Apply these principles to any prospective Byron Bay Real Estate purchase

L - equals Light House views

O - equals Ocean view

V - is Vicinity to the Bay

E - is Environmentally friendly

If your purchase has at least two of the above, then you are on a winner.

Residential Areas of Byron Bay

Wategos : This is the most expensive and exclusive area of Byron Bay.

It looks North from under the Light House across the Bay towards Mount Warning. Sunrises to your right and sunsets to your left.

Right out in front is Julian Rocks glittering in the Bay like the Loch Ness monster on a southern holiday.

Don’t even think about it unless you have at least $5 mil for the squat in the gully with no view.

As for the dress circle or right on the beach……it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Oh…and don’t ask me about that two level place tucked into the hill with the ocean views to the North that I could have bought for $1.6 mil when I first arrived.



Main Beach/Clarkes Beach/Byron Central : This area between Wategos and Belongil is the original residential area of Byron Bay.

It is now the tourist and back packer central area. Most real estate here is commercial, holiday apartments or holiday lettings.

There are residential homes here, but you must realize that living in party central 24/7 can have its drawbacks.

Overcrowding, restricted parking, late night partying, influx of day trippers from the north are just some of the troubles in paradise.

As you move away from the beach, there are some beautiful residential homes tucked in the back streets. The land rises as you move away from the Bay affording some magical views.

Again, the LOVE factor comes into play. There are no fixer uppers left here and the prices aren’t for the faint hearted. As you progress southwest over the rise, the prices start to drop. There are some potential bargains here with hinterland views still a short bicycle ride from the Bay.



Belongil : This was Wategos ugly little sister who has grown up into a gorgeous swan.

Belongil was the site of the old whaling station. It did have a jetty until it was washed away in a cyclone some years ago.

After the whaling station closed, it became a run down fishing village. The council has never built any infrastructure and paradoxically, this has added to its charm today. It has a kind of Balinese feel to it. The fishing huts are being replaced by environmentally conscious holiday homes .

The prices here jostle with Wategos for ridiculousness. An inventory of owners would include all the leading business, sporting and entertainment names in Australia.

On a sunny day when the water is still and clear you can dive into the aqua blue water and think you are in Nirvana. The beach looks lovingly across the Bay at its big sister Wategos and the light house spreads its beam across the bay in 45 second intervals all night long.

Byron Hills: It could be like the Hollywood hills, but alas, it’s mostly brick veneer suburban nightmares. There are exceptions. Back near the escarpment and along the border of the Golf Course, some money and imagination have created some beautiful homes. Distant ocean views here are an attraction along the higher areas and you are between the Bay and the surfing breaks of Broken Head. Again, it’s a drive to get anywhere, but at least there are cycle paths all the way into town if you are feeling energetic.

Tuckeroo: This is an up market gated community at the southern end of Tallows Beach. When investors wanted to exploit the beach side suburb of Suffolk Park, they had to compensate for the impression of low socio-economic reputation of the area. The solution was to build large expensive homes on beach side blocks and then gate them off from the rest of the community. Now, the whole of the Suffolk Park Beach side has been redeveloped and renovated, the gates have become superfluous, but they still hang onto them for a misplaced sense of security.

Suffolk Park: This is not on the Bay, but 8kms south of Byron on the coast road to Lennox Head. The beach can be wild and windy, but it is popular with young surfers and families. It consists of two gated communities, one at the north end and one at the south end, barricaded against the hoi polloi. Along the beach front are the recently renovated homes that have now become the millionaires row. Between these and the coast road are the townhouses and brick veneer houses you would expect in the lower end of the residential market. In days gone by, it was known as Suffering Park because of the percentage of rental assisted housing and welfare receipiants. There is still a bit of this stigma attached, but the fact that it is a beachside suburb 8kms south of Byron means that this area will continue to shake off its lowly reputation. Lets hope that it is not at the cost of the families and young kids that give this area something that the more upmarket suburbs lack. Sadly, Most of the big blocks have been subdivided into townhouses and apartments. There are still a few bargains to be had in the back streets within walking distance to the beach…..but don’t go through the gated communities.

Pacific Vista: These are the houses that spread out along the spine of the ridgeline that runs south of the Lighthouse. Many houses here have stunning views of the blue Pacific and are swept up in the southern arc of the lighthouse. They are big multilevel middle class homes with a price tag to match. There are some bargains to be had here if you are willing to forgo the views. It is a bit of a hike through the sand hills to Tallows Beach, and you will find yourself driving to Broken head or to the Bay for that surf or swim.

Ewingsdale: This area is situated between Byron Bay and the turnoff to the Highway. It is set in rolling green hills and comprises of large house lots, usually one acre or so, with sprawling residences that usually include a tennis court and pool. There was an outcry when the freeway went through about the noise of trucks lumbering up St Helena Hill at night. I think that may have been overstated, but test it out for yourself before buying.

The problem here is with most places in the hinterland. You will find yourself constantly driving into Byron Bay to go shopping and surfing etc. This has been alleviated a little by the building of the Byron West shopping centre in the industrial estate. The road into Byron, Ewingsdale Road, is a two lane disaster that cannot handle the amount of traffic that enters Byron most times of the year, let alone the holiday season.

A cycle track into town would be too sensible for council top contemplate. So the message here is beautiful and spacious, but too far from town to cycle or walk but close enough to have to deal with the effects of holiday conjestion.

Broken Head: There are not many residences in the Broken Head area. It is known mostly for the caravan park and the entrance into the national park beaches. There are a couple of recent developments where finished homes are being built or large rural blocks being subdivided. The developers see the potential however and nothing is cheap here.

The negatives here are that you have a constant stream of surfers and campers invading your paradise to surf the rights at Broken head. You wouldn’t cycle into town, so it’s the car for everything here. There is very little infrastructure which is its charm, but that may change as these new developments come on line. If this doesn’t put you off then this is the best of everything and it will only get better and more expensive.

Skinners Shoot: There is a little road that snakes back through the streets behind Byron township and then suddenly finds itself out in the cow paddocks. You can feel like you are away from everything here but be only a kilometer or two from the bustle of the Bay. These are mostly acreages here that have resisted subdivision. There is plenty of room for a couple of milkers or the horses. There is a feeling of the old Byron Bay here but I fear that these are tightly held plots. If they do come up, they will be highly sought after with a price tag to match.

Sunrise Estate: I have told my friends for the last five years to buy in the Sunrise estate. You are crazy, they said. It is the western suburbs of Byron. Lots of kids, renters and social security. Well, a place that has a walking and cycling track into the middle of town, is a short stroll to the beach and has the industrial estate on your doorstep, has got to have potential. OK, the houses were thrown up cheaply and it does have that Estate feel about it, and there were no services for the residences. But now the shopping centre has gone in and the Tavern is on the way. They are building million dollar beach houses just over the railway line and the industrial estate is becoming a pseudo-residential area with lost of Arts and Crafts. Tart one of those brick veneers up and you will have the suburban dream.

Lilly Pilly: This area can be summed up as lots of timber houses and trees, natural native gardens, lots of birdlife and no cats or dogs. It has that slightly lefty/hippie feel about it and it is centrally located between Suffolk Park and town. It is a little cheaper than the areas east of the road south. There are some beautiful properties on the Old Bangalow Road that winds up the hill just south of this area that are worth exploring.

There are many places in the Bay area that are reasonably priced and some that are downright cheap if you know where to look. Naturally, they don‘t satisfy the love principle, however, anywhere in Byron Bay is only a short bicycle ride from some of the best beaches on earth.