COMMENT IS FREE, BUT FACTS ARE SACRED – CP SCOTT
The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #47 • April 29, 2026 • www.echo.net.au
Byron Writers Festival celebrates 30 years!
Pictured at Haven, one of this year’s venues, from left is Byron Writers Festival Artistic Director, Jessica Alice; BWF Board Chair, Courtney Miller; founder and board member, Chris Hanley; and Alexis Zahner, Communication Manager.
Two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and international bestselling author Trent Dalton and New Delhi-based International Booker Prize-winner Geetanjali Shree are set to lead the festival as it takes over Byron from Friday, 14, to Sunday, 16 August.
They will be joined by Goorie and Koori poet Evelyn Aralue, Siang Lu, Steve Toltz, Melissa Lucashenko, Zoe Terakes and Richard Denniss, with the full program to be announced in the coming months. www.byronwritersfestival.com. Photo Jeff ‘This Is Where I Draw The Line’ Dawson
Byron beachfront DA raises community concerns
Child on e-bike hit by car in Bruns
Aslan Shand
Just after 11.50am on Saturday, 25 April emergency services were called to the intersection of Fawcett Street and Tweed Street, Brunswick Heads, following reports that a child had been hit by a car. Police were told a ten-year-old boy was riding an e-bike when he was hit by a ute. The boy was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being airlifted to Gold Coast Hospital in a stable condition.
In the 1980s, the Byron Shire community came together to fight for height limits. They drew a line at nine metres, rejecting Gold Coast– style high-rise development on their beachfront. Instead, they backed environmental protection, sensitive design and a vision for something different. That fight has never really ended. Ocean views and liquor licences remain a powerful lure.
Byron Shire ratepayers’ bills set to climb ▶ p3
Time and again, developers buy up sites, demolish existing buildings and propose oversized projects that push beyond height limits and sidestep local planning controls. Once again, locals are raising concerns about a development application (DA) for 2 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. This prominent beachfront corner site, opposite both the Byron Bay Pool and the Beach Hotel, sits within a high-pedestrian area. The proposal seeks to demolish the former Quicksilver surf shop,
Meeting called for Mullum Hospital site DCP ▶ p5
a contemporary coastal building that reflects the town’s character and complies with the Development Control Plan (DCP) and Local Environmental Plan (LEP). In its place, the applicant proposes a far more intensive development. The new design exceeds height limits, removes approved retail and residential components, and increases the scale of the site to accommodate up to 670 patrons. The zone objectives are clear: ▶ Continued on page 2
Spoil your mum rotten ▶ p14
ty Sustainabili 2026 Vol. 18
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Sustainability 2026: Hints for living a sustainable life ▶ p19
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Hints for living a le sustainab life
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The driver, a 23-year-old man, was subjected to a roadside breath test and returned a negative result. A crime scene was established and officers attached to Tweed/ Byron Police District, with the assistance from Crash Investigation Unit, commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this crash. As inquiries continue, anyone with information or dash cam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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