This look pretty ok, doesn’t it?
Northern New South Wales is easily one of the best places on earth to be a surfer. If you’re one of those people who’s looking for a wide variety of perfect, uncrowded beach breaks and points (let’s face it, you are), then it should be on your bucket list.
As you drive south from the sunshine-filled circus that is the Gold Coast, a magical transformation takes place. The high-rises and zoo-like point breaks fade into a lush green landscape of gently sloping hills, rolling off in all directions. Inevitably, the sunshine fades to clouds and a light drizzle of rain as you fly down the highway to Byron Bay and beyond. You can taste the freshness in the warm, humid breeze that consistently blows offshore.
Sounds pretty groovy, right?
Before I get into why Byron Bay Backpackers is the clear accommodation choice for surfers staying in Byron, I want to share with you how I first ended up there.
It was February of 2011, and I had just moved to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for a semester abroad. We had a week between orientation for school and the first day of classes, so my roommates and I used the time to get settled into life in a new country. We set up bank accounts, got cheap cell phones, familiarized ourselves with the area, learned how to efficiently use the public transportation and so on.
Prior to our arrival in Australia, we had paid to go on a trip to Byron Bay with our fellow class of study abroad students during this week of downtime before school. We had heard nothing but wonderful things about the place and thought it would be a cool opportunity to make some new friends and surf new waves.
In rookie fashion, we realized the morning of the trip that we had misread the bus departure time from campus. We scrambled to the bus stop down the street from our place with our surfboards and backpacks, and hopped on the 20 minute ride out to our university.
Upon our arrival, we saw the bus we were meant to be on loading the last students. And to our complete dismay, we watched the bus roll away without us as we rushed to try and stop it. It could have been a full-on comedy act.
We made our way back to the bus stop feeling deflated, brainstorming for a plan B. The bus driver gave us a tip on how to catch a shuttle down to Byron, and long story short, we made it down to the little piece of heaven a few hours later. No harm, no foul, just a few more dollars out the window.
After checking in we received a tour of the hostel. It was my first ever hostel experience. The place had a fully equipped kitchen, a chilled out common area with a pool table and computers, plenty of picnic tables on the patio, a pool, a sand volleyball court, a grassy area with hammocks, shaded by a canopy of trees. It provided a very relaxing atmosphere.
Of course, what we really wanted to see was the beach. This hostel has a sandy path that flows right out onto the beautiful beach of Byron Bay. And you want to know the cherry on top?
A wave known as The Wreck sits directly out front of the hostel. This is by far my favorite thing about the place. The Wreck was the one wave we were most excited to find and surf when we got to Byron, and it came as a welcomed surprise to find that it sat right out front.
In my opinion, it is the best wave in town. It’s hollow yet playful, punchy yet forgiving. The tranquil atmosphere and prime location of Byron Bay Backpackers makes it my number one recommendation for surfers traveling to the iconic city.
