IMPORTANT PSA: Turns out Zac Efron really is in Byron Bay and we're already on our way.

As domestic travel restrictions ease, visitors may soon descend on the northern NSW paradise of Byron Bay.

For the surf and the beaches and the walks. And to see if they can spot Zac Efron. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Rumours have been swirling for weeks suggesting the Hollywood actor, 32, has been riding out the coronavirus pandemic in the coastal town.

When Mamamia interviewed Zac Efron. Post continues below video.

There were several reported 'sightings' of Efron around Byron Bay, but up until this week, he'd managed to dodge paparazzi and Instagrammers wanting clout by outing his location on social media.

Finally on Wednesday, Efron was finally tracked down by paps at the Byron Bay General Store café. 

According to the Daily Mail, his Byron entourage includes Aussie musician Tim Freedman and Byron Bay royalty Chris Hemsworth. Because of course.

It comes after a very comprehensive, week-long investigation into whether Efron really has made Australia his COVID-19 safe space ... by us. Because we really did need an excuse for a roadtrip.

Unconfirmed sightings.

We imagine that seeing Zac Efron in the wild would be a little like spotting a unicorn. You'd be shocked and awed and then, after a few seconds of blinking to check it's real, you'd... take a photo.

Yet, miraculously, there had been no photos of Efron for weeks. It was a tragedy.

Image: Giphy.

The Daily Mail reported influencer Tarsha Whitmore claimed last week she saw Efron at Byron Bay's General Store, and Twitter users have tweeted about rumours from locals.

"Don't mean to alarm anyone but Zac Efron was literally eating at the same cafe as me when this was taken," Whitmore captioned one of her recent photos.

After Mamamia began this all-important detective work, our boots on the ground in the Byron Shire had this to say: "I'm living in Byron and walked straight past him on a bush beach track and then again down at the beach".

Our anonymous source also said someone found Efron's licence and wallet on a beach and oh... is the only reason he's still in Australia because we stole all his belongings?

Kyle Sandilands' insider knowledge.

Radio host Kyle Sandilands hinted he knew where Efron is staying and claimed they were... friends.

Image: Getty.

In June on the Kyle and Jackie O Show, Sandilands threatened to leave the studio when Jackie O brought up the rumours about Efron's whereabouts.

"I'd rather not say anything... I'm not saying anything," he said.

"He's a friend of mine and I respect his privacy. He's not here for a movie, if he's even here, and he may be... who knows?"

Lockdown appearances.

Efron was last spotted by paparazzi in Los Angeles on January 25, and in February he was in California to film The Great Global Cleanup for Discovery Channel, but his location since then is unknown.

In April, Efron's High School Musical co-stars all reunited to perform We're All in This Together via video link, but Efron had a convenient excuse for not taking part.

Zac Efron introduced the High School Musical reunion on ABC's The Disney Family Singalong special Thursday nightpic.twitter.com/K4VEnkJu5b

— Nafa (@hufflemione) April 20, 2020

He introduced the sing-along and shared his well wishes, but host Ryan Seacrest said he was "hunkered down in the middle of nowhere with patchy WiFi" and couldn't take part of the performance.

As precisely all good-looking actors can tell us, Byron Bay isn't "the middle of nowhere", but if we're comparing it to Los Angeles, sure.

Zac Efron's social media.

Efron is notoriously private on social media and is not exactly known for sharing his location. His latest post from June 6 is in support of Black Lives Matter, and before that his other recent images are promotion shots from his TV projects.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zac Efron (@zacefron) on Apr 22, 2020 at 5:18pm PDT

Efron is believed to be dating his Bad Neighbours co-star Halston Sage since late 2019, but she's also very quiet on socials, so there are no clues to be found on her Instagram account. 

In an essay for Variety, Sage wrote about travelling between New York and Los Angeles in mid-March and flying "home  (Sage is from California) to begin my 14-day quarantine". Australia closed its borders to non-citizens and non-residents from March 20, so given this timeline, his girlfriend is probably not with him.

His love of Australia.

Efron has visited Australia many times before, and has spoken about how he likes it down here because of how "easy" it is to keep a low profile.

"What I love about Australia, which is what we don't have in California, is there are so many wide-open beaches where no one is at," he said at the Australian premiere of The Lucky One in 2012.

Just before Christmas 2019, Efron was flown to hospital in Brisbane for urgent medical assistance after contracting an illness that threatened his life.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the 32-year-old actor was filming a documentary series in Papua New Guinea when he suffered a "life-or-death medical emergency".

It is understood he was transported via plane to Brisbane Airport with a bacterial infection and was permitted to return home to the United States on Christmas Eve.

On December 30, Efron thanked fans for their support.

View this post on Instagram

Very thankful to everyone who has reached out. I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G. I’m home for the holidays with my friends and family. Thanks for all the love and concern, see you in 2020!

A post shared by  Zac Efron (@zacefron) on Dec 29, 2019 at 3:47pm PST

"I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G," he wrote on Instagram.

"I'm home for the holidays with my friends and family. Thanks for all the love and concern."

So... does anyone feel the sudden urge for a (COVID-safe, socially distanced) road trip? We'll catch you there.

Feature image: Getty.

This story was originally published on June 24, 2020, and has been updated on July 3, 2020.