, and the primeval volcanic core which is Mt. Warning.

Against this backdrop came the settlers story of struggle, heroism, tragedy and humour which is the story of  any thriving community. Each ensuing wave of new settlers brought new influences to the life of the community, arriving by steamer, or horse and buggy, or later paisley kombi, or shiney four wheel drive.

These stories have merged into the rich geographical and cultural tapestry which is the story of Byron Bay now.

Mt. Warning