Byron Bay's Best Ocean Views: Where to Eat, Stay, and Unwind

The sun clears the horizon at Cape Byron before anywhere else on the Australian mainland. That fact alone is worth setting an alarm for. But if you want to spend a few days doing nothing but staring at the Pacific from various comfortable positions, Byron has a lot to offer across every budget and category.

Here is how to make the most of the ocean views Byron Bay has to offer, from a fine dining terrace above Wategos Beach to a windswept free lookout that beats most restaurant terraces in town.

Start Here: Cape Byron at Sunrise

Before anything else, set your alarm. The walk up to Cape Byron Lighthouse in the dark, arriving just before the sky turns pink, is the single best free experience in Byron Bay. Australia's most easterly point, the 1901 lighthouse is still operational and the headland delivers ocean on three sides. The Cape Byron Walking Track loops 3.7 kilometres around the headland, taking in Wategos Beach and The Pass. In autumn, humpback whales move through these waters with some regularity. Dolphins are common year-round.

If you only have one morning, this is where it goes. Arrive before 6am and you will have the path largely to yourself.

The Best Free Vantage Point in Town

For a view that requires no booking and no walking, the Captain Cook Lookout & Picnic Area on Lighthouse Road sits at the eastern tip of mainland Australia and delivers ocean views on three sides. It is genuinely windswept and genuinely free. The picnic area here has a strong argument for being the best outdoor table in Byron, regardless of what any restaurant is charging. Come at dawn or after 4pm. Mid-morning and early afternoon, the tour buses arrive and the magic dissipates.

Best Ocean View Restaurant: Raes Dining Room

If there is one address in Byron that earns the price tag through sheer location, it is Raes Dining Room at Wategos Beach. The room sits directly above the sand of one of the coast's most sheltered and prettiest coves. The menu leans Mediterranean, seafood-focused, and priced for full occasions. This is not a casual lunch stop. Book the terrace, arrive with a reason to celebrate, and order accordingly. The view from that terrace at lunch, with the headland curving around Wategos and the water doing what it does in autumn light, is worth the bill.