24.9 C
Byron Shire
September 27, 2026

Latest News

Coercive control incidents rise across Northern Rivers

Recorded incidents of coercive control have increased across the Northern Rivers in the second year of NSW’s new coercive control laws, with 30 incidents recorded in the Richmond-Tweed region since the offence came into effect.

Other News

Swimmer drowns at Cabarita Beach

A man has died after being pulled from the water on the weekend.

Does Byron’s bum look too big?

Byron Shire Council charges more for residential rates, farmland rates, water, sewer, and waste when compared to Ballina, Lismore, Clarence and Richmond shires. Only Byron’s business rates are lower.

Swap the classroom for the trenches?

History teachers from the Northern Rivers are being encouraged to apply for the new NSW History Teachers Anzac Scholarship,...

Nationwide Olympics

A 2032 Olympics update: Queensland’s credit rating has been downgraded from AA+ to AA by S&P Global Ratings (Standard...

DV peak body responds to horror weekend

Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) has released a statement responding to what has been a particularly tragic weekend, even by NSW standards, noting that domestic violence doesn’t have an age limit, and it doesn’t stop being a national emergency because it happens behind closed doors.

The Pocket Road to close later this month

The Pocket Road will be closed for several months from 28 September to repair a culvert originally built in 1960.
←

July 8, 2026

Byron Shire Echo issue 41.04 – July 8, 2026

Download PDF (22MB)
Jump to:
Local News | North Coast News | Comment | Letters | Byron Writers Festival | Articles | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | The Good Life | Good Taste | The Scoop | Filter Off | School Holidays | Seven Entertainment | Cinema | Gig Guide | Classifieds | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

Arts Northern Rivers First Nations Committee

Arts Northern Rivers (ANR) is calling for members who have a connection to Bundjalung, Githabul, Yaegl and Gumbaynggirr Country to help them form a First Nations committee to guide and shape their First Nations program.

A hidden gem of culture and fun

With 73 films under their belts the Drill Hall Film Society are inviting you to come and see the next film they are showing – the 1971 classic and hilarious Harold and Maude.

Deadly weaving at Lismore gallery

Eighteen months ago, a group of First Nations artists from the Northern Rivers came together at the Lismore Regional Gallery as part of the Gathering Space project.

Mammalian meat allergy and my heart valve replacement

Increasingly, people living in bush areas of the Shire are becoming aware of Mammalian Meat Allergy (MMA). Also known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), the disease is caused when a tick bites you and transfers a sugar called alpha-gal into your bloodstream.

Where to from here for a healthy future?

Sometimes it is hard not to lose hope, with the depth and breadth of the challenges that have faced the Northern Rivers. From the droughts, fires, Covid, and the 2022 floods it’s sometimes hard to see a way forward.

Sign up for Mullum’s Chinny Charge race

Ready to race up the mountain? That’s right, the Chinny Charge is open for registration for runners and walkers who want to take the once a year chance to race and stroll up the mountain.

$30,419 for Byron’s Fletcher Street Cottage

The Festival of Stone sold out in June with over 2,000 people enjoying good music, great food, and the festival’s namesake Stone Brew Beer.

Music comes to Mullum this weekend!

Wild Rocket blast into Mullum as Mullum Roots Festival lights up the town this coming weekend. Three venues around Mullum will host music, while songwriting workshops will happen at the Drill Hall Theatre on Sunday.

Energy savings

Two exciting developments will lower household electricity bills, strengthen the local grid, and help power-up our renewable energy. First, from 1 July 2026, households can access free electricity from 11am to 2pm through the Solar Sharer Offer. You don’t...

Forcing a reminder

Forces are constantly at play and work determinedly to give people the life we have. The minds of women and men interpret these forces because that’s the way we can set about doing what we do. The individual has to exist...

Free shop to move on from Billinudgel

The Billinudgel Railway Station building, managed by Byron Shire Council (BSC) on behalf of Transport for NSW (TfNSW), has been used as a free community shop where people can donate unwanted items which are available for others to take since 2022.

