Byron Bay Tier List: Insiders Reveal Why Chris and Elsa Miss the A-List

Once famed for its laid-back, alternative vibe, Byron Bay was a haven in the ’70s for hippies and surfers.

But the dream didn’t last.

In the last two decades, the coastal NSW town has become a hotspot for Hollywood blow-ins, the filthy rich, barefoot influencers and general desperados who won’t shut up about their ‘off-the-grid’ lifestyles from their eight-bedroom mansions.

But every town has a social ladder – and we asked around the Northern Rivers to find out who’s on top and who’s languishing at the bottom.

While you’d expect to find a certain Marvel superhero and his Spanish wife leading the pack, the Byron Bay old guard insists that being an A-lister in Tinseltown doesn’t mean a thing on the far-north coast…

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THE A-LIST

The biggest name of Byron Bay isn’t a movie star, but he may as well be.

Property and media mogul Antony Catalano, the owner of iconic boutique hotel Raes at Wategos, is basically God in the beachside town.

Raes has probably featured on a million Instagram grids. The restaurant, known for its $125 three-course special, is swarmed by socialites in the summer months, and beloved by cashed-up locals during the off-season.

Antony bought a half-share of the venue in June 2013 from Vincent Rae for about $7million, then became full owner the following year.

He and wife Stefanie are attempting to build a $55million mansion up the road from Raes, but the plans have been knocked back by the council.

If their development plans are approved, the Catalanos will become owners of the most expensive home on the state’s north coast.

Joining Antony on the A-list is Richard Johnston, the co-founder of online travel agency TripADeal, and his wife Claire Alexander-Johnston.

In 2017, the couple spent $2.31million on a waterfront beach house in the town.

Sisters Elizabeth Abegg and Isabella Pennefather, owners of popular fashion label Spell & The Gypsy Collective, also make the top of the list.

The brand has become an Aussie staple, seen on the likes of Blake Lively and Sienna Miller.

Tom Lane, grandson of the Oroton fashion label founder Boyd Lane, and his wife Emma are also notable members of Byron’s ‘It’ crowd.

In 2020, the couple sold their popular restaurant The Farm at Ewingsdale for about $16million.

They also listed their 19ha retreat ‘Copperstone’, near Bangalow, with a $35million price guide last year.

Peter Noble – the owner of Byron Bay Bluesfest, one of the few remaining music festivals in the town – also holds a lofty position on the social ladder.

The event has been running since 1990, managing to stay afloat despite the decline of similar festivals Falls and Splendour in the Grass. 

THE B-LIST  

Take a deep breath. 

Topping the B-list are Hollywood locals Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky.

Why aren’t they in the A-list? Well, we spoke to long-term residents for this article and were assured – frequently – that they are strictly B-tier.

Their main grievance is the huge mansion the Hemsworths call home – a monolithic beast often compared to a multi-storey car park, regional airport or shopping centre.

Some call it ‘Westfield Byron’.

Chris and Elsa snapped up the sprawling 4.2ha estate back in 2014 for $7million, before angering neighbours with a three-year-long rebuild that transformed the Balinese-style retreat into a $50million ultra-modern fortress.

That’s not very Byron of you, Chris!

Chris and Elsa aren’t the only actors in town – fellow Aussie Teresa Palmer also gave up the fast-paced lifestyle of LA for a relaxed life in Byron.

Joining them in the middle tier are Elyse Knowles and partner Josh Barker, known for winning The Block in 2017.

The reality stars moved from Melbourne to Byron in 2019. In May the following year, the couple bought a $2.3million beach house, which they subsequently renovated.

Local heroes Parkway Drive also find themselves in the B-team.

The metalcore band’s members hail from Byron, but the biggest local mover-and-shaker looks to be drummer Ben Gordon.

He sold his home for $10million in 2023 and also co-owns local hotspot The General Store – a café that became famous during Covid when one of its waitresses dated Zac Efron for several months.

Lastly, there’s The Block presenter Shelley Craft, who recently sold her Tuscan-inspired bungalow off-market for $6.5million, and Helen Brenko, the owner of boutique fashion store Island Luxe.

THE C-LIST  

The aforementioned Zac Efron scrapes onto our list – even though he is no longer a Byron Bay resident – because he actually owns land in the town.

He lived in Byron for about a year during the pandemic, dated a local – Vanessa Valladares – and snapped up a bushland getaway for a cool $2million in 2020.

While he may be back in LA now, Zac does have plans to develop the property.

A development application was submitted in 2024 to build a ‘zero waste’, six-bedroom home dubbed ‘Futurecave’ for $2.685million.

The plans include a gym – naturally – as well as various eco-friendly features, including ‘carbon sequestering’ – a process that helps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Former My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans makes the C-list.

He should be happy with his placement, given his spectacular fall from grace during Covid when he aligned himself with seemingly every conspiracy theory out there.

In late 2020, he tried to establish an alternative health clinic in the Habitat precinct off Bayshore Drive but it ended up being a money pit.

Still, he is said to have a few supporters left in Byron’s woo-woo community. 

A headline-making influencer rounds out the C-list. 

Ruby Tuesday Matthews was one of the first Instagram stars to make a home in Byron Bay, setting off a trend that, regrettably, continues to this day.

But her numerous controversies have made locals wary.

In October 2020, she delayed a Jetstar flight from Ballina to Sydney after a technical issue postponed departure and she left the airport to eat oysters at a nearby restaurant.

After the issue was resolved sooner than expected, passengers were outraged when their trip was held up further by Ruby’s absence.

When she finally returned to the plane – after bragging about her seafood lunch on social media – she was heckled by other travellers.

‘It’s hard to recover from something like that,’ adds one of our Byron sources.

Concluding our ranking is fashion designer Jessica Johansen-Bell, who recently accused Kylie Jenner of ‘ripping off’ her fashion line.