I dropped in to Byron Bay last week for the first time in about twenty years. It was a favoured location for May holidays with my family. Back then it was just a normal coastal town with the odd hippy leftover. Now it looks like Noosa, with the associated traffic jams. Palm Valley beach still looks delightful though, bringing back memories of catching long rides in the surf on the old inflatble surf mat. The scary dirt track down from the lighthouse has been replaced by a sedate cement path with safety rails, and it costs $5 just to park up at the Cape (we had elderly people with us, so walking wasn't an option).