Clothes Free Travel

A-Z TRAVEL — Naturist Edition: B is for BB @ Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

A bougie naturist Bed & Breakfast in Australia. Who knew?

Our quest for a nakation in Australia began in Sydney, where we learned to drive on the wrong side of the road, then flew to Port Douglas near the Great Barrier Reef before finding a naturist hamlet near Byron Bay.

TEXTILE TIP: Byron Bay is a heavily touristed area near the northern border of New South Wales sporting a lovely naturist beach just a few miles out of town. Most popular is Tyagarah clothing-optional beach, which pretty remote is pretty remote, so you’re not likely to stumble into it by accident.

We fell hard for this former hippie haven, and especially nearby Mullumbimby with its local color and quirky cafés. One could certainly have a good holiday here without running naked in the surf. We had to do a bit of homework to find a naturist accommodation — but of course, textile hotels and apartments abound.

Our quest for a nakation in Australia spanned Christmas and New Years, 2016–17, beginning in Sydney, where we learned to drive on the wrong side of the road before flying to Port Douglas near the Great Barrier Reef. From there, we took the train to Brisbane, with a stop in Proserpine along the way. There we took up another car rental to explore the northern reaches of New South Wales.

The first thing a wandering naturist should know is that nudity on beaches is downright against the law in Queensland, which is a shame as it was bloody hot during our stay there. And if that’s not enough, anytime you’re near the water, you need to be super attentive to crocodiles posing as rocks and driftwood, as well tiny jellyfish — Irukandji — that are capable of bringing you to full cardiac arrest without you ever knowing what hit you. Those two factors alone make the Queensland coast of Australia a bit less than alluring for frolicking naked in the surf.

So we kept heading south where the crocs and jellyfish are less prevalent, and the locals a bit less prudish.

I guess if you say you’re going on nakation, the defining attribute of your stay is the accommodation. In our case, we found a place called BB @ Byron Bay, which turned out to be this magnificent house sitting atop of a hill in a residential area somewhat away from Byron Bay and the coast. The innkeeper — I think her name was Deborah — was nothing less than gracious during our stay. It’s a beautiful home with a smallish pool, and our upstairs bedroom suite felt palatial.

But this was a B&B in the true sense of the tradition. We were staying in a bedroom in somebody’s home, sharing the fridge as well for breakfast in the morning. That can feel a little close-in if you’re used to the AirBNB tradition of having your own space, but chilling on the veranda and not worrying about clothes in the Australian summer far outweighed living in a shared space. And to be sure, the home is absolutely stunning, in a quiet neighborhood with expansive views.

As I recall, we were a good bit closer to the village of Mullumbimby than we were to Byron Bay, which was fine with us. It was a cute little town with cafés and antique stores where we whiled away an afternoon or two with the locals over coffee.

We spent time at both Belongil and Tyagarah beaches, each of which was clothing-optional friendly during our stay, and well-suited for long walks in the surf. I’ve read that Byron Bay’s nude beaches have become increasingly controversial in recent years, due in large part to people… ahem… acting like monkeys in the nearby bush!

We didn’t encounter any of that, though one would be wise to do a bit of research were you to visit now. I know there have been organized efforts to preserve the clothing-optional status of Tyagarah Beach. We would appreciate updated info from readers in the comment section should you have some.

We loved the Bohemian atmosphere in this region of Australia. It somehow resonated with our California roots — or at least what we remember northern California to be. Native Australians, including Adrienne Beaumont, say there are simply too many tourists to enjoy the place like it was in the old days. I guess we were actually part of that problem — being tourists and all — though we did resist the urge to rent one of these crazy vehicles thereby further making a spectacle of ourselves.

We also took in a few of the sites and attractions. I distinctly remember the local pastime called “looking for a parking spot in town!” That was not a fav for us, but that did position us to visit the famous lighthouse and have a glance at the most eastern point of Australia. Seems to me that was on the wrong side of the continent as well!

I never did sort out my sense of direction while traveling down under.

I suppose it goes without saying that every American visiting this part of the world has to sign a binding affidavit that they will take at least 2000 pictures of koalas, including a shot with a koala in their arms. (For an additional fee, of course.) This was best accomplished for us at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where we did pay dearly for the koala in your arms pic, but the lighting was poor and quite frankly, the koala seems none to pleased.

We like this image better.

Supposedly, we ran the risk of finding koalas and kangaroos running around in the middle of the roads. We heard tales of such things, but the only time we encountered either was in the wildlife sanctuary. That was a bit of a drive from our naturist B&B, up near the Gold Coast, but well worth the effort.

Shortly after our three-week voyage, we discovered an organization called Get Naked Australia that promotes social nudity gatherings and outings for people who prefer to do things outdoors and… well… naked. We’ve since worked on a couple of projects with one of their founders since then, wishing we’d known about this group before trying to forge our own way through not-quite-naturist Australia.

If we go back, they will be our first call.

So that’s the “B-installment” in our A-Z Naturist Destination list. Should you wish to read about our particular spin on this extraordinary challenge, you can check that out here.

And while you’re at it, you might want to check in with Sam Millichap who just posted her “Z-installment,” thereby wrapping up her complete list. She’s the one that got this whole thing going on Globetrotters in the first place. We’re all indebted to you Sam, though a few of us may be wondering what we’ve gotten ourselves into!

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