A Brief History of Byron Bay…

Have you ever wondered about Byron Bay’s past?

Byron hasn’t always been a laid-back surfer town…

The original inhabitants were the Arakwal people, part of the Bundjalung group. They called the area Cavvanbah, meaning meeting place.

33608675

Byron Bay has changed dramatically in the last 250 years. Here’s a time line of European history…

1770 : Captain Cook named Cape Byron as he was sailing past

Byron-Bay-2

1828 : William Johns on the HMAS Rainbow mapped the Bay

1884/5 : The village of Cavvanbah was surveyed. 200 lots of land were sold.

1894 : Opening of the railway. Cavvanbah was renamed Byron Bay.

Welcome

Early 1900’s : Dairy and pig industry dominated.

1930’s : Sand mining was established between Ballina and Brunswick Heads

Sand-mining-Byron-Bay

1954-62 : The whaling industry took as many as 150 humpback whales per year.

r1257769_16817243

1960’s : Surfers discovered the many beaches around Byron Bay.

CG2_Group-of-us-at-the-pass1On_the_beach_at_Byron_Bay_(2551884787)

1973 : Nimbin’s Aquarious Festival established Byron Bay as hippy / alternative town.

r1122611_13758405 4509179069_f244bcaea3_b

1980’s : Byron Bay discovered by backpackers as a must visit destination.

byron_wideweb__430x286,1

1990’s – present : Tourism is the largest industry in Byron Bay, with people flocking from all over the world to enjoy the beaches, the surf, the markets, the festivals and that famous Byron atmosphere!

6324293113_566ee38e35_oThe Wreck Alex FringsLNS_05-01-2013_EGN_08_LIS040112BYRON01_fct1025x773x111_t620Market

Leave a Reply