Tyagarah Nature Reserve
The Tyagarah Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The reserve protects 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of coastline between Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads and has a total size of 875 hectares (2,160 acres).[1][2] It is a popular place for whale watchers, particularly in spring when humpback whale mothers pass through when travelling from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica.[3]
It protects six endangered ecological communities including coastal saltmarsh and swamp sclerophyll forest. There are also 33 threatened plant species that occur or are known to occur there including stinking cryptocarya, red lilly pilly and green-leaved rose walnut.[4]
The reserve is on the lands of the Bundjalung people, who are its custodians, and it is of great importance the Arakwal people, to whom it holds spiritual and cultural significance.[4][2] The name Tyagarah comes from the Yugambeh–Bundjalung language word Targourah and is the word for 'open grass country' or 'camping ground'.[5][6]
Tyagarah Beach
Tyagarah Beach, within the reserve, was formally designated a clothing optional beach by the Byron Shire in 1998, however, this had long been in common practice and was first documented in 1902 when a man was arrested and gaoled for swimming there naked.[7][8] During its time as a clothing optional beach it became a sanctuary and social hub for naturalists and members of the LGBTQIA+ community as it represented freedom and belonging.[7]
Despite this, and its popularity, this status was removed 30 August 2024 following complaints about inappropriate behaviour and, in the lead up a series of protests were held, including one in 2018 which rallied under the banner "Nude Not Lewd". Many saw this as a part of a "conservative creep" and "moral panic" in the region and a deliberate shift from its alternative/countercultural roots.[7] Another beach was not designated clothing optional in its place.[9][10][11]
See also
References
- ↑ "Tyagarah Nature Reserve". NSW National Parks. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- 1 2 NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (8 May 2020). "Tyagarah Nature Reserve Plan of Management". NSW Environment and Heritage. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ "Tyagarah Nature Reserve | NSW Holidays & Accommodation, Things to Do, Attractions and Events". www.visitnsw.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- 1 2 "Tyagarah Nature Reserve | Learn more". NSW National Parks. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ "Tyagarah (place name)". NSW Geographical Names Board. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ Brunswick Valley Historical Society Inc (2019), Labels and landmarks: The many meanings of Brunswick Valley place names, Brunswick Valley Historical Society Inc, p. 87, ISBN 978-0-9585921-9-2
- 1 2 3 Taylor, Erika. "Clothing optional: 120 years of being naked on the beach". museum.tweed.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ "Byron Bay". The Northern Star. Vol. 27. New South Wales, Australia. 8 January 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 11 June 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Naturist says Byron Bay nudist beach closure unlikely to stop visitors stripping down". ABC News. 26 June 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ Lovejoy, Hans (3 July 2024). "Nudity to be banned at Tyagarah by NPWS". Byron Shire Echo. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ Kurmelovs, Royce (30 June 2024). "Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame 'conservative creep'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.