'A lot of the beach is gone': erosion closes Byron Bay's main beach

Authorities step up sandbagging amid drop of several metres from top of crumbling dunes down to the beach in NSW tourist town

Australia's famous Byron Bay beach has been closed to swimmers and surfers as authorities carry out emergency sandbagging to prevent further damaging erosion.

Escalating erosion at Main Beach and Clarkes Beach in the northern New South Wales town has left a drop of several metres from the top of crumbling dunes down to the beach.