Australia’s first backpackers at Byron Bay on the market

A backpacker’s paradise with development potential the heart of Byron Bay is set to hit the market for the first time in 37 years.

Located just a stone’s throw away from the beach on the popular Jonson St strip, the Byron Bay Holiday Village Backpackers has been a haven for travellers for decades.

The 4282sqm property, which boasts desirable Local Centre zoning, was the first purpose-built backpackers in Australia when constructed back 1983 and can hold up to 200 guests.

The sale of the Byron Bay icon is being handled by John Musca of JLL Hotels and Hospitality along with Elliott O’Shea of JLL Metropolitan Investments through an Expressions of Interest campaign.

The Byron Bay backpackers property is considered a major development opportunity.

Musca, who sold the Byron’s Beach Hotel for an eye-watering $104 million last year, says interest in commercial properties in the coastal town has skyrocketed.

“Its tourism base is driven by domestic travellers, drawn to its relaxed and eclectic mix of beaches, culture, music and produce and already quantifiably benefiting from Australia’s renewed domestic travel and remote working focus,” Musca says.

“Local agents are witnessing the strongest market they have ever experienced.”

O’Shea adds that the Byron Bay Holiday Village Backpackers’ zoning will catch the eye of investors looking for a development opportunity.

“The subject site shares the same zoning as the adjoining and recently completed Mercato on Byron development,” he says.

“Now home to Woolworths, Palace Cinemas and a range of other boutique retailers, this adjoining development is a great example of the potential outcomes that could be delivered.”