17.6 C
Byron Shire
September 23, 2026

Latest news

2026 Mother’s Day planting – take two this Sunday

The Brunswick Valley Landcare’s annual Mother’s Day planting is now going ahead this Sunday, 27 September from 9am to 12 noon at 6 Durrumbul Road, Main Arm, Bundjalung Country.

Emergency guide wins NSW Resilient Australia Award

Resilient Uki has won a 2026 NSW Resilient Australia Award for its Northern Rivers Community Emergency Hub Guide, developed with funding from Northern Rivers Community Foundation.

Michelle Bailey targets net zero in Ballina

Fresh from winning pre-selection as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Ballina, the 'independent' first-term Ballina councillor Michelle Bailey has put forward a notice of motion asking Council to scrap its fixed 2030 net-zero target in favour of what she describes as a 'flexible sustainability strategy'.

Tweed small schools take centre stage

Students from nine of the Tweed region’s smallest public schools will take over the Murwillumbah Civic Centre tomorrow for the third annual Tweed Small Schools Talent Show.

All the results from the 2026 Chinny Charge

After another epic race on the one day of the year Mullum's iconic Mount Chincogan opens to the public, here are the complete results of the 2026 Chinny Charge.

Mandy Nolan

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Lets Talk About Dementia

This week is Dementia Action Week. Some of its purposes are to raise awareness, reduce stigma and build understanding. We don’t talk about dementia because it scares us.

Mangroves are crucial

A global study of mangroves has found a modest boost in conserved area could significantly increase their ability to adapt to the changing climate, including rising sea levels.

As report highlights dangerous climate warning for Australia IPC rejects reopening Redbank Power Station

The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has rejected Verdant Earth Technologies’ biomass power plans at Redbank Power Station on the same day the government released the country's first National Climate Risk Assessment which highlighted Australians are at risk from more frequent and severe flooding, cyclones, heatwaves, droughts and bushfires. 

The Living Lab helping researchers get to net zero

The CSIRO has launched the National Energy Analysis Centre – which is vital new research infrastructure to support, accelerate and de-risk Australia’s complex energy transition.  

Entertainment

Richmond RiverFest returns to Ballina on World Rivers Day

This spring, the Richmond River comes alive with a month-long celebration of culture, community, and Country as Richmond RiverFest 2026 runs from 27 September to 24 October.

Ten plays. Ten minutes. You decide.

What can happen in ten minutes? A retirement village might need a child. A cat could outsmart its human.

Retrospective

The end of fun: David Lovejoy concludes the story of the The Echo’s early years

While the drama of general manager Max Eastcott’s departure was playing out, The Echo passed its tenth birthday, and we marked the jubilee with a fourth awards night.

Emergency guide wins NSW Resilient Australia Award

Resilient Uki has won a 2026 NSW Resilient Australia Award for its Northern Rivers Community Emergency Hub Guide, developed with funding from Northern Rivers Community Foundation.

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Lets Talk About Dementia

This week is Dementia Action Week. Some of its purposes are to raise awareness, reduce stigma and build understanding. We don’t talk about dementia because it scares us.

The second algorithm: why government control is the wrong fix

It is not often that a minister describes the most sweeping power she has ever asked for with the words 'I guess'.

Featured

Making is better together

There is something that happens when people sit around a table and make something together.

Michelle Bailey targets net zero in Ballina

Fresh from winning pre-selection as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Ballina, the 'independent' first-term Ballina councillor Michelle Bailey has put forward a notice of motion asking Council to scrap its fixed 2030 net-zero target in favour of what she describes as a 'flexible sustainability strategy'.

The second algorithm: why government control is the wrong fix

It is not often that a minister describes the most sweeping power she has ever asked for with the words 'I guess'.

Tweed small schools take centre stage

Students from nine of the Tweed region’s smallest public schools will take over the Murwillumbah Civic Centre tomorrow for the third annual Tweed Small Schools Talent Show.

Letters

More Than a Café: The Swampy Heaven Sofie Created at Highway Myocum 

What started as a roadside caravan on the way to the tip has become so much more than a place to stop for a coffee or mouth watering crumpet.  

Olympics: a national event

The 2032 Olympics need to be managed by the federal government, a major financial contributor to the multi-billion dollar...

Wallum III

The Wallum decision is a huge shock and disappointment. It is also a lost opportunity for the state and...

Crossing overdue

Calling the crossing ‘from nowhere to nowhere’ gets it backwards. It would serve people walking and riding between Byron...

Cartoon of the week – 23 September, 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.

Immigration

I think migrants overall enrich our communities. I have an idea! For every new immigrant, we exile a bogan!...

Local News

2026 Mother’s Day planting – take two this Sunday

The Brunswick Valley Landcare’s annual Mother’s Day planting is now going ahead this Sunday, 27 September from 9am to 12 noon at 6 Durrumbul Road, Main Arm, Bundjalung Country.

Take the time to make a difference

The Mullumbimby Anglican Op Shop is calling out for volunteers in their shop on Mullumbimby’s main street.

Tweed small schools take centre stage

Students from nine of the Tweed region’s smallest public schools will take over the Murwillumbah Civic Centre tomorrow for the third annual Tweed Small Schools Talent Show.

Operation Yankee Rumour sees 18 arrested

Detectives from Gold Coast Major Organised Crime Squad (MOCS) have closed an operation targeting the trafficking of dangerous drugs and money laundering, resulting in the arrest of 18 people.

Current Print Edition

2026 Mother’s Day planting – take two this Sunday

The Brunswick Valley Landcare’s annual Mother’s Day planting is now going ahead this Sunday, 27 September from 9am to 12 noon at 6 Durrumbul Road, Main Arm, Bundjalung Country.

Just a thought

Once upon a time Billy Shakespeare wrote... ‘The world is...

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Lets Talk About Dementia

This week is Dementia Action Week. Some of its purposes are to raise awareness, reduce stigma and build understanding. We don’t talk about dementia because it scares us.

Development? Where now?

So Cr Michael Lyon (Facebook, 17 September) has indicated...

Sport

2026 annual Senior Basketball Carnival

The 13th annual Senior Basketball Carnival was held last week, 11 to 13 September...

Byron takes top spots in Sydney’s U16 Bridge to Beach

Three young surf lifesavers from Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club (BBSLSC) have produced an...

Byron Netball finishes epic season on a high

Buffy Gall Byron Bay Netball Club has wrapped up an outstanding season with premiership glory,...

All the results from the 2026 Chinny Charge

After another epic race on the one day of the year Mullum's iconic Mount Chincogan opens to the public, here are the complete results of the 2026 Chinny Charge.

Good Life

Byron Farmers Market is growing young farmers

Last year Byron Farmers Market launched a Young Farmer Sponsorship Program to support and...

Cin cin to Spritz-ember at Pixie

Prawn linguine and a $13 spritz? Say less. All month long, Pixie Italian is celebrating...

Spring by the glass at Bar Heather

Spring has a way of coaxing us all back out into the world. In...

Fresh from the boat to the farmers’ market

Allie Godfrey When it comes to seafood, freshness is everything, and at JJ Seafood, the...
- Advertisement -

Glance back
Something from the last seven days

Take the time to make a difference

The Mullumbimby Anglican Op Shop is calling out for volunteers in their shop on Mullumbimby’s main street.

Take the time to make a difference

The Mullumbimby Anglican Op Shop is calling out for volunteers in their shop on Mullumbimby’s main street.

Byron takes top spots in Sydney’s U16 Bridge to Beach

Three young surf lifesavers from Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving...