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Byron Writers Fes regional meeting tival is Australia’s favourite place of storytell This year’s progra m invites ing and ideas contemplation of a life ƱĕōōȒōĶưĕĎǽ ƱĶƐIJ ōĶƐĕ
ſëƐƖſĕ and art at its centre . It celebrates the act ĈſĕëƐĶşŕǽ şĪ ƱſĶƐĶŕ of ī ëŕĎ ëſƐ ŔëŊĶŕīǽ ĈşŔŔƖ ŕĶƐƷ ćƖĶōĎĶŕīǽ ëŕĎ ƐIJĕ ī şşĎǽ hard work of progre ss.
Tickets, tickets, get your tickets!
A feast for your
senses Getting to the festival
DſşŔ ĪſĕƆIJǽ ōşĈëō ĕë ƐƆ Ɛş ëſƐĶƆëŕ Ĉşǔĕĕ FREE FESTIVA Create your perfect Ĉşşō ëĪƐĕſŕşşŕ ƆĶżƆǽ ƱĕȜư L SHUTTLE ëŕĎ PARKIN festival experienc G at Bangalow Hop on the free ĕ īşƐ ƷşƖſ e with covered. a range of ticket festival shuttle Showground options. The 3-Day Wander the festival ĈſëưĶŕīƆ ſĕžƖĶſĕƆ ƷşƖ Ɛş running IJşƖſōƷ ĪſşŔ DſĶĎë żſĕȒżƖſĈIJëƆĕ ë īĶưĕƆ ƷşƖ ĪƖōō ëĈĈĕ Pass and discover grounds żĕſ Ʒ ǯ ƖīƖƆƐ Ɛş ƖŕĎ ȨǨǧ żëƆƆ ƆƆ Ɛş şưĕſ ǨǨǧ ƆĕƆ a vibrant mix ĎëƷȂ ¨IJĕ ĈëſżëſŊ ëƷ Ǩǧ from Friday to ƆĶşŕƆ serving of food stalls şżĕŕƆ ëƐ ǮȂǪǧëŔ August between Byron Bay up everything from Sunday. The 1-Day ëŕĎ ĪĕƆƐĶưëō īëƐĕƆ Interchange Ȏ ƖƐōĕſ Ɛȏǽ !ëưëŕćë vegan şǔĕſƆ ĈşŔżōĕƐĕ Pass Ɛş īōƖƐĕŕȒĪſ şżĕŕ ëƐ ǯȂǧǧëŔ IJ !ĕŕƐſĕ Ȏ0ƱĶŕīƆĎ ëĈĈĕƆƆ Ɛş ëōō ƆĕƆƆĶşŕƆ ĕëĈIJ Ďȏǽ ëŕĎ ĕĕ īşşĎŕĕƆƆȂ mĕĕĎ delights day. Vehicle entry ëōĕ your chosen day. ƐIJĕ ĪĕƆƐĶưëō ƆĶƐĕȂ is via Market şŕ ë ĈëǔĕĶŕĕ żĕĎĕƆƐſĶ Ǖƶȃ wƖſ Ĉşǔĕĕ Bring St and ƖƆĕƆ ōĕëưĕ ƐIJĕ ĈëſƐƆ ëſĕ ſĕëĎƷ for the Kids Program young readers along ƱëſŔĶŕī Ɛş żşƖſ ë Bangalowëŕ ëĈĈĕƆƆ ưĶë ƐëƐĶşŕ dëŕĕǽ PŕƐĕſĈIJëŕīĕ ĕưĕſƷ IJşƖſ ĪſşŔ ćſĕƱ ȑ Ïw Ŋĕĕż ǮǼǪǧëŔǽ ƆƐşż on Sunday morning ëƐ !ëưëŕćëIJ !ĕŕƐſĕ . We encourag ĈƖżȂ ÉIJĕ or extend your e you to carpool ƆĕƆƆĶşŕƆ Ʊſëżǽ ŕ ƐIJĕ with friends Ǖưĕ ŔĶŕƖƐĕƆ ōëƐĕſǽ ë experien ce with ƐIJĕ ĈşŕưĕſƆëƐĶşŕ return from the ŕĎ Feature and Satellite the stop – head ĎşĕƆŕȜƐ www.byr or hop on our free shuttle bus. festival site with to our Festival Eventsǽ Ɔ the onwriter ĎĕżëſƐƖſ last ĕżëſëƐĕōƷ ż ticketed Bar ĕ ëƐ ǭżŔȂ Dſĕĕ żëſŊ ëƐĕōƷ Lëōō ĪſşŔ sfestival.com/tra ar cketed sessions with ǫżŔ şŕ DſĶĎëƷ ëŕĎ at tthe A&I Ķŕī ĶƆ ëưëĶōëćōĕ vel at Cavanbah Centre ƐIJĕ ǩǧǩǬ żſşīſëŔ special guests from ĎƖſĶŕī ëƐƖſĎëƷǽ ëŕĎ ëƐƖſĎ for shuttle riders. DĕëƐƖſĕ 0ưĕŕƐƆȂ Ȃ EĕƐ ƷşƖſ ƐĶĈŊĕƐƆ Ķżǽ www.byronwriter ŔĶŕīōĕǽ ëŕĎ ŔĶŕī ëƐ keep the good sfestival.com. times going.
Writers Festival lift-out feature in this issue! Meet your litera ry heroes
WRITING WRONGS SINCE 1886 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #09 • August 6, 2025 • www.echo.net.au
The Kids Program
Artistic Directo r’s note
It is my great pleasure to welcom e ſĶŕī ƐIJĕ ŊĶĎƆ Īşſ ë Ď you to ëƷ şĪ ĪƖŕǽ ĶŔëīĶŕ Byron Writers ĶŔëīĶŕëƐĶşŕǽ and inspiration Festival at Byron Writers ĪƐĕſ ĕëĈIJ ƆĕƆƆĶşŕ ȜǩǬȂ `şĶŕ ƖƆ Īşſ Fest Festival’s ƐIJſĕĕ Ķŕ ƐIJĕ ŔëĶŕ żſşīſëŔǽ ćĕōşưĕĎ bĶĎƆ ſşīſëŔ festivalgoers can days of conversa ǿ wŕ ƖŕĎë ƖīƖƆƐǽ ƖŕĎëƷ Ǩǧ take part in book tion ƐIJĕ dĶōōƷ ĶōōƷ signings ŔëſžƖĕĕ ćĕĈş with some of Australia and performances ćĕĈşŔĕƆ a buzzing with writers and internati ’s most celebrated ĈşŔĕĎĶë storytelling arena hosted esteemed Australia by n and onal guests. The ŕ ĕƐĕſ LĕōōĶëſǽ ĪĕëƐƖſĶŕ signing is where internat ional book ĕƶĈōƖƆĶưĕ īī ëŕ writers the stories come to life ƆƐşſƷƐĶŔĕ ëżżĕëſëŕĈĕ ćƷ ¨şŕƷ ſŔƆƐſ again through who have gathered şşŕīǽ personal chats here ƱĶƐIJ ŕĶ and writer Ɛë LĕĶƆƆǽ ëŕĎ ōĶưĕ Ŕ autographs. Don’t in the Northern ĪſşŔ ¨IJĕ EƖŔćşş Ɩ ƖƆĶĈ Rivers miss your opportun ƐƆȂ !ëƐĈIJ ƐIJĕ to connect with for Australia’s ity şĪ żëīIJĕƐƐ Ŕë ŔëīĶĈ the authors who’ve largest Ķ !ĶſĈƖƆ ƆƐĶōƐȒƱëōŊĕſƆǽ shaped ƷşƖſ your bookshelf regional writers ŔëŊĕ Ŕë festival. and şƱŕ ƷşƖſ ćşşŊƆ ëƐ ƐIJĕ ş your thinking. Buy creativity ĪōşƱĕſ ĈſşƱŕƆǽ ëŕĎ ĎĶưĕ ĶŕƐş This year’s festival Ķŕ ǔĶĈĶëō şŕƆĶƐĕ ćşşŊ The Book Room program themed ƆƐşſĕ drop-in at the StoryBoard space with free fr and have them Passion and Purpose workshops for personally signed by your young writers is an invitation ĶōōƖƆƐſëƐşſƆȂ PĪ ƷşƖſ and an favourites. to nurture your creativity ŊĶĎƆ ōşưĕ ćşşŊƆ ëŕ and curiosity with this is their dream Ď ë Ď ëſƐǽ the brightest minds day out! Ķŕ ōĶƐĕſëƐƖſĕǽ ëſƐǽ ŔĕĎĶë ëŕĎ żşōĶƐĶĈƆȂ
Whether you are joining us for the first time or ëƆ ë ſĕƐƖſŕ īƖĕƆƐǽ P ōşşŊ forward to sharing with you what makes this event the premier destination for creative ƐƷżĕƆ ȑ ĪſşŔ ŕşưĕōĶƆƐƆ ǽ żşĕƐƆǽ ŇşƖſŕëōĶƆ ƐƆ ëŕĎ musicians. Pick up the buzziest books from literary headliners and discover ćşōĎ ŕĕƱ ưşĶĈĕƆǽ ëŕĎ Ķŕ Ʒſşŕ ÉſĶƐĕſƆ DĕƆƐĶ ĶŔŔĕſƆĕ ƷşƖſƆĕōĪ ưëō ȜǩǬȂ – Jessica Alice,
Artistic Director
Will Mullum’s car park housing be genuinely ëǔşſĎëćōĕȃ Aslan Shand
Ʒſşŕ ÉſĶƐĕſƆ DĕƆƐĶưëō ŊĶĈŊƆ şǔ şŕ DſĶĎëƷ Byron Writers Festival will be igniting imaginations, stirring conversations, and celebrating the power of stories at the picturesque Bangalow Showgrounds on Bundjalung Country from Friday to Sunday 8–10 August. This amazing team of volunteers aim to ensure that your experience at the festival is as smooth as possible. Photo Jeff ‘My Pictures are Worth About 650 Words’ Dawson ▶ Lift-out feature, page 19
