No bar to $57m progress

Mega development ended era for Byron nightclub icon

The owner of Byron Bay nightclub Woody’s Surf Shack has revealed he shut up shop to make way for an ambitious $57.2m mega development in the heart of the tourist town.

Housed in Jonson St’s Byron Plaza, Woody’s (pictured) became one of the town’s most frequented night-life haunts when it opened 13 years ago. It closed its doors on March 9.

Sydney-based developer Luxcon Group is spearheading the redevelopment of the plaza with Bohemian, a three-storey, 44-apartment project with a mixed-retail offering. The project was approved by council in May 2022 and sits on a 5390sqm site adjacent to the Woolworths building on Jonson St.

But the project has met some frustration from the local community, who claimed it resembled a “meaningless Gold Coast-lite development” and that it detracted from “the essence of what Byron Bay is all about”.

Woody’s co-owner Loren Nowland said the nightclub’s last session on March 9 was “overwhelming” as customers flew back to Byron and groups of friends returned for a final spin on the dancefloor.

“We were one of the last two shops left in the Plaza,” he said.

“This closure made us realise (Woody’s) was a social club for kids coming of age and travellers – and it was cool to hear all the stories of what that place meant to people over the years.”

Mr Nowland said people doubted Woody’s would succeed when it first opened. “When we first arrived in 2010 and we were renovating, the number of people who would go by and tell us ‘nothing’s going to work here,’ because there had been seven bars in the 11 years before us,” he said.

“So we were really proud we had almost 14 full years of success and good times down there.”

Owners Loren Nowland, Caitlin Nowland, Bjourn Peterson and Peta Peterson also own Salt Water Social Club (SWSC) on Jonson St, where they say “the good times will keep rolling”.

“All of our managers and staff from Woody's have migrated to the SWSC,” Mr Nowland said.

Mr Nowland said when the owners bought SWSC – two weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 – there was always anticipation that Woody’s would close due to the future development.

“Now with just SWSC we’ve moved a few pieces of memorabilia over there,” Mr Nowland said.

The memorabilia includes a hand-painted map of the Byron coastline, surfboards that hung on the roof for 13 years, and a neon ‘pray for surf’ sign from behind the bar.