History

The Byron Bay whaling station operated from 1954 to 1962. During this time 1,146 whales were processed producing 10,000 tons of oil. The official whaling season each year was from the beginning of May until the end of October. The largest whale caught at Byron Bay was a female 15.9 metres long, the minimum legal length was 10.6 metres.

Hours of Operation: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 10.00am to 5.00pm; Thursday 10.00am to 8.00pm; Saturday 9.00am to 12.00 noon. Find local history.

Address: Lawson Street, Byron Bay, NSW, 2481

Situated directly behind the Ballina Library and Tourist Information Centre in the main street, the Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum is on the bank of the Richmond River, adjacent to a large coach and car park.

Address: Regatta Avenue, Ballina,, NSW, 2478

The Bundjalung people enjoyed a warm sub-tropical climate. The landscape varied from towering mountains to the bountiful sea, providing an abundance of food and materials that met all their needs.

The headland that is now known as Cape Byron is older that 200 million years and forms part of the world's oldest caldera: the rim of a gigantic extinct volcano. Strung out in a huge circle around the volcano's core, Mt Warning, fragments of the caldera are evident from Julian Rocks out to sea to the Border Ranges in the north. Perched on the headland is Cape Byron lighthouse, one of Australia's best-known and most powerful.