Byron Bay Age Demographics

Byron bay tides, they are a-changin’ â€¦

It’s supposed to be both hippie and hip, a centre for healing crystals and a compulsory stop on the backpackers’ coastal party circuit.

But that reputation has a problem: Byron Bay is going grey.

More than a quarter of residents are over 50, a figure doing anything but receding. The mature ranks will swell so much that by 2031, according to State Government projections, almost half of all Byron residents will be “of a certain age”, with those 85 or over set to triple, while the proportion of those in their 20s will fall by nearly a quarter.

The forecasts have profound implications for the tourist industry, which keeps this famously youthful part of NSW going, while guaranteeing the aged-care industry a healthy economic future.

Some locals have already noticed the change, including the president of the Malibu Surf Club, David Keevers. The number of men entering the over-55 division of its annual Byron Classic has tripled from last year to 36 this year.

“There’s more and more of the older generation in the water all the time,” he said. “We have 135 members, and probably about 40 or 50 of them are over 45.”

Most of the state has an ageing population, but the change is particularly marked in the supposedly youthful, fun-loving and easygoing Byron bay - a place not widely known as a retirement village.

Its deputy mayor, Richard Staples, said discussion on the implications of ageing was now common, but much needed to be done. He wants the council to think about providing aged-care homes in the same way as it does child-cares centres.

“There’s a couple of aged-carers in the shire, but it’s always a challenge to get more beds,” he said.

Sonya Wright moved to Byron Bay from Sydney 10 years ago and is now active in local issues. She bemoans an influx of young “party animals”, which she hopes will fade in the future.

“We would like to change Byron Bay back to what it was - which was a nice place to live, and a nice place to sleep.”

By Tim Dick and Bonnie Malkin
Sydney Morning Herald

Posted: Monday, July 18th, 2005 Under: Gossip. | Home |

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