He named it after his junior lieutentant, who in turn was uncle of the poet, Lord Byron. Wategos Beach itself is named after the South Sea Islander Watego family, who resided here from the 1930s to the 1960's farming bananas.
In 1960, the NSW Crown Lands created the new subdivision at Wategos Beach and now some 80 odd houses are scattered across the slopes under the Cape Byron Lighthouse, surrounded by National Park. There are still many permanent residents residing at Wategos Beach. It is common to see tourist and residents mixing readily, surfing, picknicking and relaxing at the bbq tables at the western end of Wategos..
Wategos Beach is famed for its gentle north-facing surf beach and is now known as one of the best longboard surf breaks on the East Coast, with long rides from just off Little Wategos Beach down towards The Pass.
Wategos Beach, Byron Bay
Wategos Beach sits on the eastern most tip of Australia. Walk over the brow of the hill in the early morning and you will be the first person on the Australian mainland to see the sunrise.
Wategos was always known as a very spiritual place, particularly for the women of the local aboriginal people, the Arakwal. There are remnants of large middens at The Pass, just around the corner from Wategos, where the local people gatthered to feast on all the foods from the sea. Dolphins, whales and turtles still gather in abundance in the waters just off Wategos
Byron Bay received its name from Captain Cook on his historic voyage up the east Coast of Australia in 1776.