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Byron Shire
May 7, 2024

Time for change

Latest News

Trilogy: New Wave

More than a decade has passed since the original Trilogy (2007), a classic surf film directed by one-time Suffolk Park resident and legendary surf filmmaker Taylor Steele was released. Since then, surfing has transitioned from a countercultural pastime to a mainstream sport. Trilogy: New Wave examines this evolution with a new lens, offering an unexpected perspective of surfing’s present.

Other News

901 swimmers join the annual Ocean Classic

The annual Byron Bay Ocean Classic beach swim organised by the Winet Whales was held last Sunday and attracted...

Mother’s Day: farmers’-market style

Each of us is the product of one: without them we would never have existed. If only for this fact, mothers should be celebrated – and this Mother’s Day, consider serving up a three-course feast for the mother in your life, most of the ingredients springing from a visit to the farmers’ market.

Rising Tide Northern Rivers launched

Rising Tide Northern Rivers is part of a peaceful mass movement for climate defence, recently launched at Hastings Point and in Lismore.

Bancks shortlisted for children’s book awards 

Local author Tristan Bancks’s novel Scar Town has been shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards Book of the Year.

Main Arm road meeting this Thursday

It has been over two years since the 2022 floods and residents of Main Arm have been dealing with third world road conditions ever since. Now Byron Shire Council has agreed to ‘enter Middle Earth’ as one resident put it, and they have invited Main Arm residents to join them at Kohinur Hall this Thursday.

Seas The Day returning to Kingscliff

Surfing Australia has announced the return of Seas The Day for its second year running. The world’s largest female participation surf event will take place over 22-23 June at Kingscliff Beach.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Byron Shire Council (BSC) have agreed to close Tyagarah clothing-optional area on 30 June.

What a relief that NPWS have finally acknowledged that the clothing-optional area at Tyagarah Beach is almost exclusively on their land, and therefore contradicts their constant statements that ‘none of this activity is to happen on NPWS-controlled land’, and that the area is therefore operating illegally.

This oversight by NPWS has allowed BSC to operate a clothing-optional area for 25 years without any capacity to manage or monitor the area.

In 2007 it was confirmed that BSC could not legally send any staff or rangers to Tyagarah Beach and a 2013 BSC legal report clearly states Council has no rights in that area and that the clothing-optional area should be closed.

Throughout all of this the Tyagarah community and many other visitors have been traumatised by threatening and lewd behaviour. The authorities have failed to take our traumas seriously and have rejected our attempts to close the area.

In light of recent revelations one can only conclude that running an illegal clothing-optional area in an isolated location with no management policy is negligent.

We, at east Tyagarah, know there is a long way to go to the closure of the area on 30 June. We also know there will be a need to work with authorities to change the culture at east Tyagarah lake and beach.

And we dream of days when people who grew up swimming at Tyagarah Beach will feel safe to return with their children and grandchildren.

Christopher (Gyan) Moyes, Tyagarah


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4 COMMENTS

  1. Go to the beach. Turn left at the car park .
    Not a sole in sight.

    We have a tiny clothing optional area which we don’t have incidents at.

    How can a beach be a national park?

    When the area was reduced to 800 metres the police and npws shared a vehicle to patrol the beach all the way down to elements resort.
    So there goes that theory.

    Sunrise beach and tallow beach aren’t clothing optional but plenty of people Skinny dip there.

    You just had Wnbr in town with everyone cheering.

    So you can safely use the beach. Just turn left. There is miles of it which is deserted.

  2. In reply to Christopher (Gyan) Moyes.
    Don’t you just get tired of coming out with the same old rubbish.
    We have been hearing the same historical crap for years from you ever since first asking your small commune Osho Group mates to get off your ass and help us (Byron Naturists) in eradicating the inappropriate lewd behaviour at Tyagarah CO Beach.
    Why I ask again when all is now back to a friendly sociable community of naturists are you now rearing your head again.
    There have been no reported violence or sexual assaults in so many years on the CO Beach … confirmed by police CADS and FOI, seems your resentful that we finally got it right.
    Definitely more to this and the truth will come out.
    Clean up your own Commune Backyards and stop trying to defame what we’ve tried so hard to do over the years in bringing Tyagarah back to the family friendly respectful beach it should have always been.
    We don’t condone bullying of anyone, please leave the peaceful residents in Grays Lane out of this.
    Where were you and your Osho community when all the inappropriate lewd behaviour on Tyagarah CO Beach was happening for over 20 years.
    And yes I’m a resident too, you are not the owners of Tyagarah Beach.

  3. Brett Watson – Spot on.
    WNBR – a hugh number of nude/naked people, all legal, well supported, and respectful. Gave parents in the crowd the opportunity to educate their kids about nudity, respect, consent, and body acceptance. Clothing optional nudity is not the problem, Christopher.

  4. If I am having a nude swim , and no one else is around , who is offended ? the dolphins , ? the swamp wallaby ? I have never heard them complain >?

    I think I will keep doing my daily swim . making sure not to offend the wildlife .

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