For 26 years, Tyagarah Beach has been an oasis for the region’s naturist community – a space where bodies of all shapes and sizes could roam free without threat of fines or reprimands.
But with the flick of a bureaucrat’s pen, the famous stretch is set to have its clothing-optional designation stripped away like a soggy cozzie on a hot summer’s day.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has determined that having the beach as a clothing-optional area is ‘not consistent with their values’, and demanded that the designation be revoked.
But the local naturists community isn’t giving up without a fight.
On Sunday, around 150 proudly-naked members gathered at the beach to protest against a decision that they described as ‘exceptionally unfair’.
More than 3,000 people have also signed a petition on change.org demanding that NPWS immediately reverse its decision.
3,000 signatures
‘Anyone who has spent time on a nudist beach knows the indescribable magic of the experience,’ one member of the group said.
‘You know what it is to be alive, to be truly free. Once governing bodies take away our freedoms, it is almost impossible to ever get them back.’
The naturists are also upset by the manner in which the decision occurred.
In the past, it has been Byron Council and not the NPWS that has made decisions in relation to the beach, including the original decision to designate the beach clothing-optional.
However, in May 2023 NPWS conducted a land mapping survey which found that a large section of the clothing-optional area was actually part of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve and therefore under its jurisdiction.
It is effectively using this newly-discovered power to put an end to Tyagarah as a nudist beach.
In a letter to Byron Council, NPWS’s Acting Executive Director, Deon Van Rensburg, said that maintaining a clothing-optional area in the nature reserve was ‘not consistent with the values the reserve is managed under’.
‘For example, people are accessing not only the beach but also the dune and hind-dune which is creating environmental issues,’ the letter states.
‘The continuation of a clothing-optional area in Tyagarah Nature Reserve is not supported by NPWS.’
Bradley Benham, president of the Byron Naturists, told The Echo, ‘We are very disappointed that a process to close the beach has been underway for many months, but there has been no engagement with beach users’.
No notice given
‘Closing the beach on such short notice and without public consultation or the offer of an alternate location is exceptionally unfair’.
A key moment in the fight to save the nudist beach will come at this Thursday’s Byron Council meeting.
Staff have recommended that, in light of the NPWS decision, councillors vote to remove the clothing-optional designation as of April 8.
Unlike the NPWS, a key part of the staff’s argument is the issue of antisocial behaviour, including a number of sexual assaults that have occurred, at and around the beach, over the past 26 years.
‘While Council’s designation was not intended to promote or enable the antisocial activity, the designation created a “honeypot” attracting individuals seeking out sexual activity,’ council staff said in their report on the matter.
‘These activities permeated through the nature reserve into culturally and ecologically sensitive areas.’
But the naturists say serious antisocial behaviour has not been an issue at Tyagarah since 2018, when Council tightened up its management of the beach.
‘There is no community clamour to close the nude beach,’ said David Dixon, another member of the local naturist community.
‘Issues with antisocial behaviour are historical and they should not be a motivator for the decision.’
‘We’re asking councillors to defer so that there’s adequate time for a better way forward with this.’
‘We believe that a compromise is possible, that a management solution can be found that doesn’t involve closing down the nude beach.’
Police neutral
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Kehoe told The Echo, ‘Ultimately this is a NPWS matter. Police have a neutral view. Yes, we continue to get reports of lewd and antisocial behaviour around the area. This may lead to a perception around safety. I’m not aware of any reports of violence or sexual assault in recent times.’
The Arakwal Corporation, who are consulted around such things, could not be contacted as its CEO, Brent Emmons, was unavailable.
Local Bundjalung woman, Delta Kay, who is not part of Arakwal Corporation, said in a social media post, ‘Yes our bodies are beautiful, and growing up along our Shire beaches has been a family affair of fishing, getting pipis and swimming with lots of cultural stories handed down to us’.
Care for Country
‘With that, comes the responsibility of our cultural duty to care and look after Country. As a kid, I was never scared when we went to Tyagarah, but I am now.
‘Our family-friendly clothes-optional beach has changed. Feeling uneasy, scared on a public beach is not okay. I believe our free-spirited and relaxed community is not at risk, and I’m happy to engage in community consultation with stakeholders’.
She said, ‘Our dunes are trampled owing to beachgoers using the shade and committing inappropriate behaviour. As a Bundjalung woman, I support removing the clothes-optional status for safety and to protect our fragile dune system’.
There are so many reports of in appropriate behaviour across all areas of the Shire and a total disrespect for environment and others. People wander into dunes or create new paths off designated tracks to “ disappear”.
For the naturalists to say there have been no issues since 2018 is nothing short of ridiculous. Police are also being too neutral. I know of 8 people in year that have been confronted by men at beaches masturbating or confronting women that were swimming naked.
