Note: There is an update from 2020 at the bottom of this post.
I used to go to the Byron Bay blues Festival a lot. That was in the days when it was in Red Devils Park, 3 km south of the township of Byron Bay. The Byron Bay rainforest resort is about 800 m south of red Devils, or 3 1/2 km south of Byron Bay township. The resort is fantastic, built by a wheelie many years ago. It has a bunch of fully accessible cabin scattered throughout 20 ha of rainforest connected by paved accessible paths. There was a spa with a gadget to get you in and out. Some of the cabins had power beds. There are also rustic paths down towards the wetlands and beach. I had no trouble running into town in my power chair, took about 25 minutes. It’s probably 10 years since I last stayed at the rainforest resort (although I have been to Byron Bay more recently). I notice from the web that it still going strong, which is great to see.
The blues Festival has now moved to a giant spot out of town. Last time I looked the shuttle buses were inaccessible. I guess it’s only about a 20 minute drive from the resort to the new location of the festival so it could still be a good option for wheelies. Things book out very early near the festival so you might have to hop to it. Otherwise the resort is still a good base for your Byron Bay visit. It’s also possible to arrange personal carers if you need them. Contact the resort directly to check availability and such.
By the way, the blues Festival was always great. I hear it has got even bigger (50,000+) but if the weather is good it’s a great way to see lots of bands, many of them absolute legends, in a reasonably accessible environment.
I rebooked the Byron Bay rainforest resort in early 2020, just before the coronavirus lockdown. I’m not sure if we will make it in August, it depends if we are still in isolation.
The resort changed hands a while ago, and the new guy, Phillip Monteith, is a bit less on top of the requirements of wheelies, but he means well.
Philip said: “We will endeavour to get you into the best cabin and at this stage it’s Cabin 8.
Cabin 7 has now a new traditional kitchen, but when we update 8 we will keep it more wheelchair friendly.”
Here is a map of the current layout of cabins:
