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H A S N E V E R FA K E D S A R C A S M . Y E A H , R E A L LY. The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #17 • October 4, 2023 • www.echo.net.au
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ith the Surf Life Saving (SLSC) NSW season now underway (September 23, 2023 – April 25, 2024), the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club are urging the community to be safety aware on beaches and waterways. And both the Byron and Bruns Surf Lifesaving clubs are appealing for recruits to help make the beaches safe this summer. ‘Choosing a patrolled beach and swimming between the flags is the safest way to enjoy the ocean, and can save a life’, says Byron Club President, Paul Pattison. ‘Don’t forget to raise your hand if you’re in difficulty, so you can be seen.’
‘Limited evidence’ STRA rules will work, says Stayz
Life saver recruits needed
High drowning stats ‘In summer of 2022/23, there were 54 coastal drowning deaths, all of which occurred at unpatrolled locations. This equates to six drowning deaths every ten days of summer. ‘Byron Shire has recorded one of the highest numbers of coastal drowning deaths since 2013–23, and is now considered a blackspot (an area with a high probability/risk of ongoing reoccurrence). ‘Our coastline is a popular destination for tourists, and it’s essential to improve community awareness of
On the morning of this photo being taken, Byron SLSC rescued two Chilean travellers. SLSC member, Dan McCabe (pictured left), told The Echo, ‘They went looking for whales from Wategos Beach, and we found them after a member of the public called 000. They were 500m off Cape Byron, heading out to sea in an inflatable raft – next stop, New Zealand’. Photo Jeff ‘Sand Between The Camel Toes’ Dawson our patrolled beaches. ‘We are hoping to recruit a further 20 patrol members to keep our beaches safe this summer.
Members of the community who are interested in, or have previously held their bronze medallion are being encouraged to connect with
their local surf club’, Pattison said. To get involved, visit byronbaysurfclub.org and www.brunswickslsc.org.
Mullum to Bruns cycle path inches forward Paul Bibby Byron Council has edged closer to finally building a cycleway between Mullumbimby and Brunswick Heads, settling on a path that will essentially follow the main road route between the two towns. Local cyclists have been calling for a safe, separated bike path between Mullum and Bruns for decades, with the current route requiring a hair-raising ride along Gulgan
Road as cars fly by at 80 km/h. Following a survey testing the community’s appetite for different routes, Council staff investigated a scenic path heading north out of Mullum, along the rail corridor, and then east through backroads and private property to Brunswick Valley Way. But the investigation found that this option had multiple issues, including the fact that the landowners in question vociferously
Feros Byron open for expressions of interests ▶ p2
Time to have your say on future housing supply ▶ p9
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opposed the plan, and were never consulted about it.
Landowners, opposed, not consulted by Council At last week’s Council meeting, a majority of councillors voted for a return to a simple route for the bike path that has been on the table for decades – an off-road, separated cycleway running beside Mullumbimby Street, along Gulgan Road,
David McBride declassified ▶ p12
and then Tweed Street. The process of preparing designs for this route will now begin. ‘Going from Mullum to Bruns is really important for a lot of members of our community,’ said Independent councillor Peter Westheimer. ‘I think it’s a shame that we’ve spent a lot of money exploring the northern route given the problems that were there. ▶ Continued on page 3
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Qld housing review ‘The Qld government’s recent Housing Review found that housing supply has the greatest impact on affordability and there is “no clear alignment between suburbs with the highest rent increases and the percentage of dwellings devoted to ▶ Continued on page 3
‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’ – Picasso, Arts feature ▶ p25
Go on, be entertained: Seven ▶ p28
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With the NSW government’s endorsement of Byron Shire Council’s 60-day cap for short-term rental accommodation (STRA), online booking agency Stayz say it will only result in limited ‘accommodation options for tourists and income for mum and dad retirees’. Eacham Curry, Senior Director, Government and Corporate Affairs from Stayz, told The Echo, ‘Introducing a 60-day rental cap on the number of nights short-term rentals can operate will not introduce more homes to the long-term rental market in Byron Bay’. ‘It will only limit accommodation options for tourists and income for mum and dad retirees. ‘Stayz supports fit-for-purpose regulation of the short-term rental sector. The NSW government and Byron Bay Shire Council [sic] should allow the Code of Conduct and register that has been adopted to continue to operate as the best means by which to regulate behaviour and collect data that will inform longer-term policy’. Despite Byron Shire’s housing stock estimated to be up to 14 per cent of unhosted holiday accommodation, Curry added, ‘Short-term rentals make up less than three per cent of Australia’s housing stock’.
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