It is not about being nude I think we all feel comfortable without clothes in our own skin.
People need to feel safe in nature and not have to witness physical sexual interactions between people that are often confronting or predatory. Kings’ Beach routinely has visitors that stalk people or use nudity inappropriately.
Online hook up sites weren’t a thing in the past. This has changed the scene. People use isolated areas as places to “ hook up” as they are out of sight which also adds to issues.
There have been zero reported offences in the declared area. Women feel safe in our C/O area as we watch out for each other as we are a community of like minded people.
The NSW Police commander even came to our rally in a show of support.
So you spend time in the dunes discovering all these new tracks???? I think not.
Kings beach is off the beaten track and takes a fare bit of effort to reach. You cant get there by accident.
You couldnt get any more isolated as Nth Tyagerah and no one goes there since the C/O area was declared. I rarely see a soul using that stretch of beach.
Dear Local woman
I get that you are triggered by this beach, and am saddened by it.
May I suggest that you use one of the many other stunning beaches in Byron that may be more suited to your needs and leave the thousands of us who enjoy skinny dipping in peace. Having access to nude beaches in a town is a rare privilege.
If there is a sex pest hanging around doing inappropriate stuff in sight of beach users, persecute them! Call them out, call on other beach uses, shame them, call the cops. Don’t persecute those of us who aren’t doing anything wrong! Don’t take away our hard won freedoms.
Punishing the innocent nudists for the sins of the small number of sex pests happened at the lakes, and it shouldn’t happen again at the beach. Arrest the sex pests not the nudists. At least this time (for now) the police are staying neutral and not being part of the problem like they were last time.
Tyagarah nude beach is one of Byron’s best assets. People come from around the world. It would be catastrophic to loose it.
I strongly believe that most of the problems have been historical. But regardless, I believe issues have often been exaggerated or exploited by folk with vested interests such as property values and imminent sales, religious affiliations, conservative values, or a nearby resort that has been reportedly stirring up local residents, the Indigenous community and national parks. I am aware even a very senior member of council was seen emerging from this resort a day or so before the rally last week who then preceded to give no support in the council meeting to the community’s need for nude bathing options. It’s all starting to smell of something very sinister.
What is going on? If the decision to ban everyone except a small secretive committee of men from accessing the summit of Mt Warning wasn’t dodgy enough, now we have beauracratic maneuvers that are repressive and inconsistent with the character of the north coast. Someone needs to ensure that NPWS pulls it’s authoritarian head in.
The more politically correct/woke/’liberated’ Australia has become, the more frightening, simply walking down the street has become. he more equitable to outsiders, the more people struggle to have even the basics.
NPWS doesnt maintain the beach. The tide does.
How can a beach which changes with the tide be part of a National Park? I would love to see how they conducted the zone mapping.
I will use belongil beach north of elements as I have done so for the last 30 years and if I see over the top Tracey dressed in blue in the area I will blow my hyper whistle which has a range of 2 kms. I did this last time at Tea Tree lakes and the dunes when they were skulking around the area.
I think Byron council needs to move it back to North Belongil beach . It could be from the edge of the Tyagerah reserve to 200 metres north of Elements resort. That way NPWS doesnt need to get involved and everyone is happy.
People will still use Tyagerah but they will be dispersed both north and south as it was before.
Hopefully the council will save the day and move the area slightly south.
Kings beach is a little too far to drive to and there is limited parking. Part of Tallow beach would also be a great spot.
Just on who is the authority over the beach, re. “How can a beach which changes with the tide be part of a National Park?” – There is a hierarchy: All beaches are Crown Land (effectively still owned by King Charles of England but managed under the NSW Crown Land Dept). On beaches between a Nature Reserve, National Park etc and the Marine Park, NPWS manages the beach down to the high water mark, and Marine Parks up to the High Water tide mark, but Byron Council in consultation with all of the above manages beach licences (sea kyaks etc), and there is another layer where local first nations people have an interest in whatever happens on Crown Lands.
“In Australia, public lands without a specific tenure (e.g. National Park or State Forest) are referred to as Crown land or State Land, which is described as being held in the “right of the Crown” of either an individual State or the Commonwealth of Australia; there is not a single “Crown” (as a legal governmental entity) in Australia.”
My female partner and I have been to Tyagarah countless times and we have never felt unsafe. On the contrary, it’s been blissful! Thousands have now signed a petition in support of the beach and many females and couples have left positive comments about their experiences at Tyagarah.
The beach in Tyagarah Nature Reserve is 7km long. Council did great work back in 2018 when the boundaries of the nude beach were clarified, and clear signage was put in place. Nude bathing is now confined to a well signposted 800m section of the beach and, in my experience, most beach users adhere to these boundaries.
