Kicking back in Byron

BALINESE-influenced surrounds add to the air of relaxation during a laid-back break at Byron Bay Guest House. The red wine served in the kitchen didn't hurt either.

Peace and quiet ... city folk can indulge in the active pursuit of doing absolutely nothing while feeling great about every minute of it. Picture: Vanessa Hunter

IT'S 11pm and Byron Bay Guest House owner Donna Davis is waiting in the communal dining room for her next guest to arrive.

There's red wine flowing at the old one-slab teak kitchen table and several guests are telling how they managed to escape the clutches of Sydney life, if only for a week or two.

One woman had just left Sydney when work called to schedule a meeting for the next day.

"I'm on my way to Byron," she had to repeat several times before the caller finally understood the finality of the statement and its impact on the proposed meeting.

This late-night arrival is eight months pregnant with her first child and desperate to inhale some fresh air before exhaling the pain of labour.

I'm told she arrived safely some time before midnight but the four-poster Balinese bed in our tiny sleepout beckoned and in the morning all I could hear was the sound of a running shower from one of the four guest bedrooms in the renovated 105-year-old Queenslander built by the local shire engineer.

There is a sense of urgency which forces many Sydneysiders to flee their hometown and head as far north as they can without crossing summer time zones.

This piece of paradise on the northern New South Wales coast, which can be worked into an economical day trip for most Brisbanites, is a 10-hour pilgrimage for Sydneysiders.

There are four types of people who frequent Byron Bay, Australia's most easterly tourist destination: locals, day-trippers, backpackers and the up-market hippies as Davis describes them, who are returning to their childhood haunts with a bit more money to spend.

Increasingly, accommodation is tipping in favour of the big spenders.

Even budget caravan accommodation can cost upward of $300 per night during the holiday season.

Byron Bay Guest House markets itself as the spirit of Bali in the heart of Byron Bay and is unashamedly targeting those up-market hippies with money to spend. But for your money you get not only a bed but an actual piece of Bali.

Since Davis bought her little piece of suburban paradise on Kingsley St 18 years ago, she has been stocking it full of furniture from her frequent trips to Bali, while a tropical rainforest has established a private garden retreat great for meditation or writing.

Much of what you see inside the Byron Bay Guest House is from Bali's old Dutch era, including colonial day beds, sofas and cabinets, and until 2000 Davis was selling exhibition quality works at the Mok Interiors store in Darlinghurst.

Her latest acquisition has been stone and marble tiles which she has used to finish building extensions, including a second floor of the guest house where Davis has her own retreat plus kitchen.

This gives guests maximum privacy and unrestricted access to the main-level kitchen, which comes in handy if you've just caught a flathead, as one of our fellow guests did on Saturday afternoon.

While the main tourist strip is full of overpriced food outlets, there are still some affordable restaurants, including the Asian-influenced Red Hot and Green in Bay Lane, where main courses are $15-$18.

Davis moved her family to Byron Bay from Sydney keen on pursuing a quieter lifestyle. Her youngest son, Harper, still lives in Byron Bay and is learning about the hospitality industry from his mother.

Private yoga classes and a massage service are available at the guest house on request, bicycles are available for hire and for an extra fee, Davis will prepare a continental breakfast.

If you want to venture beyond the property, you can be challenged by kayaking, hang-gliding, diving and bushwalking. Clarkes Beach is a short drive away, or there's the elegant Cape Byron Lighthouse which is a perfect vantage point for whale and dolphin watching.

The beauty of staying at the Byron Bay Guest House is you can indulge in the active pursuit of doing absolutely nothing while feeling great about every minute of your stay.