I exhale slowly. It is so quiet. And, oh so peaceful – a blissful moment for a working mother of two busy boys.
I take a sip of my gin and tonic, the finger lime and aniseed myrtle shining through, and take in the majestic view. Truly, there is no other word worthy of describing the scene in front of me – a canopy of greenery spreads as far as the eye can see.
The rainforest is singing – there are more than 24 native bird species that call this part of the land home, along with wallabies and koalas (we are lucky enough to spot one lounging in a gum tree later that afternoon).
Cape Byron Distillery sits high above the valley, surrounded by macadamias and regrown forest. You can almost taste the story in the air.
It began back in 1988 when Melbourne couple Martin and Pam Brook – who knew nothing about farming – bought a rundown, barren dairy. In time, they planted more than 40,000 trees in a tribute to the land’s former purpose – it was once home to Australia’s largest subtropical rainforest, the Big Scrub.
Twenty million years ago, a volcanic eruption centred around Mt Warning in northern New South Wales spewed liquid magma over a vast area that stretched from Lismore in the south to the Nightcap Ranges in the north, creating the Big Scrub.
The forest covered 75,000 hectares in the Byron Bay hinterland, with part of its flora and fauna descending from the Gondwana rainforests, which date back 180 million years. Sadly, within 10 years of the first white settlement, the Big Scrub had been destroyed. Only one per cent remains.
Cape Byron Distillery lies within the heart of this once mighty rainforest; its owners on a mission to help preserve what is left.
Today, their son Eddie runs the distillery and the land hums with life again. Seventeen of the botanicals used in their nationally recognised Brookie’s Dry Gin are grown right here – native ginger, cinnamon, aniseed myrtle, Davisonia plum, native raspberries — the rest is sourced from nearby producers.
It’s a place that feels good for the soul. I try a cumquat-infused gin. It’s light and zesty with a citrusy hit, and I find myself thinking that everything about Byron seems to taste fresher and more alive.
Our stay at the award-winning, luxury Elements of Byron feeds that sentiment. Spanning 20 hectares of beachfront land, Elements is a couples’ retreat that doubles as a family-friendly resort. I’m not sure exactly how they have achieved it, but the balance is spot on – facilities and activities cater to both demographics and yet the resort remains quiet and calm.
Touted as providing the ultimate ‘barefoot luxury’, Elements delivers with its blend of ocean, rainforest and lagoon-style pools.
Overlooking a large grassy knoll towards the beach, our split-level Dunal Villa feels a world away from everything. The villa itself is made for barefoot living, featuring a sunken lounge with a gas fireplace and an enclosed outdoor bath house, alongside the usual five-star inclusions you would expect.
We can hear the ocean and birdlife, but not much else. Bliss.
We eagerly welcome sunny days beside the adults-only pool with its luxurious daybeds and staff delivering cocktails and restaurant-worthy tapas.
Food at Elements is another quiet revelation. The menus read like a love letter to the Northern Rivers – native ingredients, including finger limes, foraged beach herbs, Byron Bay mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, locally smoked burrata, native togarashi and thyme. The dishes are refined but unpretentious, the kind that remind you how much joy there is in fresh food done well.
Keen to make the most of our downtime, we spend an afternoon at Osprey Spa, tucked within the resort’s gardens. My husband is hesitant – it’s his first spa experience– but he relaxes the moment we step into the quiet, leafy courtyard where our treatment begins. We soak our feet in warm water and prepare for indulgence – a massage, facial and a geranium scalp treatment.
When we’re done, hubby admits, “Now, I understand why you like going to these places.”
Outside the resort, Byron moves to its own laidback rhythm. We wander through town one morning and stop by Bayleaf for a late breakfast. The café itself is everything you’d expect from Byron: teal tiles, rough-hewn timber, sunlight spilling in through the windows. They work with local suppliers to shape their organic-based, pared-back menu. The coffee, brewed from Blackboard beans, is rich and balanced – exactly what I need to fuel the next few hours of boutique browsing.
Later, we make our way to The Farm, which is Byron’s famous paddock-to-plate collective. The scent of sourdough and sunflowers greets us.
It’s a working, regenerative farm, with animals, dirt roads, paddocks and gardens to explore.
You can feed the animals, take part in a guided farm tour, shop at the produce store (don’t go past the blueberry jam and local honey) and enjoy delicious food from on-site restaurant, Three Blue Ducks. We choose a couple of pastries and settle in under a tree, watching life go by.
Byron really is the ideal place to just be – to sit, breathe and rejuvenate.
The writer travelled at her own expense.