Byron Bay articles of interest.

Byron Bay’s Danny Wills vs Kelly Slater on Gold Coast. EIGHT-times world champion Kelly Slater yesterday nominated the Gold Coast’s Joel Parkinson as the man who could deny him an unprecedented ninth world title this year, but first he has to get past veteran Suffolk Park surfer Danny Wills. Slater, 35, starts his quest today when the season-opening Quiksilver Pro gets underway at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. Last night’s forecast was for a one-metre swell to kick off the $300,000 World Championship Tour (WCT) season, building in the wake of a cyclone in the Coral Sea towards the end of the week.

BEN Harper will headline Byron Bay’s East Coast Blues and Roots Festival in April, as well as doing a series of gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. Although Harper has played hundreds of festivals around the world, he says there’s something special about Byron Bay that keeps bringing him back. “The crowd … they’re ready to have a great time and to lift you up,” he says. Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals play Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on April 4 and the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival on April 9.

Land near Byron Bay added to national parks The Bundjalung people say the addition of 14 parcels of land near Byron Bay, in northern New South Wales, to national parks, marks the end of a long struggle. More than 70 hectares of Crown land will be added to the Arakwal National Park, and the 50 hectare Ti Tree Lake Aboriginal Area will be created at a site considered sacred by Bundjalung women. Land south either side of the Cape Byron lighthouse and areas along the beach-front will be jointly managed by the Bundjalung people. Bundjalung member Yvonne Stewart says the lake is of particular importance. “The most significant land that’s been handed back into national parks is the Aboriginal women’s [...]

Welcome David Gulpilil to kuntri Acclaimed Indigenous actor David Gulpilil will be welcomed to kuntri by Bundjalung, Arakwal, Widjabal and Yaegal Elders in a gathering being hosted at Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples on Wednesday, February 14. Mr Gulpilil is visiting the region to support a new peace film, Think About It, in which he plays a starring role. Lecturer at Gnibi College, Bilyana Blomeley, said he was pleased the college could act as a nexus to bring together Aboriginal people from the east coast of Australia with such a renowned person and peace activist from the northern areas of Arnhem Land. “This unification is a good example of how we hope to one day provide a bridge between [...]

Youth Activities Centre – The YAC shuts down!! While waiting for the second last live gig on Tuesday night, young YAC enthusiasts consider a future without the venue. A petition was handed around, collecting over 200 signatures. It called for Council to commit to renovating the YAC so that it can gain its Place of Public Entertainment Licence (POPE) and continue providing a drug and alcohol free venue for Byron Shire’s young people. For many years now it has been clear to Byron Shire Council inspectors and to staff at the Byron Bay Youth Activities Centre (YAC) that the YAC facilities require a considerable overhaul to make it a safe place for youth entertainment. So clear in fact, that nine [...]

Vanessa Wagner is one of Australia’s most colourful and entertaining identities. She started as a dedicated housewife and part time hostess. Vanessa was crowned Sydney Mardi Gras Miss Fair Day 1993. For seven years she coordinated and hosted the spectacularly successful Drag Race Meet at Bondi Beach for the Sydney Fringe Festival. From early 1993 till 1996 Vanessa captivated audiences with Jamie and Vanessa parties and stage shows. Vanessa now produces her own parties, events and shows. She is proud dance mistress of her very own Crystal Stepz Dance Company, creating works of a kind rarely seen! Her sell out hit dance show, Vanessa Wagner’s History of Dance broke box office records and may become a film. Visit Vanessa >>

There are many reasons why choosing to stay at Cavvanbah Beach House is a great idea but one of the best reasons is its location. It’s just a short stroll from the township of Byron Bay and enjoys direct access to beautiful Belongil beach. No busy roads or crowds of people between you and the beach! Situated on the north coast of New South Wales, and world-famous for its natural beauty, relaxed life style and alternative culture, Byron Bay enjoys a year-round subtropical climate with an average temperature of 25°C (77°F), which makes it close to perfect at any time of the year. There’s nowhere quite like Byron. Where else can you enjoy anything from international bands, whale watching, kayaking [...]

The American Pie actress Tara Reid was snapped lapping up the sunshine in Byron Bay. Athletic Tara Reid showed how she manages to maintain her fabulous figure, running along the beach and throwing a rugby ball around before diving into the surf to catch some waves on her bodyboard. Tara Reid, 31, jetted into Australia to attend the glitzy Magic Millions racing carnival held in the town. “I’m having such a great time here. Everything has been awesome, especially the people,” Tara Reid said. The popular resort town seems to be perfectly suited to action-girl Tara Reid energetic pastimes. Byron Bay offers a whole host of sporting possibilities, with scuba diving, sea kayaking and sailing all on offer. If Tara [...]

