Mullumbimby, just 15min drive from Byron Bay is in the middle of the Rainbow Region, surrounded by rolling hills, volcanic cliffs and breathtaking valleys. This is the region where the first wave of surfers and hippies chose to settle after the Aquarius Festival in the early 70s. In years they have been joined by urban professionals and many of them emerged as civic leaders, doctors, lawyers, teachers, editors, writers, poets, photographers and technology wizzes. They share a love of music and dance and cherish their environment. The Brunswick River winds through the town on its way to the sea. Palms and trees line its wide, welcoming streets. Cafes that are never crowded and a laid back buzz give the town a rare sense of rural ease and cosmopolitan abandon.

As the smaller and quieter cousin of Byron Bay, and just 8 km from Mullumbimby to the east is Brunswick Heads. There is an ambience of peacefulness and an easy sense of holiday making which pervades this quiet town. Prior to European settlement the area around Brunswick Heads was inhabited by the Bundjalung Aborigines. In 1828 Captain Rous discovered the Brunswick River which he named after Queen Caroline of Brunswick who was the wife of King George IV. Cedar cutters moved into the area in the 1840s and by the 1850s and 1860s the area was being settled and timber was being shipped out through the Brunswick River.