Bundjalung Country map
Where Bundjalung Country runs, why no single map is official, and who holds the boundaries.
Cape Byron / Walgun
Byron Bay
Byron Bay is the most internationally recognised town in Bundjalung Country, built around Cape Byron — the most easterly point of the Australian mainland — and the Country of the Arakwal people.
About Byron Bay
The compact town centre recorded 6,330 residents at the 2021 Census, though the broader Byron Bay area including Suffolk Park is closer to 10,900 — a population that multiplies many times over with tourism through the year. Cape Byron Lighthouse, opened in 1901, still marks the most easterly point of mainland Australia; the headland itself was known as Walgun before the town took James Cook's 1770 name for the bay, and since March 2024 it has been officially dual-named Walgun/Cape Byron, with Julian Rocks now also Nguthungulli.
Byron Bay is Arakwal Country. The Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) holds native title over parts of the area, recognised by the Federal Court in 2019 after a 25-year process, and works with NSW National Parks on joint management of Cape Byron State Conservation Area and Arakwal National Park. Their own site is the right place for anything about Arakwal culture, history, or country — not this one.
Arakwal National Park itself came out of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement signed in August 2001; gazetted that October, it was the first national park in Australia created under such an agreement. See Parks, sacred places and walks.
Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal): Arakwal Country and culture. Contact the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council for local land council matters
Learn on Country
Where possible, learn directly from Aboriginal-owned, community-operated or locally authorised cultural programs. Tour schedules, prices and access arrangements can change, so check the provider before travelling.
Aboriginal cultural tours with Delta Kay are led by Arakwal Bundjalung woman Delta Kay.
Keep learning about Bundjalung Country
Clans and groups
Arakwal, Githabul, Bandjalang, Widjabal, Nyangbal, Yugambeh and the other names you will meet.
Bundjalung language
Dialects, why spellings differ, and the language centres that actually teach and publish.
Place names
Which Northern Rivers town names come from Bundjalung language, and which came from Britain.
Bundjalung National Park
The coastal park between Iluka and Evans Head, its campgrounds, and the Iluka rainforest.
History: reserves and land rights
The Protection Board years, the reserves and stations, and where to look for family records.
Parks, sacred places and walks
Jointly managed parks, places custodians ask you to treat with care, and Aboriginal-led walks.
Also on this site
Community email and web hosting
Email for Byron Bay
A name@bundjalung.au address suits Byron Bay and Suffolk Park residents, artists, and small businesses who want a contact point that isn't tied to one platform.
A free static site
Local artists, surf coaches, and small Byron Bay businesses can get a simple static page live under name.bundjalung.au at no cost once identity checks are complete.
Bundjalung artists, makers, and business owners in Byron Bay: beyond the link to Arakwal above, this page doesn't publish a directory of local people or businesses without their say-so. If you're a Bundjalung artist, maker, or business owner based in or around Byron Bay and would like a page, portfolio link, or listing here — with a link back to your own site or socials — use the contact form below or email info@bundjalung.au and mention Byron Bay. Nothing about you goes on this page unless you ask for it.