“The Blue Birdy” is Byron Bays hottest new venue for jazz and cutting edge creative music. A space where some of Australia’s most acclaimed and adventurous musicians have the rare luxury of performing their original and favorite music in a spunky, fresh new venue run by musicians, for musicians and lovers of seriously happening sounds. Taking flight on Wednesday the 17th of January from 8pm onwards, with a huge opening night. We will feature some of the areas finest artists including Di Horder, Jim Kelly, Natalie Gay, Angela Biason, Dave Sanders, Elliot Dalgleish, James Sherlock, Sharney Russell, Sonia Leeson and more. With a hot house band on the night of Thierry Fossemalle, Greg Sheehan, Matt Smith, Connor Fitzgerald, Mitch Carey [...]

MOSAIC will be joined on stage at the Byron Bay Beach Resort by their musical collaborator, Kenyan percussionist Bandika Ngao, to perform original material from their new album release “Colours of Kenya”, and from their previous CD “Common Ground”. Their unique sound explores influences ranging from African to Jewish, Brazilian to American music, with a particular focus on beautiful vocal textures, underpinned by a fantastic rhythm section. “Mosaic are a unique group – an inspired collaborative project that combines plenty of creative jazz chops with sublime vocals. On this latest recording the masterful percussive contribution of Kenya’s Bandika Ngao adds an extra layer of subtle rhythmic inventiveness to Mosaic’s impressive work.” Seth Jordan, music journalist The band emerged in 2002 [...]

PLAY NIGHTCLUB again with Isaac Tucker from the UK electro tech band Spektrum. Isaac played a killer set last December and returns on Friday 12 January with fresh UK tech-funk and electro house. Local DJs fill the rest of the weekly line-up from Wednesday to Saturday plus Sydney guests Matttt Vs Tomas play on Thursday. Then on Saturday the Beats on the Beach local stage headliners Flynn n Clegs spin ay PLAY>

Along the east coast of Australia, including off the shores of Byron Bay, numbers of grey nurse sharks are in rapid decline. The Humane Society is calling for more areas on the north coast of NSW to be declared sanctuary zones to protect the sharks from line fishing. There are 16 key grey nurse shark habitats dotted along the coast of New South Wales, including one at Byron Bay. But wildlife campaigners want the authorities to establish a 1.5km-wide “sanctuary zone” around these critical aggregation sites. They are demanding a complete ban on fishing. The Humane Society says the species could disappear within a decade if nothing is done. The grey nurse shark is not a man-eater.

How much do you think the Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel is worth? If you believe the latest rumours, you may be surprised to hear the figure of $88 million being bandied about. That price is nearly double the record paid for a hotel in Australia. But Eddie Phillip and Tom Misner, have only just begun due diligence on the watering hole themselves, so these rumours sound like just that – rumours!

Are Australian surfers more prone to ‘surf rage’ than US surfers? Surfing legend Nat Young certainly thinks so. Nat was bashed in the surf a few years ago after slapping the son of another surfer. Nat had his own reputation for aggression but after the attack, he said he was a changed man. “I think the Australian nature is more aggressive than in the US,” he told the Northern Star. “If you have to live in a country with 250 million people, compared to only 20 million, you are more crowded; so you have to be more tolerant. It’s not just surfing, there are levels of aggression in all aspects of Australian life.”

A sewage treatment area in Byron Bay is set to become an educational and recreation facility for the local, regional and international community. The Integrated Water Management Reserve at Belongil aims to minimise electricity consumption and chemical use, while protecting wildlife habitats. The reserve is home to more than 200 species of birds, 41 mammals and 31 endangered or protected species. The Biodiversity management plans designed to protect and manage the environmental integrity of the reserve for the vulnerable and endangered species. The project also incorporates biosolids recycling on local farms as a soil conditioner.

Byron Bay’s surf life saving champion Rique Sharman is the winner of the “New Face of the Year Category” at the Pantene Young Woman of the Year Awards. Rique is a professional lifeguard during the summer at Byron Bay, has just completed a certificate 3 in fitness and is currently doing certificate 4 in order to become a qualified personal trainer. Congratulations Rique!

Over at onlineopinion.com.au there is a thought-provoking article by writer Russ Grayson on the topic of Byron’s experience as a tourist and seachange town. Check it out here. The surfing industry is a local success story. Board manufacturers and retailers found their niche when surfers became the first of the city crowd to reinhabit the place decades ago. In more recent years, a number of surfing schools have opened for business and they live off the summer tourist influx, in particular the backpacking end of the tourism market. The prominence of the surfing industry explains why locals reacted negatively to recent criticism by a government minister of the local high school for offering a subject in surfing studies. He was [...]

