I first visited Byron Bay whilst backpacking around Australia around fifteen or sixteen years ago and despite numerous trips Darwin, Sydney, Perth and even the Goal Coast, I had never managed to make it back.
It’s a seven or eight hour flight from Singapore followed by a minimum two hour drive so in hindsight, it’s a long trek for a weekend break but having seen how much the foodie culture has changed in Australia over the years, both Alison and I were keen to visit.
As a jumping off point for backpackers heading up and down the coast between Cairns and Sydney, the food and drink options were previously limited to pies, fries and cheap domestic lager. Byron has always been associated with counter culture and is a town that, since the early 70’s, has taken great pride in it’s determination to march to the beat of it’s own drum. In 1973 a last minute venue change saw the nearby town of Nimbin, a small, and some would say dying dairy farming community, play host to the Aquarius Festival, an extremely liberal arts and music festival organised by the radical Australian Union of Students. Fast forward almost 50 years and the counter-culture ideas spawned at the festival have now taken firm root in the mainstream and have spread to neighboring Byron and even nearby Brisbane.
Multiple occupancy living and working, organic, farm to table food trends and cooperative farming, once considered radical concepts, have breathed new life into the region and form the cornerstones of a foodie movement that will see people, myself included, fly for over eight hours to enjoy.
The hippie element in Byron are still going strong, tie dye and animal prints are on full display for sundowners at the Byron Bay Beach Hotel and if you feel the need to participate, there are boutiques on every street that will help to satisfy your urge.
Elsewhere a more design conscious element have established coffee shops, bakeries, salad shops and organic ice cream stalls, all characterized by sustainable, locally sourced organic produce.
Byron really does have something for everyone. There are some beautiful beaches to explore, bike rides and short drives to nearby farms, breweries and distilleries. The breakfast options are plentiful with dozens of cafes and bakeries offering freshly baked sourdough toast and the largest, most creamy avocados.
Wine from the nearby Hunter Valley is both cheap and generously poured and several excellent craft breweries will satisfy even the most demanding beer drinkers. A sunrise walk to the lighthouse followed by a long, lazy breakfast is a great way to start each day but likewise, a sunset walk to the lighthouse followed by drinks and dinner by the beach is a great way to end it.
Food
It would be impossible to review all of the amazing places in Byron but below is a selection of some of the favorites.
Our stand out was definitely Three Blue Ducks (be sure to make a reservation during summer). This restaurant group was founded in Bronte in Sydney and has other locations in Rosebery and Brisbane. The Byron location is set on an 80 acre working collective farm on the outskirts of town. Most of the ingredients used in the restaurant are produced on the farm or sourced from local producers. The groups ethos is to encourage and educate and to promote mindful consumption. To use sustainable quality produce and wherever possible, to minimize waste. They are of course also committed to producing great tasting and interesting food!
The Farm arrange tours which are well worth the time. A knowledgeable guide will explain the operations and show you the work they are undertaking to manage their sustainable practices. They host a number of flow bee hives which allow the collection of honey without the destruction of the hive and worm compost bins to recycle food waste. On the tour you will also meet the farm mascots, including Braveheart, a very insta-friendly hand reared Scottish Highland.
If you are unable to make a reservation at the restaurant, the tour is still worth a visit but if the weather suits, also esquire about picnic. The Three Blue Ducks will produce a hamper and provide a blanket and you may eat alfresco as you soak up the sights of the countryside.
Other Byron Bay (and surrounding area) highlights:
- Three Blue Ducks (at The Farm) – See above. Well worth a visit for fresh, organic, sustainable produce cooked in a simply, no-frills way. Book in advance during summer and if full, ask about their picnic hampers. Combine your visit with a tour of The Farm if you have the time.
- Byron Bay General Store for breakfast. We stayed at The Bower next door so meals here were an everyday event. This is a very casual place (shoes appeared to be optional) with lots of sun-soaked nooks to cram into. It’s a bustling spot, clearly popular with the locals which is always a great sign. The coffee was amazing and the breakfast rolls will set you up for the day.
- Byron Fresh – We actually visited Byron Fresh twice during our stay. It’s a very casual place, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and also takeaway) but the service is excellent, the vibe is very relaxed and the food, although simple, is organic, fresh, locally sourced and very well prepared. In the evening that we visited, a live band were playing on the street, serenading the diners inside. I’m still not sure if they had been hired by the restaurant or were busking but it was entertaining just the same. This is a great place for a casual early dinner.
- The Mez Club – This tapas and cocktail bar was worth the visit just for the decor but the food was also excellent. It gets very crowded later in the evening when the focus shifts from food to drinks – If you want to eat, I would suggest arriving early or book ahead but expect a noisy and crowded atmosphere. In the colder months, a large fireplace provides a central focal point inside the middle of the bar. In the summer, the shutters are open and the vibe is more Mediterranean. Whilst we enjoyed a great dinner, a DJ was setting up next to our table as we were finishing our meal and once they got started, conversation was limited to shouting or lip reading and we left in search of somewhere more chilled.
