The relaxed yet chic village of Bangalow is brimming with cafés, galleries and boutiques, just waiting to be explored.  

DO Bangalow is one of the more stylish Australian country towns, a place where designer homewares shops such as Our Corner Store (1/36 Byron Street) and Brauerbirds (32 Byron Street) rub shoulders with the Country Women’s Association’s meeting rooms, while fashion outlets such as the nomad-chic Island Luxe (62 Byron Street; also at 1/11 Marvell Street, Byron Bay) and Lazybones (64A Byron Street) occupy charming heritage buildings. Make sure you wander down a side street or two, where you’ll find Poet (shop 2/42 Byron Street), with its collection of thought-provoking books and two locally published magazines, New Philosopher and Womankind, and Polish, where vintage furniture is brought back to life in a cavernous old Masonic Hall (16 Station Street).  

EAT & DRINK For daytime dining, nab a sunny table at the back of Utopia (13 Byron Street), which specialises in vegetarian breakfasts and lunches. Or pick up a hamper at gourmet deli Pantry 29 (29 Byron Street) and perhaps some house-made gelato. For dinner, the top picks are Town (33 Byron Street) and The Italian Diner (39 Byron Street), which blends country style (high ceilings, historic building) with the best of Italy (great food, wine, coffee and a mural of Sophia Loren on the back wall).  

GET THERE Drive south of Byron Bay, turn right onto Bangalow Road, which will take you south-west to Bangalow in approximately 15 minutes.

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