More than a holiday letting cap needed for Byron Paul Bibby A raft of policy changes must be introduced to save our coastal towns from the rising tide of shortterm holiday letting, a new report has found. The report, undertaken by Sydney University’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning, confirmed that short-term holiday rental (STHR)
platforms have strengthened rather than weakened their hold in our coastal towns in recent years. This was demonstrated by the fact that short-term rentals were increasing as a proportion of the housing stock in these towns.
18% of housing is STHR Byron had a massively higher proportion of short-term rentals
than any other coastal town or city, with just under 18 per cent of housing in the Shire being used for this purpose as of December last year. Its nearest rival in the holiday letting stakes were Busselton, south of Perth with 8.8 per cent, and the Bass Coast in Victoria with 7.8 per cent. The report, commissioned by
the Australian Coastal Councils Association, recommends that state governments strengthen support for local councils by requiring digital platforms like Airbnb to share data on listings and bookings so councils can better track compliance and assess housing impacts. ‘There is a need for stronger Continued on page 4 ▶
Monday night saw Mullumbimby residents and businesses come out in force to attend a public meeting raising serious concerns about the viability, impact, and long-term outcomes for the town of the Byron Shire Council (BSC) sponsored development of the public car park at 57 Station Street at the entrance to the town. The Landcom development application (DA 10.2025.212.1) proposes a three-storey, 11.7m building that will be by ‘far the tallest building in town’ should it be approved said Mullumbimby Residents Association (MRA) meeting organisor Anando Hefly. This significantly exceeds the nine metres that Cr Michael Lyon stated it would have at the previous, and again packed-house, meeting held by the community raising their concerns about the DA in February. The MRA were at pains to highlight that they support affordable and social housing but believe that this $16.5 million development is proposed for the wrong site and would have far better outcomes if built at the larger, significantly lessconstrained site that is currently the BSC car park. They said this would see around 65 units provided rather than the 32 proposed for the current site. The old Mullumbimby Hospital site described on the BSC website as ‘rare flood-free land in Mullum,’ was also mentioned. ▶ Continued on page 2
Potential fines We need leaders Discipline or danger? Up, up and anomaly Culture vultures Find tasty treats over land with moral MMA’s influence on in the u-beaut descend upon our in The Good Life clearing ▶ p5 courage ▶ p8 young people ▶ p11 rocket ▶ p13 ▶ p28 arts feature ▶ p16
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