Zac Efron spotted in Byron Bay amid rumours he’s living there

Zac Efron has been the Bigfoot of Byron Bay for weeks now – whispered about but never sighted. Now, the cat’s finally out of the bag.

Rumours have swirled in recent weeks that actor Zac Efron has settled in Byron Bay, NSW.

But that’s all they were – rumours, with occasional eyewitness reports from locals and tourists who insisted they’d spotted Efron in the trendy beachside town.

Now, finally, proof: Efron was snapped hanging out at the iconic Byron Bay general store cafe this week, where he was seen giving a friendly hug and kiss to a local woman the Daily Mail identified as Vanessa Valladares.

Zac Efron, finally spotted in Byron Bay. Picture: Media Mode

It’s understood Efron landed in the northern New South Wales town just before international borders were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, and has chosen to lay low here in Oz rather than his home country, where the pandemic crisis is still worsening by the day.

The confirmed sighting comes after social media influencer Tarsha Whitmore claimed on June 18 that she’d seen Efron at the very same cafe he’s now been photographed.

“Don’t mean to alarm anyone but Zac Efron was literally eating at the same cafe as me when this was taken,” she wrote at the time.

Efron gives Byron Bay woman Vanessa Valladares a hug. Picture: Media Mode

And KIIS FM’s Kyle Sandilands hinted on-air last week that he knew Efron’s whereabouts, but batted away co-host Jackie O’s requests for more information.

“I’d rather not say anything … I’m not saying anything,” said Sandilands, who had apparently learned of the High School Musical star’s travel plans months ago.

Making friends with the locals. Picture: Media Mode

“He’s a friend of mine and I respect his privacy. He’s not here for a movie, if he’s even here, and he may be … who knows?” he teased.

Efron had previously said it was “easy” keeping a low profile during his visits to Australia due to the sparsely populated beach towns along the coast.

“What I love about Australia, which is what we don’t have in California, is there are so many wide-open beaches where no one is at,” he said at the Australian premiere of his 2012 film, The Lucky One.

Spotted, Zac. Picture: Media Mode

It’s not yet known how long Efron plans to stay in Byron Bay – or if he’s spent any time with the town’s most famous residents, A-list brothers Chris and Liam Hemsworth.