December 27, 2017

Gonzalez comes for Blues

This year Bluesfest is in for a treat when Argentinian indie folksinger/songwriter and guitarist Jose Gonzalez makes his way to Byron for the iconic blues and roots festival. Member of Swedish band Juip, this indie folk genius sold out...

Amazing Drumming Monkeys!

Australia’s favourite little kids’ show is returning to Byron Bay! Congo and Bongo have been wowing audiences around Australia and overseas for the past 14 years. One of the men behind the monkeys is Xavier Beaubois. He spoke with The...

Barrier Reefer Madness

ReefUp! is a dance and theatre extravaganza that leads the way in collaborative scientific arts research. ReefUp! use dance, theatre, some amazing costumes and the latest science to share the story of what is happening to our coral reefs and what...

Culture Roundup: Dec 20–27, 2017

Women Like Us Halls of Shame & Byron show! It’s been two-and-a-half years on the road for Women Like Us comedians Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan who have chalked up an impressive 72 shows performing to almost 20,000 people from Moree...

Diamonds from The Trevor Chest

Lavish and loud, brazen and bold, Trevor Ashley premieres his brand-new show Trash & Trevor at NORPA this week. Featuring highlights from his sell-out cabaret shows I’m Every Woman and Star Struck with recollections from Priscilla and Les Miserables, TrAshley will sing your favourite...

Alcohol-free family fun: NYE in the Bay

The focus on New Year’s Eve in Byron Bay will be on good, old-fashioned family fun with people of all ages encouraged to celebrate in Jonson Street, according to Byron Mayor, Simon Richardson. 

Restrictive medicinal cannabis laws see black-market boom

Despite the state and federal governments purportedly making medicinal cannabis legal, they have in fact created a web of rules and regulations so restrictive that accessing it is virtually impossible.

NSW Govt’s sell-off of Byron Bay rail corridor land

Transport for NSW has confirmed that it is ‘in discussions’ to sell a 611sqm parcel of rail corridor behind the Wollongbar Motel on Shirley Street, Byron Bay, to developer Wollongbar Properties.

Music Roundup 27 December, 2017

Kirk Lorange and Michel Rose Kirk Lorange and Michel Rose are two of Australia’s most iconic guitarists and they will be playing with Greg Lyon and the Hip Operation on Sunday 7 January at the Byron Golf Club. Michael Rose...

Stallholder group supports Butler Street market relocation

A market stallholders’ association has told The Echo that they are happy to move from the Butler Street Reserve and support Byron Shire Council’s push for a carpark and possible transit hub on the location.

Byron Rec Grounds draft plan of management withdrawn

Byron Shire councillors voted to withdraw a contentious draft Plan of Management for the Byron Rec Grounds at their December meeting.

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Truly madly obesely

Your doctor can no longer call you fat. New guidelines from NSW Health are encouraging GPs to discuss weight in a ‘positive and non-judgemental manner’. When their tubby patient comes in and they have to deliver the news they can no longer use words such as obese.

Despite losing the cricket Bangalore passed the test

John Campbell In 2004 I travelled to Bangalore to attend all five days of the test match between India and Australia (fellow tragics will understand). At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium over a decade ago, I was grateful to be in...

Tight fight determines bowls triples champs at Mullum

Michael Burke The final of the Mullumbimby Bowling Club 2017 Triples Championship was played on Saturday December 16 and a high-quality, tight game resulted. Ashley Lumsden, Sean Doherty and Shane Knight got away to an early lead and held a...

Local juniors take solid steps on GromSearch pathway

Crystal Cylinders Our local junior surfers had solid finishes at the final event of the Rip Curl GromSearch series on the Sunshine Coast last week. 2016 National GromSearch Champion Nyxie Ryan from Lennox Head continued her GromSearch rampage to take out...

Winning the annual Clifford Street race runs in the family

For the first time in ten years a mother-and-daughter combination has won the female trophies at the Fastest Runner in Clifford Street race, held in South Golden Beach in early December. Roughly 60 local residents from around the area gathered...

DSA granted new beach-buggy wheelchair

The Disabled Surfers Association Far North Coast Branch have acquired a new Surf & Turf beach wheel chair after being one of 18 grant recipeints from the Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF). ‘Grants are essential to not-for-profit, volunteer organisations to...

Byron boxer wins

Vegan degustation at the Beet – make 2018 your best year...

Join the team at Beet, Byron’s vegan restaurant on 4 January 2018 and learn how to optimise your health through a plant-based diet with nutrition expert Robyn Chuter. The Beet team are promising this will be a fun and...

Ryce: Asian, sea breeze, ocean views, balcony, cocktails!

Story and photos S&S Haslam Refreshingly, the new Ryce restaurant near the beach in Jonson St, in the newly renovated Hog’s Breath site between The Balcony and The Beach Hotel, has an attitude of inclusivity, while still managing to serve...

From the Mountain to the Market

By Ben Schmitz Working on the land is a great way to bio-energetically co-create with this incredible country we are so blessed to be a part of; it is also a way for many to create a source of rich...