An Alternative to what?

Byron Bay used to be a big backpacker mecca as folk left Sydney and made the trek up the coast to Brisbane and the tropical north. Alternative shops sprang up to cater for this motley bunch and the most famous of these was The Arts factory, hidden from the village by a dusty track and the railway line.

In the 7 years since I was last here things have changed. It is not just the preserve of eurotrash and drop-outs. Smart new shopping precincts have been built, smart restaurants on the foreshore have opened up and the legendary Arts Factory has built a bloody day spa at the front of the lodge. The smart set have now come in with a lot of cash and the means to smarten up the place. The cafe down the road listed 15 different varieties when I asked for a cup of tea this morning. Expensive SUV's are as common as campervans on the streets of what now is quite a large town.

I took this up with Dave, our english mechanic who is having to fit a new clutch to the ever more problematic CamperVan. He took over the garage 6 months ago after living in a small village on the South Island of New Zealand for a few years.
"I'm probably one of the few people to move to Byron to drop back in" He cheerfully said as he looked at the engine with increasing concern.

Dropping back in seems to be an easy option from what was a drop-out community in the 80's and 90's. There are almost 300 businesses on the same trading estate as his work shop. All seem to be doing great guns. From cookie bakers to surf board manufacturers, all can make a living as the alternative gets sold back to the mainstream with a side order of carrot cake.

The old magic seems to have been diluted by the ongoing commercialisation of the town, but the tea I can report was lovely.