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Byron Shire
October 20, 2026

nbn says flood impacted outages have risen in the last 24 hours

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Byron needs a pause and review on development

Byron might be complex, disparate, and sometimes misunderstood, but if there is one thing the community seems to agree on, it’s the height limit.

nbn reports that the number of homes and businesses impacted by outages on the nbn network across Northern NSW has risen to around 74,000.

They say while this number has increased, they have also been able to gain access to the network in some areas and have begun restoration work.

A spokesperson said that where possible, they are deploying generators into the region to support connectivity and will continue to work with the emergency authorities to deploy more generators into areas as waters recede.

More than 56,000 homes and businesses remain impacted owing to a power outage at a Fibre Access Node in Woodburn, which provides fixed line services to homes and business in Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Currumbin Valley, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ballina, Lennox Head and Evans Head. This site had been running on battery power, however, the battery has been exhausted.

Owing to floodwaters it is not possible to access the site safely and they say they have been advised it may be some days before they can get in and deploy temporary infrastructure.

The site is owned and operated by a third party and we continue to work closely with them to restore services as soon as it is safe.

The remaining impacted customers (approximately 18,000) are around the Lismore and Ballina areas. This number has increased from approximately 11,000 yesterday.

A spokesperson said they are working as quickly as possible to restore the remaining services, however, this may take some time due to floodwaters still making site access difficult and unsafe in some areas.



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Interview with Genevieve Clay-Smith, director of Boss Cat showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival

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A timeless story of self-discovery

A husband with a promotion, two adorable children and a lovely new house. Nora thought she had it all. But did she? What was the discontent that was whispering to her in the shadows?