LIKE all Aussies, locals on the Northern Rivers are partial to dropping a few nicknames.
From Lis-moron to Bangaloid; from The Bay to The Bruns, they prove we’re a funny bunch.
A yarn in The Northern Stare (yes, another nickname!)listed a few local nicknames, and Byron Bay hit the list twice.
The Bay
If you are a “real” Byron Bay local, you would only ever refer to Byron Bay as The Bay, not Byron… so out-of-town!
The Top Pub
The Top Pub may be all grown-up and fancy now and calling herself the Byron Bay Beach Hotel, but she’s still the Top Pub underneath the glitz and glamour.
Does anyone remember the real name of the original Top Pub? It was the Surfside Hotel, and prior to 1968 it was the Pier Astor Hotel. It was probably called the Top Pub even then.
Remember the Pier Astor being built on the vacant land that used to have the Merry Go Rounds visit on the odd occasion .
Was first of all the Pier Astor then the Pier and finally the Top Pub , during this time the Great Northern went to the Northern then the Bottom