The Roaming Beach Kids of Byron Bay
Meet a close-knit community of homeless teens who sleep in tents, get high, scavenge for food and become family—all on the fringes of Australia’s ritziest resorts.
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Photos by Rudiger Wasser
The gypsy kids’ campground would be beautiful, if not for the debris. A baked bean can, water bottle, and a dog bowl are scattered on the dirt amongst three deflated tents and piles of soiled blankets. There’s a pink massage claw, a tabloid magazine and liquor bottles.
The squatter camps like this one in the hinterland surrounding Byron Bay are illegal, but easy to find; behind the main strip, Jonson Street, walk a few meters inland, and tents appear. Neon-green, foliage-topped rosewood trees join baby blue sky; the salty summer air steadies on ninety by noon. Waves tumble nearby.
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