Cape Byron

Lighthouse and Cottages

Cape Byron lighthouse was built in 1901 and for a century alerted passing ships to the dangers of the coast.  Standing sentinel atop the 94 metre cliff at mainland Australia's most easterly point, the lighthouse is a must-see for all visitors to Byron Bay.  Whatever the weather, you'll be sure of seeing not only stunning views, but most likely dolphins and turtles, whales in season, and maybe the pretty wallabies that now inhabit the Cape.

Take an early-morning walk to see the sun come up over the Pacific, and watch the pink glow on the lighthouse turn to stark white in the morning sun.  Be one of the first people in Australia to see the sun on any given day.  Or amble up at dusk and watch the sun disappear over the mountains, darkening Mt Warning on its way west. 

For tours of the Cape Byron lighthouse, or to enquire about staying in the lighthouse keeper's cottages, please call the Cape Byron Headland Reserve on 02 6685 5955 for lighthouse enquiries, or 02 6685 6552 to enquire about the cottages.  

Cape Byron Headland Reserve

There's a walking track right round Cape Byron, so you don't need to take your car from town.  Walk along Lawson Street towards the lighthouse until it becomes Lighthouse Road.  Opposite the Captain Cook carpark and lookout there's a laneway called Lee Lane.  Take this road, and enter the bush along a walking track.  Follow the track through the littoral rainforest, and you will emerge at the hang-gliders' launching platform.  Spectacular views are to be had in all directions from the headland.

Continue up the Cape, past the cottages to the lighthouse, and on to the most easterly point.  Keep going down the other side towards Little Watego's.  Take a side trip out to the headland, or turn left and head back towards Watego's Beach.  Another walking trail over the next headland will bring you back to The Pass, from where you can walk along Clarkes and Main Beach back to Byron Bay.

During the season, May to October, Cape Byron is one of the best on-land vantage points for watching the annual migration of the humpback whale.  The whales head north from May-July to have their calves in the warm tropical waters of the Coral Sea, then come home to the Antarctic with their young from August to October.

Cape Byron Marine Park

The newly-gazetted Cape Byron Marine Park extends all around Cape Byron, from Brunwick Heads in the north to Lennox Head in the south.  From the walking tracks over the Cape, you'll see many of the species that make it special, including bottlenose dolphins, rays, green turtles and, in season, humpback whales.  For more information about the marine park, visit www.mpa.nsw.gov.au.

The big blue Pacific Ocean divides here at the meeting of the Tasman and Coral Seas.  The snorkelling and diving at Julian Rocks are excellent, and you'll be astonished by the variety of marine life.