Join the active wear crowd for an early morning 3.7 km circuit of the beautiful Cape Byron Walking Track. But the route is good anytime: intersperse with morning coffee at the Lighthouse and lunch and swim at Wategos Beach and really make a day of it!

Byron Bay comes to life early. People don active wear and hit the beach or headland tracks, surfers seek the waves and coffee shops open at 5.30 am.

Breakfast in Byron encapsulates all that I love about the place and there are some fabulous places to choose from. Everyone turns out, whether it is just grabbing a smoothie or coffee to go, or sitting down for something more leisurely.

And being Byron it is all so healthy: lattes are turmeric, pancakes are Japanese with fermented ingredients, burritos are stuffed full of organic plant ingredients and the ubiquitous smashed avo comes with vivid green leaves and chia seeds.

An old favourite is the General Store on Bangalow Road: airy, light and white, even the staff look cool. There is outside seating under shady umbrellas or grab a seat inside at the communal table or breakfast bar. It has a great menu from fruity breakfast bowls to heartier meals with a twist – everything is so delicious you will never think of meat again.

Suitably fortified, we decided some exercise was in order, and my other fave thing to do in Byron is the Cape Byron walk – the path ascends to the Cape Byron lighthouse before dropping back past Wategos Beach, showcasing the best of Byron Bay’s beautiful scenery.

The walk actually starts at Captain Cook’s Lookout but there is all day free parking – a rarity in Byron – just before it on Lighthouse Road, so we started a little further down the hill.

But it doesn’t matter: turn into Tallow Beach Road and after a bend turn left on a narrow grassy track that shadows the back of the houses – check out the best pool – and you are suddenly deep in the bush amidst remnants of ancient rainforest and banksia scrub.

At a junction bear right on the Tallow Ridge track. The 1.4 km track rises through trees and although it shadows Lighthouse Road, all one can hear is the distant surf, cicadas and bird song.

A bench gives some relief but catch your breath here as there is now a steep climb to the top of the ridge. A family of 4 jogged past – children are not allowed to get fat here!

Nearing the top, one starts to get glimpses of ocean through the trees, but the track drops down and then climbs again before finally emerging by a hand gliding ramp.

It reminded me of the Muelle de las Almas bridge in Chiloé, a fabulous island off Chile. Sit on the edge and enjoy a superb view of Tallow Beach, all the way south to Broken Head and beyond.

Surf schools bobbed in the waves below us and a tight pod of dolphins floated just beyond them. People dotted the beach with parasols: there is no shade on Tallow Beach.

We chatted to a couple of Argentinian surfers who had rocked up 10 years ago as backpackers and stayed, working their way up through bar work and dish washing.

They chatted happily as they shared their maté. One was a lifeguard and I hoped he did not have to rescue too many people over the Christmas holidays as we headed on.

The path now follows the road to the lighthouse; built in 1910, it has the brightest light in Australia. It is a popular spot and there is a little coffee kiosk with scenic seating.

One of the old light keeper’s houses has a minor museum and the others are available for hire although I don’t think it would be the quietest place – I would far rather the more remote and stunningly sited ones at Smoky Cape in the Hat Head National Park.

The easternmost point in Australia (at high tide) is reached a little further along the walkway. From there one gets a good view over the rocky headland below which is a long drop down.

We were lucky enough to see a little Swamp Wallaby with his distinctive dark face as he was busily attacking the juicy young leaves of a low lying tree.

Little Wategos Beach lies just below. It is quite small and very pebbly with off shore rocks so not great for swimming but it has some nice grassy areas behind the beach with big shady trees. A sea eagle perched on a huge boulder nearby.

At low tide one can scramble around the rocks to Wategos Beach, but if it is high, it is necessary to walk up and over the headland. We saw a big water dragon en route, sunning himself on a stairway.

Wategos is at the zenith of Australian beaches, a small sandy bay with rocky headlands to each end and multi million dollar houses dotted in the dense scrub on the steep hillside. Matt Damon is currently a fan. A villa can cost $5000 a night here and parking is $5 an hour (maximum 4 hours between 9-6).

The discreet Rae’s is the place for lunch or coffee. I like curling up on the grass in front where you have an elevated view of the beach and all the goings on: girls in the skimpiest of bikinis, weather-beaten surfers, families heading into the waves with clinging children. All feel the tug of the ocean: like a horse turned loose they revel in the freedom and run to bury themselves in the waves.

Continuing on, the path climbs around the hillside to reveal Clarke’s beach below. It swings inland through an area of trees where koalas are often seen, and emerges at The Pass carpark, where there is the eponymous cafe.

If you head down to the bottom of the carpark you will emerge on the beach and see Fisherman’s Lookout ahead: stairs climb to the top of a rocky outcrop to give an all embracing view of Byron Bay with the northern mountains in the distance. Wategos Beach is partially hidden to the rear.

We walked back along Clarke’s beach to where the first set of steep steps lead back to Captain Cook’s Lookout from where it was only a short stroll downhill to the car.

Of course, one could just stay on the beach until town – you might just make the 4 – 6 pm happy hour! I recommend Loft on Jonson Street for its airy balcony – it is more civilised than a lot of the Byron watering holes!

NOTES

The walk is approximately 3.7 km long and has plenty of ups and downs, especially at the beginning. It varies between bush tracks and pavement. There are cafes at the lighthouse, Wategos and The Pass.

Accommodation: If money is no object – rooms start at $1650 – Raes is a wonderful place to stay and includes transfers from Ballina airport. Otherwise the newly refurbished Sunseeker Motel on Bangalow Road is suitably cool – rates start at $270. At the other end of the spectrum, the Red Devils Rugby Club offer pleasant camping from $30 – just turn up and pick a spot!