Byron Bay has been snubbed with the news it’s not actually the most beautiful place in Australia

An international travel site has bruised The Bay’s ego with claims it’s not the number one location for great scenery. Shock! Horror!

Cape Byron Lighthouse, Byron Bay. Picture: Liana Boss

Byron Bay’s ego has taken a hit after a travel site delivered the news the coastal town was not, in fact, the best in Australia.

International travels site Big 7 Travel has released its 2021 list which it claims sets out the 15 most scenic places in Australia.

The locations were chosen by award-winning Australian travel photographers, the site said in a statement, and were voted for by the site’s instagram audience and their internal “team of travel experts” to secure the top 10 places.

With no real travel option beyond our shores, Australians are likely to continue to look to domestic destinations for their adventures for some time.

Uluru and Esperance on the Western Australia Coast ranked in the top and second places respectively.

The Bay came in at a respectable, yet bruising, third place.

It’s a shocking revelation given Byron Bay is so known for its instagram culture there’s a controversial “docuseries” being created about how the place is allegedly so big on aesthetic facades.

Uluru has been named the most scenic place in Australia.

It has not yet been confirmed whether the removal of the prominent but much-hated Disco Dong – aka aviary lighthouse sculpture – has in any way detracted from the town’s appeal.

The top three destinations were followed by Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, Cape Tribulation, Silverton, The Great Ocean Road, Noosa, Hobart, Constitution Dock and Bay of Fires.

Although feeling a little snubbed by it’s not-quite-number-one place, Byron can revel in knowing it rated higher than Queensland counterparts Noosa and the Gold Coast, which placed in a very realistic eighth and 11th.

The Pink Lake at Esperance, WA.

Byron was earlier listed in the same site’s ultimate bucket list for Australian travel in 2021, in which it was described as “the crown jewel of New South Wales”, “known for its pristine beaches, laid-back lifestyle and incredible surf culture” which is “more than a pretty face”, with its strong arts and culture offering.

Although with Covid doing its thing, the live music scene has been in a state and the best festival that’s coming in the next month, you don’t need to leave your couch to attend.

Byron was, however, the only Northern Rivers location on the list so it retains a sense of importance beside Ballina and Kingscliff.