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Byron Shire
June 9, 2026

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Entertainment NewsThe Echo - 0

Cinema: The Christophers

From acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh, The Christophers is a sharp, darkly comic exploration of art, legacy and deception, led by Golden Globe winner Ian McKellen and Emmy winner Michaela Coel.
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Other News

Byron EchoJohn Scrivener, Main Arm - 0

Israel’s rehabilitation

Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians has not ended and it will not end before Israel officially renounces its intention...
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Byron EchoAlison Vickery, Lennox Head - 0

Lennox development

The proposed Saltwood development at Ross Lane raises serious concerns for local residents. You cannot engineer away local knowledge. Residents with...
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Local NewsThe Echo - 0

Author Tristan Bancks follows up with Two Wolves sequel

Local author Tristan Bancks launched his new book for readers 10+, Raised By Wolves, at Byron Book Room last night (Thursday 4 June).
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Local NewsThe Echo - 0

Prayers For Peace at Durrumbul Hall, 21 June

A Winter Solstice concert will be held Sunday 21 June, from 6.30pm at Durrumbul Hall, Main Arm.
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Local NewsThe Echo - 0

Gathering in the beauty of community

Community garden committees and volunteers from across the Northern Rivers and into South East Queensland gathered at Shara Community...
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Byron EchoRon Priestley, Main Arm - 0

Rail trail funding 2

No rail trail funding. As usual, the local federal Labor member for Richmond, Justine Elliot and the local state...
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Byron Echo

The Byron Shire Echo

EveryoneReadsTheEcho-320pxSince 1986 The Echo has been the voice of the Byron Shire. This independent free weekly newspaper covers the news and events of a thriving, unique and colourful north coast community. Offering much more than just local news, the Byron Echo is home to a rich selection of quality content, including regular political and social commentary from guest columnists including former magistrate David Heilpern, former MLC Catherine Cusack, David Lowe and others.

Mungo MacCallum‘s authoritative political commentary was a key part of The Echo’s independent voice, until his death in 2020.

The Echo has a lively selection of letters to the editor, thought-provoking articles, and Mandy Nolan‘s Soapbox, comprehensive entertainment coverage in Seven including a gig guide of what’s on in Byron Bay. There is also the Good Life food, wine and travel section including Byron area restaurant reviews, the Good Taste restaurant guide, service directory, classified ads, real estate and much more.

Find past editions going back as far as 2005 in our print archives.

Byron Shire Echo issue 40.52 – June 3, 2026

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Local News | North Coast News | Comment | Letters | Sport | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Old & Gold | The Good Life | Good Taste | The Arts | Magic Murwillumbah | Seven | Cinema | Gig Guide | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | backlash

In this Issue:

Cartoon of the week – 3 June, 2026

The Echo loves your letters and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, send us your epistles.

The Echo -

Echo celebrates 40 with awards night tomorrow

Tickets are selling fast! Come join a fun-filled night of community celebration – This Saturday (tomorrow) The Echo is set to mark its 40th year in style with a ’30s swing-era style party and community awards night featuring the dynamic sounds of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra.

The Echo -

Council tightens ‘affordable housing’ rules

Byron Council has tightened its definition of ‘affordable housing’ in a bid to make access to housing more equitable on major projects like the former Mullumbimby Hospital site and 57 Station Street.

Paul Bibby -

Push to slow traffic outside Coorabell Hall

The campaign to slow traffic on the short stretch of Coolamon Scenic Drive outside Coorabell Hall is gradually gathering momentum, with Byron Council supporting a lower speed limit despite advice the road may not meet state criteria.

Paul Bibby -

Temporary home for Queer Family after heated debate

Byron Shire Council has voted to provide struggling local LGBTQIA+ support service Queer Family Inc with temporary access to a Council-owned property at peppercorn rent, following an impassioned plea from the organisation and a lengthy debate over governance and fairness.

Paul Bibby -

Naturism

For decades, naturism has struggled with a strange communication barrier. Most naturist educational material contains nudity, which means it is often automatically classified as NSFW in workplaces, schools, institutions, libraries, and government environments. As a result, many people responsible for discussing...

Vincent Marty -

Invisible elderly women

The 2026 Federal Budget has sent a clear, heartbreaking message to the senior women of the Tweed: you are invisible. While the treasurer boasted about billions for future housing ‘supply’, there is a gaping hole where immediate relief for senior...

Michelle Maughan, Fingal Head -

$42m for ‘a few cyclists’

Fortunately, someone in the federal bureaucracy understands that spending $42m, or $2.8m per kilometre, of public money destroying a multi-billion-dollar rail line between Crabbes Creek and Mullumbimby for a rail trail/bike track-is not good value for taxpayers. $2.8m is four...

Louise Doran, Ocean Shores  -

Protest march

Byron Shire’s infrastructure has become beyond repair. Reports of new overflow of sewage. Reports of decades of no maintenance to our stormwater drains. The consequences of flooding are directly proportional to this storm of ongoing neglect. Shire-wide areas are...

