19.3 C
Byron Shire
June 8, 2026

Latest news

Man seriously assaulted in Byron Bay

NSW Police say detectives have commenced an investigation after a man was seriously assaulted in the locally overnight.

The Echo has way too much fun at 40th birthday bash

Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.

Appeal to locate teen missing near Lismore

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from The Channon, north of Lismore.

Historic Native Title determination honoured with artwork purchase by Byron Council

Byron Shire Council says it has bought the artwork, Holding Strong, in honour of historic 2019 Arakwal Native Title determination.

Two arrested after man dies

A man and woman have been arrested after a man died in Tweed Heads on Saturday morning.

Mandy Nolan

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Saying Goodbye to a Very Handsome Man

Last week an old friend of mine died. His name was Gary Cook. We met here in Byron Bay, when I was 23. He would have been in his early 30s. He was handsome. And funny. And weird. And self-involved. He used to come to Ringos, where I worked as a waitress. He’d sing to himself, bludge cigarettes, and shine up the serviette holder. He loved looking at himself. He’d laugh and say, ‘God, I’m a handsome man,’ and then he’d laugh this really infectious laugh

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

The Echo’s gone wild!

Quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, the Wild Women are back for a fifth season of scandalous striptease, and on 6 June they are bringing their dazzling show to The Echo’s big birthday bash at Club Byron.

Stone & Wood’s banger

I hate to use the word ‘iconic’, but Stone & Wood really are front and centre in Byron’s hall of fame and the annual Festival of the Stone does nothing but cement that place even firmer.

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.

Man seriously assaulted in Byron Bay

NSW Police say detectives have commenced an investigation after a man was seriously assaulted in the locally overnight.

Evans Head STP: kicking the environmental can down the road

For decades the Evans Head Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) has been dumping effluent into Salty Lagoon in Broadwater National Park. Rich in nutrients and other contaminants, the lake succumbed to these pollutants with a massive fish and bird kill in 2005.

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’.

Featured

Tour de Cure pays tribute to Professor Richard Scolyer AO

Renowned Australian pathologist Richard Anthony Scolyer AO, died yesterday after living for three years with a grade 4 glioblastoma IDH wild-type brain tumour.

Evans Head STP: kicking the environmental can down the road

For decades the Evans Head Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) has been dumping effluent into Salty Lagoon in Broadwater National Park. Rich in nutrients and other contaminants, the lake succumbed to these pollutants with a massive fish and bird kill in 2005.

The Echo has way too much fun at 40th birthday bash

Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.

Letters

Kingscliff insurance

Recently, many Kingscliff locals have been hit by massive increases in their home insurance. Some properties are located in...

Keating quotes

Kinda tripping on former PM Paul Keating for the moment, here are a few historical quotes: On the dismantling...

Earth to stars

Is the world we live in, more than what we understand? Theories challenge the known facts, so does any...

$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...

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.

ISIS vs Australian Israelis

Dear Rod Murray (Letters, 27 May) In reply to your very long letter, far exceeding 250 words, (in itself...

Local News

Free disability workshops 3 and 4 June

On June 3 and 4, the Physical Disability Council of NSW (PDCN) is partnering with the locally based Disability Advocacy NSW (DA) to deliver two days of free, engaging events in the Northern Rivers. 

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.

Building sites ‘blitzed’ between Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads

More than 100 building sites from Coffs Harbour to Tweed Heads have been inspected, which has been described as a 'blitz' by the NSW Labor government.

Conversations in the Pub starts with Janelle Saffin

Conversations in the Pub – Lismore’s new civic meet-up – kicks off on Friday 19 June with its inaugural special guest, the NSW Minister for Small Business, Minister for Recovery, Minister for the North Coast and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP.

Current Print Edition

Gathering in the beauty of community

Community garden committees and volunteers from across the Northern...

Loss of amenity with new pool owners?

Byron Shire councillors recently decided – by a close...

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.

Financial woes

Byron Shire’s financial woes are not the result of...

Sport

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.

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...

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

Hywel David It was a mixed day out at Pioneer Park in Wollongbar-Alstonville on a...

Surfing Australia and SCU partner for the future

Surfing Australia has announced that Southern Cross University is the exclusive university partner and...

Good Life

Stout Blackout Blowout at Earth Beer

Nestled among the rolling green hills of Cudgen, just minutes from Kingscliff on the...

Greens from The Farm are flourshing

At the heart of a thriving market garden is timing, soil health, and a...

Red Ginger Asian stores are far more than just shops

There are some places that become more than shops. They become part of the emotional landscape of a town – woven into memories of holidays, rainy afternoons, shared meals and treasured discoveries. In the Northern Rivers, few places have achieved that status quite like the Red Ginger Asian stores in Byron Bay and Bangalow.

Paddock to pint: Byron Farmers Market and Stone & Wood

A tasty collaboration has been brewing between two Byron Bay institutions – Byron Farmers Market and Stone & Wood Brewery – and the result is finally here with the launch of Farmers Ale, a locally made beer using ingredients from the farmers’ market.
- Advertisement -

Glance back
Something from the last seven days

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 has way too much fun at 40th birthday bash

Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.

Eclectic Selection for the week beginning 3 June 2026

Eclectic Selection: What’s on this week is a taste of some of the events that can be found in the Byron Shire and beyond this coming week.