Byron Bay’s top influencers revealed

From fashion designers to social media stars and celebrities, the relatively modest-sized town of Byron Bay has an outsized collection of highly influential residents. These are the top influencers in Byron.

On paper, Byron Bay might seem like an unassuming town – less than 10,000 residents, the centre of a smattering of small hinterland and coastal villages, somewhere vaguely in the middle of Sydney and Brisbane.

But what might otherwise seem like a blip off the Pacific Motorway on your way to somewhere more important attracts an outsized amount of attention – largely due to the bright young things inhabiting its luxurious coastal mansions.

Byron Bay and the surrounding towns are magnets for superstars, social media influencers and society’s elite – and these are the most influential among them.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH AND ELSA PATAKY

We shouldn’t have to explain this one to you, right? Once a Home And Away heartthrob, Chris Hemsworth hit the big time when he and his preposterously muscled biceps joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor – God of thunder – in 2011. He is married to Spanish model and actor Elsa Pataky, and while the pair are arguably the brightest stars in the Byron universe, they are also among the least ostentatious – living a relatively quiet life like everyone else. This masthead once saw Ms Pataky getting groceries at Woolworths in Byron while wrangling the pair’s children – celebrities, they are just like us.

ISABELLA PENNEFATHER, ELIZABETH ABEGG AND LUCIANA ROSE

Every once in a while, a serious fashion moment just happens – and in Byron Bay, the meteoric rise of the so-called Spell sisters is among the most significant. What began as a Byron Bay market stall has turned into Spell – a global bohemian fashion juggernaut whose clothes are worn by Byron’s best and brightest, but also its incredibly regular residents, such is their widespread appeal. The brand is Isabella Pennefather and Elizabeth Abegg’s brain child, but third sister and esteemed hair and make-up artist Luciana Rose is also closely aligned with the label – frequently doing the glam for the pair’s collection shoots. A ticket to one of the brand’s seasonal collection launch soirees – usually at an exclusive venue embellished with tapered candles and more flowers than the sunflower field by Byron Hospital – is one of the most highly sought after invites in Byron. You might remember in 2019 when the so-called “Amazon nightgown dress” went viral among influencers worldwide – it was a direct rip-off of the brand’s signature boho dress, much loved among its biggest fans.

SIMON BAKER

Celebrated Australian actor and avid surfer Simon Baker is Ballina-born and bred. Like so many Australian stars of the screen, he is also a Home And Away alumni, but best known for his stint as star of The Mentalist, the screen adaptation of Tim Winton’s Australian classic novel Breath, and also for his role as the skeazy journalist guy opposite Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. He recently sold up in Sydney after separating from his wife and bought a home in Lennox Head, just outside of Byron Bay.

ABBIE CHATFIELD AND KONRAD BIEN-STEPHEN

Abbie Chatfield has been on an extraordinary character arc, from villain and runner-up to Season 7 Bachelor Matt Agnew to beloved podcast host, TikTok star, and unlikely guest feature on a 2021 Triple J Hottest 200 song which sampled Chatfield ranting about anti-vaxxers who, well, won’t get jabbed against Covid-19 but will do ketamine (a recreational drug, but also horse tranquilliser. It’s complicated). Chatfield has partnered up with fellow Bachie alum Konrad Bien-Stephen and she owns a house in a suburb which is not Byron Bay, but is near Byron Bay, but we won’t tell you what it is because people keep showing up there apparently and we do not want to be responsible for perpetuating that weird behaviour.

SASKIA WOTTON AND DAVE FRIM

You knew it had to happen. Despite the moanings and groanings of Byron Bay’s self-proclaimed “real” locals about how contrived and silly it all was, some of the stars of Netflix’s controversial reality show Byron Baes are indeed established local residents and identities themselves. Business power couple Saskia Wotton and Dave Frim are among the show’s stars who are Byron to the bone. Ms Wotton was previously a brand director for Australian luxe label Silk Laundry, and the pair are soon to launch their project called Muma World – believed to be a shuttle flight service between Sydney and Byron Bay.

