When you stay at The Lily Pad, you’ll want to explore the beautiful surrounds of Byron Shire.
Take a look at our Google Map with key places to visit and directions from the Lily Pad to main beach.
LOCATION
The Lily Pad is located on Skinner’s Shoot Rd, approximately 2 km to Byron Bay town and main beach. It’s just a 5 minute drive along a picturesque, treelined country road.
DIRECTIONS
Take the Byron Bay exit from the Pacific Highway and drive along Ewingsdale Rd, which will turn into Shirley St as you get closer to town. At the first roundabout near the Byron Bay police station, turn right onto Butler St, then right again onto Burns St and follow this road as it becomes Gordon St. Drive past the Byron Bay Brewery and Arts Factory Lodge and follow the road as it curves left, turning into Skinners Shoot Rd, a picturesque 2km country drive to The Lily Pad at Byron.
RESTAURANTS
We strongly suggest you book well in advance to secure a table at your desired restaurant.
Some recent highlights include Il Buco Italian restaurant in Bay Lane. It’s a tiny “hole-in-the-wall” style place, very casual and friendly, and we often have to wait for a table. They’ll call you when a table is free, so it’s no bother to take a wander up to the beach or drop in at The Beach Hotel for a quick drink. We always enjoy Thai Lucy too, also located in Bay Lane, just near Il Buco.
If you can’t decide, just take a stroll along Bay Lane from Jonson Street to Fletcher Street and you’ll discover loads of little eateries featuring cuisines from around the globe.
When exploring beyond Byron Bay town, check out Harvest at Newrybar for great bread, coffee, deli items and breakfast/lunch/dinner on the verandah. And Doma at Federal is a great pit stop on a drive in the hinterland. Be aware that it gets very busy on weekends (7.30am – 2.30pm 7 days; closed public holidays), so go early. Check out their Instagram page federal_doma_cafe for current details.
OUT & ABOUT
If you’re keen to get active during the day, you can’t go wrong with an adventure on the water with Cape Byron Kayaks. Dolphins are spotted every day throughout the year, but in winter, you might even see a whale or two!
The Lighthouse Walk is a well known and very well worn path, but something few visitors do is take the Tallow Ridge Track which starts (or finishes) in the side street opposite Captain Cook Lookout. It’s a gorgeous mix of coastal bush and beachfront which winds its way to Cape Byron Lighthouse via Wategos Beach and The Pass.
If you prefer to experience the beauty of Byron Bay on horseback, we highly recommend Zephyr Horses which offers both beach and coastal bush trail rides. Seeing the orange glow of sunrise as you ride up an over the sand dune and down on to the beach is truly one of Byron’s most memorable experiences!
Discounts on horse riding and sea kayaking are available when you mention you’re staying at The Lily Pad. Read more here.
PARKING
Don’t forget, when you visit Byron Bay, you’ll might need to pay for parking at some stage, so we recommend you plan ahead. The pay parking in Byron town ends at 6pm, so if you’re heading out for dinner, you should be fine. Check the signs to be sure.
Here’s more information from Byron Shire Council with maps and details on pay parking.
The information in italics below is from Byron Shire Council’s website (January 2019):
Council Car Parks:
Pay parking operates in the Byron Bay CBD, Wategos and the following council-operated car parks:
- Main Beach car park (95 parking spaces /inc 5 Mobility spaces)
- Lawson St North car park (135 parking spaces / inc 3 Mobility spaces)
- Lawson St South car park (74 parking spaces / inc 1 Mobility space)
- Clarkes Beach car park (90 parking spaces / inc 2 Mobility spaces)
Parking fees are $4.00 per hour, capped at $20.00 for all day parking.
Operating hours are 9am to 6pm, seven days a week including Public Holidays. Council car parks are closed to all vehicles between the hours of 1am to 5am.
Car Parks managed by NSW National Parks:
Car parks at Cape Byron Lighthouse, Captain Cook Lookout, Cosy Corner and The Pass are managed by NSW National Parks, separate parking fees apply.
NSW NATIONAL PARKS – SINGLE PARKS PASS
If you’re staying in Byron Bay for more than just a couple of days, and you plan on frequently visiting beaches at Captain Cook Lookout (our favourite), The Pass or Tallows Beach (Cosy Corner), or Cape Byron Lighthouse lower car park, we suggest you buy a NSW National Parks “Single Country Park Pass” from the National Parks office which will give you unlimited parking at these sites within Cape Byron State Conservation Area ($22.00 for 12 months. At $4.00 per hour, it won’t take long for parking fees to add up. Prices current as at January 2019).
The NSW National Parks office is located on Tallow Beach Rd or enquire at the Visitor Centre at the Lighthouse.
For more info or to buy a pass online, visit the NSW National Parks website.
BYRON FOOD & DRINK
For restaurants, cafes, pubs, food tours and more, check out this handy guide provided by byron-bay.com.
BYRON MARKETS
Check the date and location of all the up-coming markets in and around Byron Bay here.
BYRON GIG GUIDE
North Coast Gig Guide
