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TweedCAN makes it easy for locals to make a difference on climate change

TweedCAN members Sally Evans, Conal Hanna, Isabela Keski-Frantti and Gerard Bisshop Do you believe in climate action, but struggle to...

Other News

More than a pantry – helping feed our community

Neighbourhood Centre has been running a low-cost community pantry? And over the last few years it’s really expanded.

Make your voice heard and save SGB’s Helen St Bridge

The South Golden Beach Community Association (SGBCA) and locals are calling on Byron Shire Council (BSC) to include the repair of the Helen Street Bridge in their operational plan for the next financial year.

Sandhills Wetlands

I am fortunate to live near the new Sandhills Wetlands, and really appreciate going for walks in a protected...

Fund set up to help Chase Goldstraw’s family after tragedy

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family of a young father recently killed in a truck accident in Tweed Heads.

Before The Shed falls silent…

Join the Nudge crew this Saturday for the season ten finale of Nudge Nudge Wink Wink (NNWW) in The Shed at the Billinudgel Hotel – bringing another unforgettable night of music, connection and community spirit to the Northern Rivers.

‘Forever’ chemical maker M3 faces court

NSW Greens MLC and Chair of the NSW Inquiry into PFAS contamination, Cate Faehrmann, say she has welcomed the federal government’s decision to launch legal action against chemicals giant 3M over PFAS contamination, but warned that communities and state governments must not again be left to foot the bill.

December 31, 2025

Byron Shire Echo issue 40.30 – December 31, 2025

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Local News | Articles | North Coast News | Comment | Letters | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Good Taste | The Good Life | 2025 in Photos | Hello Summer | Sun Moon Tides 2026 | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Cinema | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

Are you on holidays here, enjoying yourself? Well then read this…

It’s holiday time. It’s hot. The beach is pumping. There’s a sparkle in the air. They’re here. The people who work in shit jobs that are killing them, with people they hate, to save for this two weeks of Byron.

The global emergence of the ‘surf town’ trend

Gentrification is the makeover process that a town undergoes when wealthier people move in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, and often displacing current inhabitants in the process.

Byron’s latest gallery a haven for cloud gazers

Haven Gallery has opened in the heart of Byron Bay in the former Woolies building, and sits alongside and inside the Haven nightclub.

2025 captured in pixels

2025 captured – Echo’s photographers had a busy year

Are you feeling safe? ’Tis the season, after all

It’s that time of year, the social norms of expectation for festive celebrations, generosity and decadence, on the back of exhaustion of the closing of the working year, and another year of housing and economic pressure.

From Darlinghurst to Byron Bay: Dorothy May’s artistic odyssey

Standing nonchalantly on a street corner in the inner-Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst is an iconic sculpture with a little-known link to the Byron Shire.

Council seeks to improve its community consultation

Byron Shire Council has voted to beef up its community consultation process for large projects including significant policy changes.

Middle Pocket landowner loses cost case against Council

Byron Shire Council has won a Land and Environment Court (L&EC) case against Middle Pocket landowner, Robert Wookey, whose holiday letting operation was shut down in late 2024.

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Change the World

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ Margaret Mead said that. She died in 1978, but the words of this American cultural anthropologist still ring true. I hear it repeated often. But today I really thought about it.

Love the creator

I’m a religion-weary Australian. I’m a product of a country where our ancient race of original people were ripped away from their roots by ‘well-meaning’ Christians. But I love Jesus. I get the story, it’s good – Jesus came to...

Cartoon of the week – 31 December, 2025

The Echo loves your letters and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, send us your epistles.

Eclectic Selection for the week beginning 31 December, 2025

Eclectic Selection: What’s on this week is a taste of some of the events that can be found in the Byron Shire and beyond this coming week.

Interview with Steve Banks (and The Sidemen)

They have performed alongside some of the biggest names in music – but you probably wouldn’t recognise any of these musicians if you passed them on the street. Such is the nature of being a ‘sideman’ (or sidewoman) – a musician who is integral to a performance but tends to avoid, or be left out of, the limelight.

Cinema: Pets on a Train

As the festive season of films for kids gets underway, you can’t go wrong with ridiculous anthropomorphism. Pets on a Train, is a film whose story follows pets trapped on a speeding train trying to stop the plans of a vengeful badger.

The sparkling Seaside

Emerging from the sparkling local waters, indie-rock band Seaside is touring their debut album Desiderata. A sun-soaked 11-tracks filled with punchy riffs, dreamy melodies, and heartfelt storytelling, that crystallises the band’s signature high-energy sound, blending an alt rock edge with introspective lyricism, as they explore themes of love, longing, and self-discovery.

Get into the flow with electronic storytelling

Flow Music opens the new year with an event dedicated to progressive mastery, bringing together three generations of refined electronic storytelling. On Friday, Haven Byron Bay becomes the meeting point for deep, driving, and forward-thinking sounds as two global pioneers – Dave Seaman and Kasey Taylor – take the controls.

Food Culture Ocean Shores: specialty goods for people who care about...

Food Culture has been Ocean Shores’ unofficial pantry for years. The place you duck into for olive oil refills, a scoop of oats, a sneaky square of good chocolate or a chat with whoever’s at the counter. It’s a...

Belinda Jeffery’s lovely leftovers salad with Inspiration from Mullum Farmers Market

After all that Christmas food, why not make a lovely leftovers salad using ingredients that keep well, so you can whisk up something fresh, nourishing and full of flavour from your Mullum market haul? This salad is adapted from a...

Ballina Council wrap

With local government meeting practice across the state returning to confusion following the NSW Legislative Council's recent decision, Ballina Shire Council's last meeting included a lot of unanimous decisions and an argument about the remnants of the Big Scrub, in which Mayor Cadwallader used her casting vote to squash Cr Simon Chate's motion.

Conversations in the Pub starts with Janelle Saffin

Conversations in the Pub – Lismore’s new civic meet-up – kicks off on Friday 19 June with its inaugural special guest, the NSW Minister for Small Business, Minister for Recovery, Minister for the North Coast and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP.

Bungawalbin Levee repair to improve flood resilience

A critical section of Bungawalbin Levee is proposed to be partially relocated to build its long-term resilience, benefitting the community, environment and agricultural industries in the Richmond Valley.

Aussie MPs celebrate World Bicycle Day

The leaders of the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling have joined in front of Parliament House in Canberra to celebrate the United Nations’ World Bicycle Day.