Byron Bay does not really have one beach. It has a collection of beaches, each offering a different way to enjoy one of Australia's best-known stretches of coastline.

Ask someone to picture Byron Bay and there is a fair chance the image will contain sand.

But choosing where to put your towel is not quite as obvious as it sounds.

There are beaches for swimming, beaches for surfing, beaches for long walks and beaches where sitting quietly and watching the ocean may be quite enough.

The useful question for a visitor therefore isn't simply: where is the beach?

It is: which Byron Bay beach suits what I want to do today?

Main Beach — start here

For a first-time visitor, Main Beach is the obvious introduction.

It sits immediately in front of town, making it possible to combine a swim or walk with breakfast, coffee, shopping or lunch without turning the outing into an expedition.

It is also one of the places where Byron Bay's different personalities come together.

Surfers, families, walkers, visitors and locals share essentially the same piece of coastline.

If you have arrived in Byron Bay without a plan, Main Beach is a perfectly good place to begin making one.

Clarkes Beach — when you want something gentler

Continue east and Main Beach gives way to Clarkes Beach.

The distinction can almost seem arbitrary when walking along the sand, but the experience changes as you move around the bay.

Clarkes has long appealed to families and people looking for a comparatively relaxed beach experience.

It also illustrates one of the pleasures of Byron Bay: several distinctly different beaches can be explored without repeatedly getting back into the car.

Walk rather than drive and the coastline itself becomes the attraction.

The Pass — watch Byron surf

Continue towards Cape Byron and you reach The Pass.

This is surfing territory.

Even if you have no intention of getting onto a board, it is worth visiting simply to watch.

When conditions cooperate, surfers peel along the point while spectators observe from the beach and lookout.

It is one of those places where Byron's international surfing reputation becomes understandable without anyone needing to explain it.

Experienced surfers may see waves.

Everyone else can enjoy the spectacle.

Wategos — the beach beneath the lighthouse

Around Cape Byron sits Wategos Beach.

Its position beneath the Cape Byron headland gives it a very different atmosphere from the long open stretches elsewhere around town.

It is picturesque, relatively sheltered and an obvious place to combine a beach visit with the Cape Byron walking tracks and lighthouse.

For many visitors this is the postcard version of Byron Bay: headland, ocean, sand and subtropical vegetation gathered into one view.

Little Wategos, reached on foot, makes the exploration feel more adventurous still.

You haven't travelled far from town.

It can feel as though you have.

Belongil — room to walk

Head in the opposite direction from Main Beach and Byron begins opening out.

Belongil is excellent territory for people whose idea of going to the beach involves actually moving.

Take a walk, find some space and watch the changing coastline.

It generally feels less concentrated than the centre of Byron and demonstrates that the area's appeal extends well beyond the few hundred metres of beachfront most photographed by visitors.

Tallow Beach — Byron's wilder side

Cross to the southern side of Cape Byron and the personality changes again.

Tallow Beach is long, exposed and powerful.

This is not simply another variation on Main Beach.

It feels like open Pacific coastline.

That makes it wonderful for walking, photography and experiencing a less manicured side of Byron, but exposed beaches demand respect. Rips and currents can be dangerous and conditions can change.

The correct swimming beach on any particular day is the one where conditions are suitable and lifesavers are operating — not necessarily the one that looked best in a photograph.

Don't try to find the “best” beach

Visitors often search for the best beach in Byron Bay.

There probably isn't one.

A family wanting a straightforward swim has different requirements from an experienced surfer.

Someone wanting a long solitary walk doesn't necessarily want the beach closest to cafes.

A photographer may actively seek the conditions another visitor would avoid.

That is why exploring several beaches is worthwhile.

Make a day of it

One of the easiest Byron Bay itineraries requires surprisingly little organisation.

Start near town.

Walk Main Beach and Clarkes.

Continue towards The Pass.

Explore Wategos and, if time and energy permit, continue towards the lighthouse.

Another day, take the car and discover Belongil or Tallow Beach.

Suddenly “going to the beach” has become several different outings.

A word about swimming

Byron's beautiful appearance should never be confused with uniformly safe swimming conditions.

Ocean conditions vary between beaches and from one day to another.

Use patrolled areas whenever available, swim between the red and yellow flags, observe warning signs and seek local advice when uncertain.

That is particularly important on exposed stretches of coastline.

The ocean doesn't know you are on holiday.

The Byron Bay View

Byron Bay's beaches are not interchangeable.

Main Beach introduces you to the town. Clarkes encourages you to linger. The Pass explains the surf culture. Wategos supplies the postcard. Belongil gives you space. Tallow reminds you that this is still the open Australian coast.

Don't come to Byron Bay looking for its best beach. Explore until you find the beach that is best for you.