I only have 12 days and want to know if a visit to both byron bay and s.p. is worth it,or should i save time by settling on beach and nightlife in just one of the spots to save time for more unique outdoor exploring.gut feeling responses appreciated,please don't insist on my likes/dislikes, age,favorite color,life story etc.

Hello Chicagofireman, we meet again.

I've never been to Byron Bay or Surfers Paradise, but I've heard about both of them from my brother who lives in Byron Bay. He hates Surfers Paradise (well hate may be too strong a word, but you get the drift). He claims the high rise hotels shade the beach in the afternoons (he considers this to be a bad thing).

Surfers Paradise is a resort that attracts young and young-at-hotel people who like surfing, partying, etc.

Byron Bay has more of a laid back "hippie" feel to it. There are lots of health food stores, vegetarian restaurants, and people who wear their hair in dreadlocks. According to my brother (and other people's accounts too), Byron Bay's scenery is gorgeous. Within a stone's throw of my brother's house there are beautiful natural areas to explore (forests, etc.).

During my two most recent visits to my brother, he was living in the southern part of New South Wales. He has moved to Byron Bay since then.

Since high rise beach resorts don't appeal to me either, I wouldn't go to Surfers Paradise. On the other hand, I would love to visit Byron Bay. I don't regard myself as a hippie by any means, but I do like a more laid back vacation spot.

(That "laid back" comment does not apply to a city like Sydney, which has tons of interesting and beautiful stuff to offer, because it has a life of its own outside of tourism.)

But from what I saw of your first post at Fordors, I suspect YOU would like Surfers Paradise. My saying that I don't think I'd like SP and I think you would is not intended to be an insult to you. Everyone is different, and I think each person should choose the vacation destinations that THEY will enjoy.

Although I suspect you would love SP, I think you would rather like BB too, if only for its natural beauty. If I were you, I would go to both of them, if you have enough time to fit them both in comfortably.

(I have a vague recollection of someone in another thread recommending that you drive up the coast. If you did that you in any case would pass through BB.)

>>>>>>Surfers Paradise is a resort that attracts young and young-at-hotel people who like surfing, partying, etc.<<<<<<

Young-at-hotel was supposed to be young-at-heart.

Surfer's Paradise or rather the Gold Coast is about 60 miles long and within that 60 miles there are many beaches, some are frequented more by the young and tourists, others are just lovely and quiet, some are more for surfing others are not. Some have nightlife and other's do not. ONE has some shading in the afternoon from the highrises but the others do not. There are about 500 restaurants, 3 Theme Parks, 4 minor theme parks. There is also a Casino. The Gold Coast is Australia's premier holiday resort.
Behind the Gold Coast there is 100s of square miles of magnificent hinterland with areas which are wonderful to explore featuring natural wonders, flora and fauna, natural springs, water hole and waterfalls. In fact there are more National Parks in that area than any other in Australia.
Byron Bay is about one hours drive south of the Gold Coast and features a small village and a beach. It is inhabited by more hippies than just about any other place in Australia. There is not much in the way of night life and of course you are limited in restaurants.
It is pretty but the fact that the Council have to wash down the parks each morning to wake those who have indulged too much from liquid or injectibles may give you some idea of its ambience. Nearby Nimbin is the Hippy Capital of Australia and is in a time warp from about 1962. You can get high cheaply just walking down the street.
Both areas have access to nice hinterland and scenery as they are very similiar in their geography being at either end of the southern hemisphere's largest caldera.
You can get cheaper accommodation on the Gold Coast because there is more of it and you can take a day trip to Byron and surrounds. You can also take the train to Brisbane from the G.C. and access South Stradbroke Island or Morton Island from Brisbane.
So I am sure that whatever is your preference you would find something in and around the 2 areas that you would enjoy.

Well, chicagofireman, you asked for a "gut feeling" response, and mine would be to avoid both of these places! I haven't been to Byron for years, but my son recently visited it and his impressions were all negative. Of course, he's comparing it with what he saw fifteen years ago when we were there as a family -- you could take a family there then, without having to cope with the queue of people outside the unemployment office. Byron nowadays is, as Janese has pointed out, a town existing on welfare, and this impacts on how you will respond.

