Nothing stays the same..

Byron Bay….ahhh…my happy place. Where the rainforest meets the ocean. Where your dog is welcome and you can walk barefoot through the streets. A town that is alive, full of culture, with people from all walks of life. A hippie under tone, with a touch of bohemian class. A healthy place that encourages sustainability and an organic holistic approach to life. Where campervans and kombis line the streets. A place I can escape and truly be myself. This is what Byron Bay was to me. Notice I choose the word ‘was’ rather than is….

Byron Bay today represents all that is wrong with the rigid rules, regulations and constraints the authorities place on us, in order to try to make us conform to their ignorant, stale, negative, ‘stay within the lines’ social ideals.  “But rules keep us safe” they say…so does taking responsibility for your own actions! “Too many campers are taking up parking spots at the beach”….and they are also contributing to your community by supporting local businesses! “They make a mess”….provide more  rubbish bins. “They are free loading by not paying for accommodation” …but they are creating the vibe that Byron Bay is famous for!! The hippie campers, smiling faces, dreadlocked hair, bare feet, off lead happy dogs, the sound of bongo drums, fire twirlers….where are you?? Oh that’s right, you can’t camp anywhere in Byron Bay anymore.

As you enter town, there is a huge new sign that clearly states “no camping on any street, carpark, reserve or parkland” with a picture of a tent, car, campervan and caravan. The fine for doing so “in excess of $1000”….I was shocked!!

The options for camping now are a caravan park, a caravan park…or you guessed it…a caravan park!! With the nightly fee anywhere up to $58. That’s $406 per week…for a patch of grass, in a fenced area…where you guessed it, there are rules!!

My last visit here was almost 4 years ago, where I felt the vibe was changing a little. I felt the locals were very “clicky” and weren’t overly impressed with outsiders. The year before that I had come on a business prospecting adventure, looking for a shop to lease and a place to call home. Even then the change seemed to be becoming apparent, but given I had been frequenting the area (when the Gold Coast was my home town!) and had such a fondness for the place, I didn’t believe things could ever change. This is my happy place, it just can’t change!

 Chatting with a young-ish local today in a store, we learnt that in the last 4 years, the campers have slowly been leaving, and not returning. The streets are now so empty over the cooler months that he can ride his skateboard down the middle and only see one or 2 parked cars. Stores are empty and there is an unhappy, almost angry vibe. His exact words “Byron is full of angry yoga teachers, trying to teach peace, when they are not peaceful.” The older locals refuse to accept change, refuse to allow new comers a chance at business, are sick of campers and travellers, and sit around talking sourly about how “they were the first hippies here”.

The young man tells us about where he’s originally from in Canada, that you can park your campervan anywhere. You can pull up on the beach edge, light a bonfire, enjoy the simple life and truly appreciate each destination. The lack of rules means everyone can have the experience that suits them and they actually respect the space a lot more. The same is the case in the US. There just aren’t the same restrictions as we have here in Australia.

Another local couple who have been here 5 years are now struggling to find work and are desperately trying to leave the area and move on. They warned us not to get suckered in to staying! 6 years ago when they visited, they would have fallen in love with the same vibrant Byron Bay I did. 5 years ago when they decided to make the move, they would never have dreamed their beloved little town would turn sour.

They say “Australia – the lucky country”. I say Australia – the regimented country! The rules feel like they are trying to make everybody the same, to make society easier to handle. Keep us all in a tight line…like ants. Negative perhaps, but true in this scenario!

The rule makers and sour community members who encourage the authorities perhaps still have the old school Australian dream mentality – buy a house, choose a career and stick to it, have 2.5 children and you’ll be perceived as successful. But we’re not all the same, so stop trying to make us all the same! The European and US van life revolution has taken off. Their mindset has changed. Their rules don’t pigeon hole them. Lifestyle is important to them. More and more people are realising that you don’t need an office to do business. You don’t need a house to have a home. There are other ways to make money and money isn’t necessarily the be all and end all of life. Plus, who wouldn’t want a travelling home where you can pull up on the beach and get the laptop out to do some “work”?!

We are all different though and obviously some people prefer more stability in their lives, which is fine. It’s just sad that the rule makers don’t seem to want to understand the diversity in our society and accept the changes that are coming through with the generations. For some van dwellers, the thought of having a house is lovely, but the financial reality of it is just too far fetched with sky rocketing property prices…but that’s a whole other topic!

Arriving in Byron today, seeing and feeling the change, made me sad, but also thankful that I had the opportunity to be here years ago when it was amazing. When the vibe was right. Perhaps someday the rules will relax, the minority of gorgeous, wholesome, loving, welcoming locals will again become the majority and perhaps my child will be able to experience all the wonderful things I had. I also hope the societal pressures and expectations of how we should live our lives becomes more accepting. I hope that when my child is pressured and asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” that he or she answers “I would like to find something I am passionate about, then find a way to make money from that. I want to be rich in character, life and experiences – not rich in money.”

When this generation comes through, that’s when we’ll see change.

Not everything stays the same…and one day that will be a good thing.

JT xo