My Kind of Place: Byron Bay, Australia

As the southern-hemisphere summer beckons, we turn the tide on the New South Wales surfing town.

An aerial view of Byron Bay. Despite its sleepy reputation, the modern-day beach town is more about backpacking trails and alternative culture. Getty Images

Why Byron Bay?

Byron Bay is one of those places – like Cape Cod, the Amalfi Coast, Bali or Provence – that has such a strong mythology built around it that the reality will never match up. In this case, the myth is of the perfect beach town, where the surf culture meets the hippy culture of the forested hinterland.

It’s not quite like that. The sleepy Byron Bay from 30 years ago that Australians talk about dewy-eyed has long been consumed by the backpacker trail and rich city folk wanting to dabble in alternative medicine and everything organic. At times, it can feel like an alternative-culture theme park.

Despite this, Byron Bay has an unmistakable allure. The beaches are long and pristine, the dedication to good food and active living is genuine and admirable, while the desire to make things locally rather than import identikit products is strong.

A comfortable bed

There's a chilled out, barefoot timelessness to the Atlantic (www.atlanticbyronbay.com.au; 0061 2 6685 5118). Leafy, boardwalk-covered grounds are married to dazzling white Mediterranean-meets-Miami decor in the rooms. There's even a vintage Airstream van to stay in if you wish. Doubles cost from 170 Australian dollars (Dh557).

The spacious, impeccably equipped Beach Suites apartments (www.beachsuites.com.au; 0061 2 6680 9944) are opposite Main Beach. The 350-dollar (Dh1,148) garden suites are lovely, but the 1,500-dollar (Dh4,919), two-bedroom penthouse apartments with private rooftop decks/pools are stunning. For solidly decent, affordable and well-located apartments, the Byron Bay Side Central Motel (www.byronbaysidemotel.com.au; 0061 2 6685 6004) is a bargain, from 125 dollars (Dh415) a night.

Find your feet

Byron Bay is a surf town at heart, with beaches facing in pretty much every direction. Of the learn-to-surf operators, Black Dog (www.blackdogsurfing.com; 0061 2 6680 9828) has the best reputation for keeping groups manageably small. Three-and-a-half-hour lessons cost 60 dollars (Dh197). After the dunking, take a stroll along the beach, then through the wildlife-packed nature reserve up to the Cape Byron headland. The most easterly point in mainland Australia is at the end of it, just below a photogenic lighthouse.

On the way back, keep an eye out for breaching humpback whales – they pass through near to the shore between May and October – and resident pods of dolphins.

To get even closer, take a dolphin kayaking tour back at Main Beach with Cape Byron Kayaks (www.capebyronkayaks.com; 0061 2 6680 9555). The dolphins often playfully sidle up to the kayaks, while the 69-dollar (Dh226) trips factor in time to paddle against the surf and go snorkelling with turtles.

Meet the locals

The Main Beach is magnificent – as are Clarkes, Wategos and Little Wategos, the three smaller beaches heading up to Cape Byron. But on the other side of the headland, the 7-kilometre-long Tallow Beach is on another level. Backed by thick bush and feeling far more remote than it is, this is the spot where locals go to escape backpackers and surf schools.

Book a table

Brunch is the key meal in Byron, which is dotted with cafes. Targa (www.targabyronbay.com; 0061 2 6680 9960) is one of the better spots, with outdoor tables curving round the corner and an open-air vibe. It also offers good, Italian lunch and dinner options, such as the fusilli with duck and porcini ragu for 26 dollars (Dh85).

For fish that truly makes the best of the coastal setting, try the lavish, Asian-flavoured seafood banquet at Rae's on Watego's (www.raesonwategos.com; 0061 2 6685 5366). It costs 70 dollars (Dh230) per person.

Shopper’s paradise

For a small town, Byron has surprisingly excellent shopping. A number of classily independent boutiques can be found along Fletcher Street and Lawson Street, interspersed with surf and beachwear shops.

For ceramics, glass art, paintings and handcrafted jewellery, it's best to go to the source. Many of the region's artists and craftspeople have studios in the Arts and Industry Estate (www.byronartstrail.com), about 4km west of the town centre.

What to avoid

Plenty of tours from Byron offer the opportunity to go into the hinterland and see the hippy town of Nimbin. The focus of these tours is wrong – the hinterland and national parks are utterly gorgeous, but Nimbin itself is a somewhat rundown self-parody. The real hippies live in the hills, keeping themselves to themselves.

Don’t miss

The wildlife in the hinterland tends to be rather sleepy in the heat of the Australian day. Viewing is best done at night, and Vision Walks (www.visionwalks.com; 0061 2 6685 0059) has come up with an ingenious solution to the visibility issues. Guests are kitted out with military night-vision goggles, which make spotting the owls, frogs and various scurrying marsupials much easier. The bonus is that there's no need to use torches, which would scare off the wildlife. Because the animals can't see you, you can get much closer than normal. The tours cost 99 dollars (Dh325).

Getting there

Brisbane Airport is about two hours north of Byron Bay. Emirates (www.emirates.com; 600 555555) flies direct from Dubai from Dh7,765. Easy Bus (www.byronbayshuttle.com.au; 0061 2 6685 7447) offers transfers from the airport to Byron for 54 dollars (Dh177) return.