Byron Bay- You'll Never Leave

Fancy yourself as a hippy wearing flares and a tie dye top? Want to hand out flyers and save the world? Fancy a sing song on your guitar? Then Byron Bay is just for you. There are still traces of its hippy days but these days Byron is bustling with cafes, jewellery shops, hostels and bars.


Byron Bay is in my opinion the best place in Australia- its relaxing hippy vibe combined with the amazing nightlife make it the ultimate backpacker destination. Byron is one of those places you'll have heard of before you even get there. It's a small town on the most easterly point of Australia, with one main street which leads down to the beautiful surfing beach.

Cheeky Monkeys is famous for being one of the best nights out in Australia- where else can you dance on tables, get $5 meals, win prizes by putting clothes pegs on your face or get involved in a topless twister competition? Not to mention the flashing cups. So go along, 'have a feed' and join in the raucus rowdy atmosphere- it's where every backpacker ends up.

It is worth a word of warning though- at peak times around December to March Byron Bay can get very busy and hostels get booked up well in advance. We were lucky because Oz experience have a deal with Holiday Village which is the best hostel for partying, although I've hard the Arts Factory is also pretty damn good. Holiday Village has free surf boards too so you can make an absolute fool of yourself trying to practice your skills after surf camp.