There is also a long stretch of sublime, virtually deserted beach north from the Black Rocks Rd carpark to Brunswick Heads. This is totally available for other purposes. No interaction with the nude beach is required to access that section of the beach.
As for the dunes, human impacts are a problem on many popular beaches. Closing a beach to prevent damage to dunes is an extreme response, especially when management practices – such as fences, signs, fines, and education – have not even been tried at Tyagarah. Cutting off the track that runs diagonally through the dunes from the car park would be a good start.
I appreciate Delta’s willingness to “engage in community consultation with stakeholders”.
But the time to engage with all stakeholders would have been BEFORE a decision was suddenly presented as a fait accompli.
Delta,
I am a long-time user of Tyagarah COB. My family and I also wish to have a lovely beach experience with friends and community on this stretch of beautiful Australian coastline.
As you’ve rightly pointed out, this is a public beach. I believe that our Australian society values inclusivity and acknowledges that of a variety of sub-cultures and legitimate lifestyle choices exist.
Many stretches of public beach have been allocated to dog lovers, for example. My poor mother is terrified of dogs and will not use that particular section of the beach!
Dog lovers have been granted multiple areas of access to our delightful coastline. (I’m not sure how much damage is subsequently done to the dunes??) Nudists, on the other hand, have a tiny patch which is now under threat.
I, too, want a safe place in nature to connect with a culture that I am a part of. To swim naked and free in the ocean and feel the warm breeze on my skin. These things enhance my health and well-being.
At the COB in Tyagarah I AM currently experiencing all of those things. I feel connected. If feel at one with nature. I feel safe.
To have those things taken from me would negatively impact my health and well-being.
I hate that women must feel unsafe anywhere. In our pubs, in our streets at night, or on a secluded bush-walk.
I acknowledge that you feel unsafe at Tyagarah beach. This is not my experience.
I hope that through open and meaningful consultation we can find a way in which we can ALL share and enjoy this stunning stretch of coastline safely and responsibly. To date, there has been no community consultation, only a sudden notification of imminent closure.
I sincerely hope that this rare, widely-valued , and hard fought for asset remains for future generations of people also want to experience nature in a natural state.
I’ve lived here most of my life. Tyagarah is my local beach. I regularly take my family to the nude beach and I immensely value a safe and legal place where we can enjoy this freedom.
This is the only legal nude beach for the people of the Northern Rivers and is a significant community asset. Its loss would be devastating.
If Tyagarah goes, our nearest legal nude beach will be over 6 hours away – in Nelson Bay!
As a dog owner I have 5 designated beaches in Byron Shire, while nudists and skinny-dippers will have none!
Losing the beach would be a rejection of the values that made Byron famous: diversity, variety, freedom of expression, personal choice, tolerance, and acceptance. National Park values should reflect these wider Australian values.
Running around naked in public would actually be a liberty, not a freedom.
Back in 2001 I was looking at doing small group climbs of Mt Warning and was told I would need a licence. On asking how I get a licence I was told approval was dependent on a group of aboriginal elders a who rarely met and could not be contacted by phone. I was advised off the record that they would never approve a licence and then existing licences would not be renewed when they expire. When NSWP shut the Mt Warning track on so called safety grounds there was a subsequent report in the Echo authored by the inspector who inspected the Mt Warning track. He clearly stated that there was no safety issue and confirmed the grade of climb and its suitability for normal fit and able bodied people, he also implied the closure was driven not by safety but the aboriginal interests and NSWP have a significant proportion of aboriginal employees. I’ve even been challenged to a fight by an aboriginal NSWP Ranger in uniform who stepped out of his vehicle to challenge me outside Byron police station for driving too close to the back of his vehicle in stop start slow moving traffic slower than walking speed. As my driving instructor said, if you can’t see the number plate of the vehicle in front you are too close, not the case at all in this instance or even close to that. There is no doubt in my mind the aboriginal component of NSWP have their own bias and perhaps agenda on access issues to land they deem theirs, and they use safety, environmental issues or any other excuse to force their bias through.
Andy you need to reevaluate your own white bias. There is no legal basis for any occupation of Australians of Immigrant backgrounds. It was illegal under British Royal law, British Parliamentary law and International law, to colonise already occupied lands. Respect and concilliation is required for Australia to move forward as many cultures under one nation, otherwise society breaks apart. See what response you get in a proposal to put metal spikes and a climbing rope onto the outside of, say, the Lismore cathedral. Your diatribe is unwelcome
I grew up in neighbouring Ballina Shire Council and have spent many, many years visiting and enjoying Byron Bay. I continue this regular pilgrimage despite now living in Queensland for work. As a young gay man, closeted and hiding from the realities of my ultra-conservative surrounds in rural northern NSW, Byron Bay was an oasis of tolerance and freedom.
