Five things to do in Byron Bay - without going far

1. Hire a bike. We got ours from Byron Bay Bicycles. We asked the bloke who served us to give us the lowdown on the bicycle lanes in Byron. He was blunt: "There's not a lot." We cycled to Belongil, Tallows (twice) and Wategos. Unreal.

4.5 rating for honesty http://www.byronbaybicycles.com.au/

2. Walk from Main Beach to The Pass at Clarke's Beach and check out the surfers. Climb the wooden stairs at The Pass and gaze down at the surfers who gather en masse to catch the big waves that roll in off the bombora. On the weekends this place is the Pitt Street of the surfing Byron Bay community. I've never seen so many old blokes on long boards in my life as I have off The Pass. They're dreamin'.

3. Swim at Wategos. Just around the corner from The Pass is Wategos Beach, an alluring chunk of paradise dipped in gold and blue. Dolphins frolic here at dawn - and sometimes stay all day - and the water is always pristine and the conditions usually less turbulent than those off Main, Clarke's, Belongil and Tallow Beaches. It's where the too-rich-to-care build their holiday retreats/fortresses - but they can't stop the riff-faff from using the beach.

4. Eat tapas on The Balcony. Every year after the Byron Bay ocean swim, we go to The Balcony for dinner. It is on the first floor of an old (Federation?) building that overlooks Jonson Street, Byron's main drag. The floorboards slope down slightly but it's so comfortable on the lounge that we're sure we'd land with a gently thud. Far from the madding crowd. http://www.balcony.com.au/

5. Trek to the Cape Byron Lighthouse. The views are breathtaking. One one side there's the town of Byron Bay with views up the coast to Mt Warning and beyond, on the other there's the terrifying wildness of Tallows Beach at Suffolk Park, and out the back there's the lush hinterland. Volvo has made an ad here. http://www.byron-bay.com/byronbay/lighthouse.html

There's so much more but I'm not getting paid to do this.

Speak soon.