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Byron Shire
June 11, 2026

Latest News

School is the beating heart of Bruns

From floods to festivals, Brunswick Heads Public School has long the been the anchor of village life.

Other News

Two arrested after man dies

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

Tweed Shire Council recognised at Local Government Excellence Awards

Tweed Shire Council has been recognised for its innovative approach to tackling incivility, winning the People, Workplace and Wellbeing Award at the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards last night.

Compassion missing

Predictably, Marianne McCormack (Letters, 3 June) chooses to ignore my personal claims that I am not a racist, to support...

Struggling Byron businesses

I appreciate the difficulties facing Byron businesses regarding the drainage works, but with all due respect to those affected,...

Sweet Moon Language

Mazarine is a nine-piece ensemble performing original compositions influenced by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions. With repertoire ranging from orchestral soundscapes to upbeat folk style tunes, Mazarine effortlessly combine rhythmic complexity with layered textures and timbres, taking the listener on an uplifting and inspiring musical journey.

Missing man

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a 35-year-old man missing from Tugun on the southern Gold Coast since 9 June.

January 8, 2025

Byron Shire Echo issue 39.31 – January 8, 2025

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Local News | Comment | Letters | Articles | The Scoop | Good Taste | The Good Life | Hello Summer | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Cinema | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

Costa and Brennia draw big crowds

Costa Georgiadis and illustrator Brennia Quinlan shared their joy of flowers and gardening with the large audience at the Mullumbimby Civic Centre as they launched their children's book Flowers. 

Starlight sends the good vibes

Starlight Festival returned to the Bangalow A&I Hall and surrounding areas on January 2 for four days of transformative healing, discovery, and connection.

Mullumbimby’s stormwater upgrade about to start

Byron Shire Council staff say the stormwater system at the corner of Station Street and Fern Street in Mullumbimby will be soon upgraded, which aims to reduce flash flooding in the area.

Heads out of the sand

It is an outstanding factor that Byron Shire Council (BSC) continues to promote developers to utilise mega-tonnes of fill to justify development on floodplains. This catastrophic method of ‘development normalisation’ not only destroys healthy ecological wetlands, but also the...

Happy NY

On behalf of Northern Rivers Rail Ltd (NRRL) I’d like to take this opportunity to wish both locals and the many visitors to the region a bright, prosperous and safe New Year ahead. No doubt those of you in...

Not traffic lights

Dear Liz. I did grow up in a more normal area. Our smartest, most popular resident once held up a piece of coal telling everyone not to be frightened. Unfortunately the woke, fake press left out the next bit where...

‘Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure’ – Robert...

Do you care about ecological diversity? Many living in this region do, and we are lucky to live in a place where there is some of the highest biodiversity in the state.  

Harvest Estate developers seek another DA modification

The developers behind the Harvest housing estate in West Byron are seeking yet another modification to their 150-lot subdivision project.

Diversify

What great news. Byron Council plans to hold a ‘tourism symposium in a bid to generate much-needed energy for the visitor economy’ (Echo online, December 31, 2024). After several decades of spending untold millions of taxpayers’ money on Destination Byron...

How dangerous are fire ants to Australia?

As someone interested in ecology and the environment, I commenced an in-depth study of fire ants many years before fire ants appeared in Australia. Once fire ants appeared in Australia, I formed the Australian Fire Ant Coalition and successfully lobbied...

Can NSW Labor balance development with ecological destruction? 

NSW Labor  have passed new laws around what they say are improvements to how development impacts vulnerable ecology.

Avoiding a Trumpist nightmare

Who wasn’t nauseated at the sight of Scomo cosying up to Trump on New Year’s Eve at Mar-a Largo to celebrate his Second Coming?

Celebrating art across the region

The 2024 annual Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG) exhibition opens on Thursday, January 9, explores place and memory.

Remote bush holiday letting shut down

A holiday letting operation deep in the bush at Middle Pocket has been ordered to close its doors after a court found that the dwellings were unauthorised and not up to standard.

Tweed Council take action to reduce risk of costs from building...

Tweed Shire Council will now require builders and developers to pay a bond for non-subdivision Development Applications and Complying Development Certificates.

Boring Bay

Congratulations Boring Bay, for hosting the lamest NYE event I have ever attended. I should have stayed home and watched paint dry rather than drive over from Lismore to partake of such a non-event. If you were lacking the financial wherewithal...

Hydrotherapy pool rejected

What a surprise, not (!), that a new hydrotherapy pool included as part of the proposed expansion of the Cavanbah sports centre has been rejected by Byron Council. How wonderful it would be if such a facility were built specifically...

How will a large 38-lot subdivision affect Mullumbimby’s traffic?

Additional updated reports have been quietly added to Council’s website regarding an exclusive 38-large-lot subdivision DA near the busy Mullumbimby Road and McAuleys Lane intersection.

Aboriginal Land Agreement celebrated

The Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) is celebrating another big milestone in its 40th year, with the transfer of title of 3.79 hectares of the Sandhills precinct in Byron Bay to the Tweed Byron LALC by an Aboriginal Land Agreement (ALA).

Demise of innocence

Recently two friends of ours from afar, both avid bike riders in their 80s, decided to visit the region and cycle both bike trails. They were so looking forward to a well-planned trip. After enjoying the Casino to Lismore...

Dear tourists

We welcome you to our precious little town. We love what you do for our economy. We only ask that you enjoy and respect what we maintain here. Return a smile with a smile, carry that empty take away...

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Where there’s smoke

Smoking is gross. It stinks. It’s full of poison. It’s anti-social. It gives you cancer. It’s stupid expensive. It makes you look ten years older. But I loved it.

Bluedollfly, Dragonfly – creating awareness

This exhibition is a look at family, childhood, single mothering, with particular focus on the effect of alcohol on babies during pregnancy, i.e. foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FAS

Interview with four the co-founders of Cunning Stunts

The Cunning Stunts are pretty chuffed to be celebrating nine years and their 80th event this weekend, having raised over $421k for dozens of very good causes and raised the fun levels of everyone at their gigs. We had a chat with the four co-founders of Cunning Stunts ahead of their show this Saturday at The Billi.

Growing, changing, making: SAE Byron Bay

SAE Byron Bay students are kicking goals across the world, making waves at home and abroad, from winning international awards, to building thriving businesses and supporting local artists.

Israel’s assault on Global Sumud Flotilla – a first-hand account

It hit me like a lightning strike. It was the latex gloves that did it. Those pale blue five fingered clinical sheaths made me want to vomit. Last Tuesday, having just been repatriated from my time on the Global Sumud Flotilla, I was at Tweed Valley Hospital getting a forensic medical examination for my sexual assault at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces.

Voters are not ‘always right’

The mantra ‘voters always get it right’ is repeated after every election by winners and losers. The decision of voters must be respected, blah, blah.

Lismore councillor pay rise divides chamber at June meeting

The sharpest debate from Lismore City Council's 9 June ordinary meeting saw a majority vote to increase councillor and mayoral fees, following a 3.7 per cent rise determined by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal (LGRT) – a figure tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12 months to February 2026.

Here’s to the Flotilla

The Global Sumud Flotilla is about brave people doing exceptional things with skill, compassion, colour, spirit and gruff chutzpah. Would I leave my comfy chair...