Byron Bay Lighthouse Postcard

The lighthouse was built in 1901 at the most easterly point on the Australian mainland. Byron Bay is a beachside town in the north of the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is located 759 kilometres north of Sydney and 140 kilometres south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. The town has a population of about 5,600 people and is the nucleus of Byron Shire, . Captain James Cook named Cape Byron after circumnavigator of the world John Byron, grandfather of the poet, Lord Byron. For thousands of years Aboriginal people came to the Bay to swap stories, find marriage partners and trade goods. They called it Cavvanbah. The first industry in Byron was timber – namely the Australian red cedar,Toona australis. More recently it has been known for it’s hippie population and spiritual leanings.