The Belongil: Crafting an Artisanal Interior Journey for Byron Bay’s Most Talked-About Dining Precinct
In Byron Bay’s ever-evolving cultural landscape, few openings have captured the imagination of Australia’s dining and design worlds quite like Shannon Bennett’s latest hospitality venture, The Belongil.
A multi-venue precinct where gastronomy, architecture, atmosphere and emotion converge, The Belongil has quickly become one of the country’s most discussed culinary destinations — drawing acclaim from publications including Condé Nast Traveller, Gourmet Traveller, Qantas Travel Insider, Urban List, delicious., The Australian and the Good Food Guide.
With the restaurants now humming with energy night after night, The Belongil has firmly established itself as a defining new force within Australia’s contemporary hospitality scene — a precinct offering an experience that transcends dining alone.
For Lee Brennan Design, it was an extraordinary honour to contribute to the creative vision behind such a landmark project.
Page.84 | Qantas Travel Insider | April 2026 Issue
Working alongside Shannon Bennett and an exceptional collective of artisans, creatives, builders and collaborators, our role centred on shaping an atmosphere that could transport diners beyond the expected — into an immersive, artisanal interior realm where every detail carried narrative, texture and emotion.
As described by Urban List, The Belongil is “set to redefine coastal luxury” and feels “less like a hospitality venture and more like a living art piece.”
That sentiment resonated deeply throughout the design process.
From reclaimed materials and centuries-old Japanese temple timber, to moody layered interiors that blur the line between gallery, theatre and dining room, every space was envisioned to evoke a sense of transformation. An escape from the ordinary. A moment suspended between ritual and experience.
In an interview reflecting on the vision behind the precinct, Shannon Bennett explained:
“I don’t want you to walk in and feel anything other than a sense of transformation. That’s what great restaurants do — they take you away from the noise and the stress of everyday life for a couple of hours.”
The Belongil precinct unfolds across multiple distinct venues — each with its own atmosphere, emotional tempo and sensory identity. Together, they create a layered hospitality experience unlike anything else currently emerging in Australia.
One of the precinct’s most celebrated venues, Feu, has already achieved extraordinary international recognition — named among Condé Nast Traveller’s Top 50 Restaurants in the World through the prestigious Hot List selection. Remarkably, only three Australian venues were included, placing Feu among an elite global collective and firmly setting the benchmark for modern Australian hospitality.
This acknowledgement is an enormous achievement for every creative, artisan, chef, designer and collaborator involved in bringing the vision to life.
For Lee Brennan Design, projects of this nature represent the future of hospitality interiors:spaces that are not simply designed to be seen, but deeply felt.
Spaces where craftsmanship, materiality, lighting, emotion and storytelling become inseparable from the guest experience itself.
It takes an extraordinary team to bring a project of this scale and ambition to life, and we are incredibly grateful to have worked alongside such visionary collaborators in creating what is already becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated dining destinations.
The Belongil is more than a restaurant precinct.
It is a cultural moment.
An evolving theatre of design, food, atmosphere and connection — offering guests a truly unique experience on every level.
Reserve your table now.