Already, Christmas decorations are flooding the shops, which means one thing – New Year’s celebrations are not far behind!!! Ballina is to host a a huge contemporary music festival planned for New Year’s Day. Ballina Shire Council has given the event its in-principle support. Park Jam is expected to feature five international acts and a range of nationally popular and local performers, with artists such as Pete Murray being spruiked as possible drawcards. The festival will incorporate bands and artists from genres including rock, metal, punk, hip hop and dance music. Stay tuned for more New Year’s activities as they are released!

Here is a video clip on you tube. Its a lazy sunday afternoon on the beach with the video camera. Hey, it is also a soundtrack off my CD. Cool Vibration. Check the comments for this post to view this video, or check it out on You Tube. Byron Bay Beach Video – Cool Vibration by Dkiss

Everyone is talking about the 2006 Dolphin Awards – being held at the Beach Hotel at Byron Bay. North Coast Music presents the 15th annual local music industry awards, the Dolphin Awards. It’s the regional music industry’s night of nights – on Tuesday, October 10th, at 6.00 pm. Tickets cost $25 for the showcase and a late supper. The Southern Cross University’s Dr Jean Griffiths – Head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) – will present an award on the night, as SASS is a sponsor of the 2006 Awards. For more info visit www.nceia.org.au .

Richard Moffatt, an artist from the south coast of NSW, has won the 11th annual Thursday Plantation East Coast sculpture show. See the sculptures online at www.sculptureshow.net. Moffatt’s winning sculpture, entitled No 433, is made from 1500 kilos of scrap steel. The sculpture show features 62 works by 56 East Coast artists. Check out the show for yourself – the show runs everyday from 9 to 5 until January 31.

As we wrote earlier this month, the Byron Bay Surf Club is celebrating its 100th birthday this month. The club doesn’t turn 100 until February next year, but they decided to celebrate early because February happens to be one of the busiest months on the Surf Lifesaving calender. Over on the ABC website, Jane Munro has put together a great feature on the history of the Byron Bay Club. Check out some great pictures of the early days. The Byron Bay surf club will celebrate it 100th birthday at a black tie function held at the club this Saturday, September 30. More than 300 people will attend the event that sold out within days of the tickets going on sale.

Do you love animation? Some of the best short animations will be playing at Lismore’s Southern Cross University on October 19 and 20. The University is hosting the Australian International Animation Festival (AIAF), featuring films from 13 countries. Sessions include the cult 90s MTV series Aeon Flux, which launched the savage style mimicked in The Matrix series, and a slate of amazing Australian works – from the exquisite tale of a boy who wants to touch the moon, to the adventures of Mr Money, the clownish coloniser. Local animator Tim Adlide says the university is lucky to have access to shorts of this quality. He said many are ephemeral gems “like balloons at the fair, or comets in the night [...]

Following the NSW Government approval of the $50 million Becton tourism development at Belongil Beach, the Broken Head Beach Resort redevelopment — estimated to be worth $4.5 million — has also been approved by Planning Minister Frank Sartor. But apparently Byron Shire Council has been kept in the dark about the decision. Byron Shire Mayor Jan Barham said the council had not been formally notified of the Broken Head approval, although small advertisements have been placed in local media announcing the decision. Cr Barham estimates the local community will wear the cost of lost developer contributions following the State’s decision.

Following lengthy proposals, the RTA has released the preferred routes for two key Pacific Highway upgrades on the North Coast. The Tintenbar to Ewinsdale section of the highway is an amalgamation of a number of preferred routes – parts of the A/B, A1, B1,A2 and T2 options. Check out a map of the preferred route HERE. The preferred route will follow Sandy Flat Road to Ross Lane, then cross over and stay just east of the existing highway, using part of the existing Bangalow Bypass. The new route will then deviate to east and go under St Helena Hill via a short tunnel before reconnecting to the highway at Ewingsdale. The Tintenbar to Ewingsdale preferred route will be on display [...]

Byron Bay Film Festival Byron Bay, Australia February 9-17, 2007 Deadline: October 14, 2006 The BBFF 2007 festival will run Feb. 9-17, 2007. The theme for BBFF 2007 is “looking to the future” and the festival aims to explore the possibilities of filmmaking and related technology. In tune with the theme, BBFF is particularly looking for entries from films full of animation or visual effects or which are high-definition. Films of all lengths and genres, which were completed after Jan. 1, 2005, are welcome to enter with awards available in the categories of Best Film, Young Filmmaker (under 25), Animation, Experimental, Surfing, Drama, Documentary, Marine, Comedy and Cinematography. Famous for its laidback lifestyle, festivals and creative community, as with BBFF [...]