- Bay Leaf Café – This is a hugely popular breakfast spot, hippies, surfers, locals and tourists – an eclectic crowd with a common love of great food and excellent coffee. Expect to have to queue a while but you can always put your name down and stroll around the nearby boutiques or grab a takeout coffee from any of the nearby hole-in-the-wall coffee places while you wait. The open plan kitchen is one of the busiest I have ever seen – the chefs and wait staff are just blurs of activity. The food will arrive quickly and you may not feel welcomed to linger. That said, the food really is great. Standard Aussie breakfast fare, fresh fruit salads, granola, avocados and eggs but again, it is all sustainable, organic and locally sourced, well presented and cooked to perfection.
Drink
There are many craft beer and other options in Byron Bay and surrounds. Combined with Australian wine options on each menu, we were both pleased. Some of our favourite places:
Balter Brewery – I first discovered Balter on drought in a pub in Sydney but sadly, have never found it overseas. I was very excited to learn that the brewery, formerly owned by shark-punching surfer Mick Fanning, is only an hour or so drive from Byron Bay. Set in an industrial estate, it wasn’t the easiest place to find but it was well worth the effort. It’s a working brewery so the bar is a cavernous space (don’t expect a cozy pub-type atmosphere) but the design is excellent and they have managed to make it both interesting and aesthetically pleasing. Sadly I was driving so I had to limit myself to slow tasting flight but they also offer ‘off sales’ and I took home a few cans to enjoy back in Byron. If you are a beer-lover, this is well worth the drive.
Husk Distillers – This local distillery was not on our radar until I found a bottle of their Ink Gin in our hotel mini-bar and decided to look it up. The distillery is houses on a cattle and sugar cane plantation in the green caldera near Mount Warning, a 45 minute drive north of Byron. We combined the visit with our trip to Balter which is also relatively close by.
Husk specialize in Agricole Rum, made from sugar cane, which accounts for only around 3% of total global rum production and is usually only found in a few small islands in the French Caribbean. Unlike run made from molasses, agricole rums are generally considered to be more fresh and to contain less additives. Once mature, they are felt to develop a more complex dry and herbal flavor that is suited to neat sipping.
In addition to their rum, the distillery produce an ink gin made with 13 native Australian botanicals including Tasmanian Pepper Berries and locally grown lemon myrtle leaf. Post distillation, the gin is infused with petals of the butterfly pea flower which is steeped in the still for twenty four hours – this gives the gin it’s distinctive blue flavour.
As well as tasting great, the best thing about this gin? Butterfly pea flowers are highly sensitive to pH. When the gin is mixed with something with a low pH balance (tonic, lemon or lime) the color changes from blue to pink! How they are not hosting more ‘gender reveal’ parties I do not know.
In addition to the great spirits, the distillery is a great place to visit. On the day we visited, the sun was shining, there was a BBQ taking place on the terrace and hundreds of visitors were enjoying cocktails and lunch in the paddock. This is also a working farm so there are animals to pet, a great menu for lunch and of course, some amazing cocktails to sample.
Stone & Woods – Stone & Woods are a Byron success story, a 100% independent regional brewer whose beers can now be found, not only in every bar in town but across the whole of Australia and even beyond.
The Gatherer is a great wheat ale, Jasper is a more deep red ale and Pacific is a very easy to drink pale ale, cloudy, fruity and refreshing.
The brewery offer limited pilot batches as well as year round guest taps. The only way to try them all is to slay long enough or to order a few tasting paddles. A shuttle bus from the Sun Bistro will take you there and back so there is no need to worry about drinking and driving. In additional the excellent beers, they also have a full kitchen with a range of lunch and snack options.
Byron Bay Beach Hotel – People from all over Australia love to talk about this bar and given it’s size and beach front location, it will be hard to miss! It was (alleged) to have once been owned by ‘Crocodile Dundee’ himself, Paul Hogan. The lats time it changed hands it was (allegedly) the most expensive bar in Australia and it (also allegedly) has the highest weekly turnover.
I’m not sure if any of this is true – it’s certainly a busy spot so it’s definitely possible. In any event, it’s a great place to start or end your evening in Byron. On the nights we visited the music was ‘eclectic’ – a mix of 60’s and 70’s rock and roll played very loudly by an excellent local covers band. The bar staff are great, the service is excellent and the people watching is second to none. Do be aware, the place gets very crowded on weekends and it can get a little rowdy!
Welcome! We are Alison and Eric and we are the couple cooking and photographing the food on Grams to Ounces. Our passion is to produce and share relatively simple, great tasting food as well as to share tips and experience from our global food adventures. 
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