Surfers Paradise is far from my favourite spot, but Janese has described it full and fairly, and since she knows it better than I, her opinion is the one to listen to. It has one huge advantage for you over Byron -- it's easy to get out of to go to somewhere nearby if you find you don't like it much. And there is a greater variety of attractions to take your mind off the plastic and glitz. So, of the two, I would first choose neither, and second, the Gold Coast.

I'm going to Byron Bay in April for a few days. We made the decision based on a friend's recommendation. She didn't like Surfers at all, but really enjoyed Byron Bay. She also enjoyed Noosa (north of Brisbane), so we're also going there for a few days. I really trust her advice. This isn't our first trip to Australia, and we'll spend some time in Sydney (with husband's family), and then we're going to Darwin - I'm most excited about that part of the trip! But I must say I am also looking forward to some time in a beach community.

Great to see Byron getting a profile here. World class combination of geography,climate and lifestyle (just like mt tambourine)

Pretty soon it will be full of middle class yanks as well as banana benders and backpackers (not to forget the drug crazed ferals)

Warren,
Really Byron and SP are only an hour apart these days. You should have a look at both.

If you are strapped for time ...

-spend 2-3 days in sydney (get to the one day cricket Oz V India on jan 22 for a dose of real oz culture)
-get a car for a 2-3 days loop ex sydney via mountains etc
-get an early morning cheap flight sydney-brisbane. Take a seair flight brisbane to lady elliot to snorkel the reef for the day.Pick up a car in brissy and drive south to byron and hinterland and the gold coast for the remainder of your time.

Ouch, Johnj_au, being Canadian, I hope you weren't saying that I'm "a middle class yank"! (just kidding!)

JohnJ au : Twaddle to you!! ;0)

Susan
I reckon there would be some days in your comfortable,middle class existence there in north york when you would have to pinch yourself to remind yourself that you aren't living in the usa.
God knows, it's a bit like that in sydney these days.

If you are going to byron at easter it could be crowded.You might need to look at places like Broken Head.Lennox Head,Brunswick Heads or maybe the hinterland.

Janese/Liz
For someone who has been everwhere and done everything it doesn't surprise me that you live up in the rainforest up on the flanks of the caldera.Good choice.
Lamington NP is one of the best parks in oz imho and the stinson crash walk the best in the country.

John, where do you get your ideas? If I lived in North York, I wouldn't call myself SusanInToronto, would I?

Actually we won't get to Byron Bay until after Easter. My husband is visiting his mother in Sydney for a week, then I'm flying over to join him in Sydney at Easter. I think I'll want a couple of days to recover from the jet lag, then we're off. I've already booked our accommodation in Byron Bay. Originally thought of going at Easter, but you're right - even a couple of months ago, it looked as though it would be very crowded at that time of year.

Given the cold snap that we're going through right now, the trip can't come soon enough! Plus 10 Celsius right up until the New Year, and now it's below minus 10. Hopefully that won't last long.

Gold coast is like Waikiki....busy, lots of beaches, party town.

Byron is more like Santa Cruz in California...a bit more "homey", lots of hippies, more quiet, lots of pot.

Depends on what sort of atmosphere you like, I guess!

I drove through Surfers Paradise and was glad to leave it behind. I am 36 years old and not a hippy but loved Byron Bay. Granted I did not stay out until 2am so do not know what it is like late at night, but the restaurants were great and we stayed at an upmarket hotel across the road from the beach that was lovely. I would definitely choose Byron Bay because I don't like long strips with big hotels and prefer the atmosphere of a small town / village. It is a bit weird though, I saw an old chap at the petrol station with a large spider climbing on the top of his grey sprawly hair towards his forehead....

Hi! I'm an Aussie, and I would definately recommend Byron Bay over Surfers Paradise. Surfers is too commercial, and about 30 years out of date architecturally. Looks dirty, and the beach is not fanatstic. Byron will eventually be destroyed by developers I'm sure, but for the moment has a lot to offer.

Another place to consider is the rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland. Binna Burra & O'Reiley's guesthouse offer some great (easy & challenging) hikes.