The clothing optional status of Tyagarah has a long-established cultural significance stretching back decades. It has its roots in the counter-culture that once thrived in Byron Bay.
I fear the conservative and often repressive social strictures of the surrounding communities are steadily encroaching on Byron Bay, progressively sanitising what made the town the Mecca it now is.
Byron Bay is not unique in its natural beauty. Nor is it sophisticated or cosmopolitan in its restaurant and hospitality offering. There are dozens of equally beautiful, more affordable and more accessible towns up and down the east coast of NSW.
What makes Byron Bay unique is its counter-culture roots that give it status, give it a vibe, give it the power to make positive memories that move past a happy snap on a lovely beach. It attracts artists and artisans, it generates a pseudo-alternative economy and culture that is unique in NSW and certainly rare in Australia.
I would hope that Byron Shire Council understands this cultural significance and the additional obligations it places on its representatives. In addition to ensuring the smooth runnings of key services, Byron Shire Council has a duty to preserve and defend the many histories and cultures that Byron Bay has nurtured.
The clothing optional status of Tyagarah and other naturist spaces in the area symbolise and embody Byron’s unique cultural status. Equally, revoking the protection these spaces rightly deserve sends a powerful cultural message that damages the global reputation of Byron Bay as a unique cultural oasis. But more importantly, it says to the counter cultures that have called the region home for half a century that ‘you are no longer welcome here.’
While I understand there are challenges in terms of the regulatory framework and jurisdiction between Council and State Government in terms of who has authority to declare rules for what areas, it is imperative that if Tyagarah’s clothing optional status is revoked Council finds an alternative for the community.
Council must halt the steady march of banality that conservative mindsets have sought to force for decades in the Shire. It must safeguard the cultural practices that have made the town unique — or, simply, Byron Bay will become just another pretty coastal town with little to offer but sand and expensive fish and chips.
For more than 30 years, I have frequented my local beach at Sunrise swimming and sunbathing naked. My naked buddies and I always walked at least 100 metres north to be away from the clothed beach goers and resort guests. Suddenly things changed after Elements took over the resort. A sign was erected near Elements declaring that this was NOT a clothing optional beach. Police started appearing on the isolated beach to fine people for being naked. I now walk the distance along the beach to Tyagarah. That strip of beach north of Elements is the perfect location for a clothing optional beach. Council resolved on 27 October 1998 to designate beach areas as clothing optional. The area from the north western boundary of the Byron Bay Beach Resort (approximately 1.25 km west of Manfred St) to the southern Grays Lane entrance. The Bayshore Drive entrance is approximately 1.25 km west of Manfred St and now the north western boundary of Elements.
If there were regular beach users there, the horse riders might be obligated to collect the horse poo that they so regularly overlook.
Among other things this is symptomatic of the collapse of Western civilisation. Is it any wonder some Muslims hate us? Hypocritical and perverse, first world navel gazing. Some bathing costumes are so flimsy as to be hardly there at all anyway. Only difference being the getting out of one’s dick etc. Might be time for a good long look at yourselves.
I think that our modern society believes that it espouses to a set human rights values where we are supposed to be seen as equals in many different ways. As, this is suppose to include a wide variety of human rights concepts in accordance the Universal Declaration of Human Rights-1948 which to my understanding Australia is a signatory to seven of such international human rights treaties as part of the UNDHR1948.
So, in terms of our human rights where has this been factored in by our government entities who take the moral high ground at the flick of pen and extinguish any rights and freedoms that our governments spruik about. core values as real nudists are central in caring and managing our environment and respecting other people’s cultural beliefs and value systems within the wider community.
So, why cannot our governments respect our basic human rights as genuine nudists who enjoy the freedom being nude within wide range open and closed social settings.
So, let it be about freedom of expression not chains and shackles of repression.
Nudism is freedom and I would never – ever have it any other way.
A proud nudist.
As an infrequent visitor to this spectacular beach with my wife, i fully support the continuation of its clothing optional status.
We never see inappropriate behaviour, and if we did we’d report it.
Everyone has a phone camera now, so nothing happens on the beach.
As for the dunes, cops on quad bikes using drones would quickly dissuade any lewd behaviour .
So wat developer wants the land to make a private beach for the super rich only n bar everyone else over a technicality out of left of centre we haven’t seen any animals or wildlife but for a bush turkey that bullies us for food n two black cockatoos we saw only once isn’t there more important issues for environmental investigation as locals say too many come to Byron n it can’t handle the numbers n y the heavy wording of bringing in cops to enforce thousand dollars fines before the beach is closed after another national rally to protect women’s domestic rights n abuse aren’t police needed for that