Annie Radermacher, Brunswick Heads  -

Agency over AI

Albert Einstein said, ‘I don’t know what World War III will be fought with… but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones’. Einstein’s prescient vision of a world after nuclear war evokes an image of a...

Michael Balson, Wilsons Creek -

Earth to stars

Is the world we live in, more than what we understand? Theories challenge the known facts, so does any association of letters in words, that we make and combine in theory first, they share the same function. We can...

Robert Podhajsky, Ocean Shores -

Kingscliff insurance

Recently, many Kingscliff locals have been hit by massive increases in their home insurance. Some properties are located in flood zones but have never flooded; many others sit completely outside flood zones. Yet, insurance companies continue to blame the...

Jeff James, Kingscliff -

Update on Mullumbimby house fire which destroyed locals’ home

Long-term residents of Mullumbimby, Jeff and Alma Jackson lost their home to fire last week.

Aslan Shand -

Local family-owned Byron businesses asking for your support

Long-term, local Byron businesses are calling on the community for support as they struggle to remain afloat as the drainage works in Byron Bay continue.

Aslan Shand -

Bay FM’s Karena Wynn-Moylan wins at Aus Audio Awards

Australia’s top radio and podcast talent were crowned at the inaugural Australian Audio Awards last Thursday night at Carriageworks in Sydney. Entries were judged on their technical expertise, audio quality, content and impact.

The Echo -

Drugs: a health problem needing law reform

The 2024 Penington Institute’s Annual Overdose Report stated that, ‘in 2022 there were 2,356 drug-induced deaths in Australia, equating to approximately six lives needlessly lost each day’.

Aslan Shand -

Mullum Giants celebrate Old Boys Day

Sunday, 31 May saw everyone having some fun as the sun finally shone at the Mullumbimby Giants games which included the Old Boys Day. Photos by Sarah Archibald.

Sarah Archibald -

Return of Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifier at Teven Golf Club

Teven Golf Club will again host the opening event of the 2026 Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series, with elite players from across Australia set to descend on the Northern Rivers from Wednesday, 29 July to Friday, 31 July. This...

The Echo -

Byron Shire mens Rebels suffer first defeat at the hands of...

Hywel David It was a mixed day out at Pioneer Park in Wollongbar-Alstonville on a sunny Saturday, with the Rebels colts and women’s rugby union sides delivering strong victories before the men’s XV endured a bruising second half that saw...

Hywel David -

Financial woes

Byron Shire’s financial woes are not the result of a lack of money, but rather the waste of it. While it might be tempting to suggest Byron Council spends like drunken sailors, drunken sailors actually spend their own money....

Edward Kent, Suffolk Park -

Return Mullum hospital to Bundjalung

‘Public land should serve the public vision,’ Greens councillor Elia Hauge is quoted as saying in The Echo (May 20) under the headline ‘Community panel proposed for Mullum hospital site’. Byron Shire proudly declares ‘Welcome to Bundjalung Country’ and...

Gary Opit and Carmel Daoud, Wooyung -

Israel’s rehabilitation

Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians has not ended and it will not end before Israel officially renounces its intention to exterminate or expel the Palestinians, and annihilate any possibility of a Palestinian state. It’s precisely this intention, repeatedly expressed...

John Scrivener, Main Arm -

ISIS vs Australian Israelis

Dear Rod Murray (Letters, 27 May) In reply to your very long letter, far exceeding 250 words, (in itself telling), it was never my intention to respond to your spurious assertions about the Israeli government’s response to the Hamas...

Marianne McCormack, Billinudgel -

Lennox development

The proposed Saltwood development at Ross Lane raises serious concerns for local residents. You cannot engineer away local knowledge. Residents with decades of lived experience of Ross Lane – many of whom have stopped me in the street to share flooding...

Alison Vickery, Lennox Head -

Keating quotes

Kinda tripping on former PM Paul Keating for the moment, here are a few historical quotes: On the dismantling of protectionist tariff system for Australian industry: ‘The package or measures announced today ends forever Australia’s sorry association with tariffs...

Paul Jones, Byron Bay -
The Good Life

Ayusa Tea: clarity, energy, calm focus

The Echo - 0
Allie Godfrey At the New Brighton Farmers Market, it’s not just coffee drawing a crowd – there’s also growing interest in healthier, more balanced alternatives...
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Entertainment News

The Grigoryan brothers and others

The Echo - 0
The internationally-acclaimed Grigoryan Brothers – Slava and Leonardo, are set to bring their extraordinary musicianship to Brunswick Picture House on Thursday, with their captivating...
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The Good Life

Bombay to Byron: 12 years of modern Indian on Jonson Street

The Echo - 0
This June marks 12 years since Bombay to Byron first opened its doors on Jonson Street, and husband-and-wife team Rahul and Radhicka Thacker are...
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Entertainment News

Sweet Moon Language

The Echo - 0
Mazarine is a nine-piece ensemble performing original compositions influenced by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions. With repertoire ranging from orchestral soundscapes to upbeat folk style tunes, Mazarine effortlessly combine rhythmic complexity with layered textures and timbres, taking the listener on an uplifting and inspiring musical journey.
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