Over 37.15ha of ecologically significant land has been gifted to the Billinudgel Nature Reserve by North Byron Parklands.

Inspired to help after fires raged through Cobargo on the NSW south coast, youth worker Nicqui Yazdi has assembled a crew to assist impacted residents.

Falls and Splendour in the Grass festivals will have a permanent home and an increase in size after the state’s Independent Planning Commission signed-off on a $42-million development application for North Byron Parklands. The approval will see both Splendour and Falls increase in size to 50,000 and 35,000 punters respectively .

It was more than just a music festival for the 17,000 patrons, that included 15,000 campers, at the sixth annual Falls Music and Arts Festival held at North Byron Parklands between the 31 December and January 2.

Preparations for the sixth annual Falls Music & Arts Festival Byron are in full swing: campers began arriving over the weekend, the festival is set to start later today and runs until January 2.

A Byron record shop will be curating a dedicated stage for local acts at this year’s Falls Festival, to be held at North Parklands in Yelgun over New Year.

Local Byron singer songwriter Nick Cunningham has scored the spot on the Falls Byron line-up for this year after thousands of votes were cast for the Foster A Band competition.

Inspiration can hit you at some of the most unusual moments and the chorus for what was to become Row Back the Levy by Aine Tyrrell and Cara Robinson certainly met the brief.

Falls Festival has released its second line-up announcement, with Chicago-based rapper Juice WRLD, grime kingpin Dizzee Rascal and electro legends Cut Copy added to the list.