BEN GORDON

Is there anything more Byron than co-owning a popular cafe and playing in a band you can hear on Triple J? Ben Gordon is the drummer in metalcore band Parkway Drive and the co-owner of Byron Bay General Store, and he was one of the loudest voices against Netflix’s Byron Baes. Gordon accused Netflix of “dragging (the town’s) name through the mud” on Nine’s Today Show – but then his band sold the rights to their documentary Viva The Underdogs to Netflix. So. That’s that on that. We’re not saying anything.

LISA DANIELLE SMITH AND JAMIE GREEN

The only other thing as typically Byron Bay as co-owning a popular cafe and playing in a band you can hear on Triple J is being a female fashion influencer married to a photographer. It just makes sense. Lisa Danielle Smith is one of Byron’s most recognisable faces, frequently collaborating with local brands such as Spell and Nagnata, while also parlaying her influence into working with luxury brands such as Prada, Jacquemus and Christopher Esber. She is married to photographer Jamie Green.

KARISSA SPARKE

If Lisa Danielle is one of Byron’s most recognisable faces, Karissa Sparke has its most recognisable ears. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Ms Sparke is a popular Byron Bay influencer with a particular appeal for jewellery designers due to her ears full of unique piercings, which she posts under the hashtag #SUNDAYSTACKS. In fact, Ms Sparke has so many piercings a designer could almost showcase an entire collection on one lobe. No shade: this masthead simply wants to know how Ms Sparke can bring herself to change the rook piercing so regularly because in our personal experience it simply. Needs. To be left. Alone. Or. Else. Ms Sparke has her own blog titled Tomgirl and Threads and has also collaborated with sought-after jewellery brands including Mejuri, By Charlotte and Kirstin Ash.

OLIVE ROSE TERVENSKI

Olive Rose Tervenski, nee Cooke, is one of Byron’s biggest social media influencers and the founder of swim and resortwear brand Cooke and Kin. Ms Tervenski’s brand is made in Australia with natural fibres including cotton, silk and hemp blends and includes both swimwear and separates in bold colours and floral prints. Ms Tervenski has also collaborated with jewellery designer Kirstin Ash, furniture brand Dumo Pieces and fellow Byron influencer Ashlea Penfold’s brand Base Camp Beauty.

PETE MURRAY

Aria Award-winning Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray is among a host of creative types who have put down their roots in Byron Bay. Murray’s debut album went six times platinum and he is best known for early hits So Beautiful, Better Days and Opportunity.

JESSICA JOHANSEN BELL AND LAUREN JOHANSEN BELL

The Bell sisters made a largely classy and uncontroversial appearance on Netflix’s Byron Baes, but the pair bring much more to the table than social media clout. Jessica Johansen Bell is the designer behind Johansen, a luxe womenswear brand which became an it-girl staple after it was championed by none other than Kylie Jenner in 2018. Sister and co-star Lauren is a model represented by Que Models.

MATT CORBY

Matt Corby reinvented himself as an indie music scene darling after a stint on Australian Idol as a long-haired 16-year-old from Sydney’s southern suburbs. Corby made his commercial breakthrough in the 2010s with single Brother, showcasing an entirely different side of the clean-cut artist who once headlined a Christian youth music festival (the song contains the f-word! Truly a completely different side) with subsequent single Resolution also enjoying particular commercial success. His song Miracle Love also won the 2019 Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition and he now records and produces music at his property, Rainbow Valley, near Byron Bay.

GEMMA WARD

You could barely walk past a newsstand in 2005 without catching a glimpse of Gemma Ward on a glossy magazine cover. The Perth-born model has appeared on the cover of Vogue in almost every country it is published in and has appeared on catwalks and in campaigns for many of the world’s most esteemed fashion houses, including Dior, Oscar De La Renta, Vera Wang and Balenciaga. She has also dabbled in acting, appearing in Australian film Black Balloon and in Pirates of the Caribbean: Strange Tides. She now resides in Byron Bay with her husband and children.