Bigger community say on hospital land

Byron Council has voted to give the community a greater role in shaping the future of the former Mullumbimby Hospital site, despite concerns from some councillors that additional consultation could further delay the delivery of desperately needed housing.

Byron Bay High are Mock Trial champions

Byron Bay High School’s Mock Trial team achieved a rare trifecta as their debut as a formidable legal team in the Southern Cross University (SCU) Mock Trial competition. 

Inaugural DINGO Music & Arts Festival to light up Bangalow in...

It is a fusion of local and international art, music, performance, food, and thought that will be coming to you in Bagalow as part of the inaugural DINGO Music & Arts Festival across four days from 8 to 11 October.

Where do I start. Where does it end?

There is so much happening in the always enthralling intersection of law and politics that it is hard to know where to start. I will stop my head spinning and focus on just five.

Community rallies behind beloved Byron local facing cancer battle

Locals are rallying behind beloved Byron local Krystal Pillwein after she was diagnosed with stage 2 inoperable cervical cancer, launching a fundraising campaign to help ease the financial burden of her treatment.

Amani’s bite of the Big Apple

Although I was grateful that The Echo wrote an article about my daughter Amani Wiriyanjara being accepted into the prestigeous New York Joffrey Ballet School Traineeship (page 7, 20/5/26), it included an incorrect GoFundMe link. We are so very grateful...

Shooting the wrong threat

Why should anyone who cares about the environment care that the government is shooting Kosciuszko’s wild brumbies? Fair question. We love this park, and we accept its horse numbers need managing. But here’s what should give you pause. First, the numbers...

Shark politics

The Minns government’s response to the most recent shark attack in Sydney is to spend an additional $34 million on shark-spotting drones, largely for Sydney beaches, as part of a $120 million shark mitigation program.  The Greens too have called...

Backup plans

We carry a spare tyre in the car in case the unexpected and unpredictable happens. Byron Council needs to consider the unexpected, a backup plan, of a second, historically-reliable water supply, they have only considered the cost per litre and...

Deadly stories: powerful First Nations voices at Byron Writers Festival 2026

This year’s festival celebrates some of the most vital and impactful storytelling in Australian literature, with a dedicated program of First Nations writers whose work spans historical fiction, picture books and Indigenous knowledge and whose voices are reshaping how this country understands itself.

Inaugural DINGO Music & Arts Festival to light up Bangalow in...

It is a fusion of local and international art, music, performance, food, and thought that will be coming to you in Bangalow as part of the inaugural DINGO Music & Arts Festival across four days from 8 to 11 October.

Response to the Special Rate Variation

Why spend $120,000 on a community engagement plan to find out if residents will be happy to see their rates go up by 35 per cent over three years? You can easily set up a much cheaper online survey to...

Mandy’s column 2

Congratulations, Mandy Nolan, on winning Greens preselection for the state seat of Ballina. As a swinging voter, I can’t think of anyone better to represent us in NSW Parliament. Currently, only one per cent of state Labor’s budget goes...

Mandy’s column 1

Now that Mandy is the official candidate for the Greens at next year’s state election, I expect Echo Publications to cease with her weekly column. The Echo is supposed to be a local, impartial news outlet but publishing her weekly...

New laws set to influence local live music scene

New NSW laws designed to support live music venues have been passed months after Byron Shire Council abandoned plans for a Special Entertainment Precinct in Byron Bay.

Shark drone operator rescues six-year-old at Lighthouse Beach

A shark surveillance drone operator at Ballina’s Lighthouse Beach has found himself carrying out a very different kind of rescue after spotting a six-year-old boy struggling in the surf.

Red alert issued for potentially toxic algae at Lake Ainsworth

People are being warned to stay out of Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head after testing detected high levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae.

Appalling leadership

While the PM spins and avoids transparency and the foreign minister prefers to yell abuse to take up time and never gives a straight...