The Only Nudist Beach in Byron Bay is Set to Close, Leaving Only Bare Memories

Clothes will be back in fashion at Tyagarah Nature Reserve once the only nudist beach near Byron, frequented by naturists for 25 years, is closed on the 30th of August.

The site was declared ‘clothing-optional’ by Byron Shire Council in 1998. In a surprising twist last year, a land survey revealed that NSW National Parks, not the council, was the managing authority of the area. A letter by NPWS to the council cited that it did not support the nudist beach as it was ‘not consistent with the values the reserve is managed under’.

Read more: Get Naked Australia is a Tribe of Modern Day Nudists

Residents Rejoice Following Complaints of Lewd Behaviour and Sex Pests

The closure is good news for some residents who have been a part of the 89 incidents of sexual assault, offensive behaviour, or obscene exposure in the Tyagarah-Belongil area since 2017, according to police data.

Local resident, Gwen Gould, lives 2km from the beach and told the council that she was one of many women who had been harassed by naked men there.

‘We’ve spent about eight years trying to get this shut down’, said Ms Gould to ABC, celebrating the news. ‘People say, “Oh, we’re prudes”. We’re not prudes, we just could not tolerate the sexual, inappropriate behaviour that was happening down there so often, which made it totally unsafe for locals to even walk down the road to the beach without being accosted.’

‘I feel sadness for the people that want to go naked, but they were having their freedom at the expense of ours’, Gould said.

Naturists Outraged as Freedom Stripped Away

However many naturists who frequently enjoy the freedoms on offer at the beach at Tyagarah Nature Reserve, are shocked and disappointed at the news. 

Photo by Northern Rivers Naturists

The Vice President of Northern Rivers Naturists, Duncan James, told The Guardian, ‘Many of the beach users have described the clothing-optional beach as their happy place, a place where they can disconnect from modern day stresses, a place they can feel at one with nature’.

In February, 150 outraged naturists gathered at Tyagarah Beach in their birthday suits to fight against the closure. A petition with over 7,700 signatures, addressed to New South Wales environment minister Penny Sharpe, to save Tyagarah Beach, failed to make an impact.

Image courtesy of Byron Naturists

Maxine Hawker, a daily skinny dipper since age 18, was shocked by the decision. ‘I can’t believe Byron Bay would become so conservative.’

Hawker told The Guardian that Tyagarah is far from town and shouldn’t offend those with a more modest outlook. If residents were opposed to the beach being at the end of their street, she said the simplest solution would be to move it.

In March, NPWS met with NSW Police, businesses, community groups, and naturists to discuss alternative locations for a nude beach with no viable alternatives found.

With the impending cover-up, the community is planning a farewell bash featuring naked frisbee, volleyball, and cricket.

Feature image by @wendy_bruere