RUBY TUESDAY MATTHEWS

Social media influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews is born and bred in Byron Bay. If a brand exists, Ms Matthews has probably worked with them, with her agency 22 describing her as “the embodiment of the social influencer phenomenon” and one of “Australia’s true social media superstars”. Ms Matthews frequently posts about fashion, travel and parenting her two sons, with the occasional self-deprecating post about her participating in classic Byron activities such as photographing the stairs at wildly in-demand restaurant Rae’s on Wategos. Ms Matthews also briefly attracted a bizarre and frankly peak Byron Bay controversy when she was accused of allegedly holding up a flight from Ballina to Sydney because she was eating oysters at a restaurant outside the airport while the plane was delayed due to technical issues. It’s just so Byron, darling.

JULIET ALLEN

It’s no secret that Byron Bay residents love their crystals, and when we say love, and we say crystals, we really mean … love. their. crystals. Juliet Allen is a Northern Rivers sexologist who runs a sexual wellness program called Pleasure School and is also a purveyor of – well, how else can we say it – crystal personal pleasure products (or, as Ms Allen puts it, luxurious pleasure items for conscious lovers). Without putting too fine a point on it (because frankly that would be dangerous), Ms Allen sells “pleasure wands” made from rose quartz, clear quartz, and obsidian. And THAT is so Byron, darling.

CHRISTINA MACPHERSON AND TOM PATERSON

What did we say about influencer wife and photographer husband? Christina Macpherson is a favourite influencer for Australian brands including Jag, Auguste the Label and – of course – Spell, and recently collaborated with The Lost Tribe on a fashion collection. Her partner is local photographer Tom Paterson.

ASHLEA PENFOLD

Ashlea Penfold is one of Byron Bay’s most sought after make-up artists and hairstylists. She has recently lent her skills to editorial campaigns for Australian brands Mister Zimi, Cooke and Kin, Temple of the Sun, Peony Swimwear and Spell (are you seeing the theme here). She has recently launched her own brand, called Base Camp Beauty, of combs, gua sha tools and reflexology pens.

ALEXZ PARVIANEN

In Byron, the aesthetic is everything. You would never catch a shining star of the Bay at some primary coloured chain gym, it would not look nice on the Instagram feed. So, Alexz Parvianen hit the nail on the head with Hustl (“a different kind of sweat”) – an aesthetically pleasing progressive pilates and circuit training venue with the polished boards, soft neutral walls, black hardware and matching pilates mats where you can take post-workout selfies that blend seamlessly into a precisely curated Instagram feed. Ms Parvianen is also a trainer for Chris Hemsworth’s gym app. Do you see? It’s all connected. Everyone is connected here in Byron Bay.

JAI VASICEK

Basically every self-respecting Byron Bay resident has a Jai Vasicek in their perfectly curated home. It’s the law. (It’s not, but it may as well be.) The local artist specialises in abstract images of generally feminine figures on canvas, but also works in tiles, ceramics, jewellery and textiles.

MELINDA, KOBI AND TAHLIA MAGUIRE

Melinda Maguire founded Hope & May in 2007, creating the in-demand Byron boutique’s name from the middle names of her daughters Tahlia and Kobi. Hope & May is now a one-stop shop to kit yourself (and your home) out, the Byron Bay way. Think linen clothes, timber furniture and carefully curated trinkets and homewares.

LAURA MAY GIBBS

Everyone who’s anyone in Byron Bay is wearing Nagnata – the most in-demand leisurewear brand in town. Sisters Laura May (a fashion designer) and Hannah Gibbs (a textile artist and photographer) collaborated to create the brand’s now-signature knitwear – which is really a fancy way of saying they made these $200 colourful knit shorts and now every woman in Byron Bay owns a pair. (Another unspoken law.) Also, Laura May used to date Simon Baker. It’s all connected, folks. Byron Bay: one with the universe, and also, with each other.