Diary Update - Byron Bay

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  Gold Coast, Australia
Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Grabbing the chance to do a quick update while I have the chance!

Thursday 18th January
As you know we had an extra day in Newcastle which we used to catch up with ourselves a little. Late afternoon we went to the Lemon Tree pub and then went back to Johnny and Susie's where we barbequed chicken kebabs which I had marinated earlier that day and chatted on the veranda.

Friday 19th January
We woke up early, packed and had breakfast, and Johnny helped me to upload the video of the Oribi Gorge jump, which I had been trying to do since November - thanks Johnny! (You can find it in the Travelpod Entry entitled "The Jump" - don't forget to sponsor us if you think it's worthy, by following the link to our ORBIS sponsorship page on the Home Page of www.miriam-hyman.com - thanks!) Then Johnny and Susie took us to Broadmeadow train station where we caught the train at 9.30am which would take us to Byron Bay. It was a long day's journey but we passed it pleasantly enough, watching the scenery go by, gradually changing and getting more sub-tropical. The train takes you to a town called Casino from where a shuttle bus picks you up and takes you the final hour or so to Byron Bay. We finally got there at 8.00pm, grabbed some food and then got a taxi to the house in Ewingsdale where we would be staying for the next four nights. Our hostess was actually out that evening, so we pitched our tent in her garden and slept in that just for the one night.

Saturday 20th January
We were awoken at dawn by the sound of exotic bird calls, but we did fall back to sleep for a little while. After having a little breakfast I actually fell asleep on the sofa and didn't wake up again until nearly midday. A little later our hostess Tal arrived home and we had some lunch with her and then she gave us a lift the few kilometres into town and dropped us at a car hire shop. We hired a Toyota Yaris which turned out to be very economical on the fuel. We drove slightly south of town to the Broken Head Nature Reserve and found ourselves at the end of a dirt track with a trail down to King's Beach which, it turned out, was an optionally nudist beach! We just stayed long enough to show that we weren't freaked out, honest, and then we made our way back to town where we stopped at a pub/bistro called Rails. There I had the biggest t-bone steak I have ever eaten for a very reasonable price and a we enjoyed a band called The Little Stevies; two of the three band members are sisters and they sang a song about sisters which brought tears to my eyes. I bought one of their CD's. They have a website if you're interested. We were home by 9 o'clock and had an early night.

Sunday 21st January
The first of our two days exploring in the car, the first place we went to was Lake Ainsworth. I had heard of this lake many years before; it is surrounded by Tea Trees, and their leaves fall in the water and have made a kind of Tea Tree brew - the water is stained dark brown and is strongly infused with Tea Tree and its antiseptic properties. Anyone who knows me will know how much I love Tea Tree and that I use its essential oil ad nauseum at home. We swam in the lake and the water felt incredibly soft, and I was thrilled to finally get to go there. I eventually managed to drag myself away and we went next to Lennox Head, a high promontory from which you get a great view of the surrounding beaches. There was a proliferation of beautiful exotic flowers, along with the many hang-gliders who were making the most of the windy conditions to soar above us. Next we went to the light house at Balina and again looked out over stunning beaches before going for a drink by the water in the town and grabbing hot dogs for lunch. Next we went to the Thursday Plantation where they use Tea Tree to make a wide variety of products. I had ordered their products in the past through their website and again it was a thrill to visit the place I had heard about for so long. I managed not to spend toooo much money, and the saleslady gave us several free soaps when I explained that I had bought from them in the past. After that we went to a place called Kellin Falls which we had seen on the map. It is a delightfully pretty river with volcanic beds which falls into a deep round pool. People are encouraged not to walk at the base of the falls because it is the habitat of a species of small bat that are easily disturbed. We sat at the top of the falls with our feet in the running water and marvelled at the beautiful surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere. Finally we made our way back to Byron via a small town called Bangalow where we stopped for a coffee. Then back to Rails for a quick drink before going to the supermarket where we picked up some kangaroo steaks which we took home and cooked for dinner!

Monday 22nd January
After breakfast we went into Byron to get some information on buses and to pick up some rolls to go with our picnic lunch. Then we drove to Brunswick Heads where we visited the pretty beach, and then on to New Brighton where we found ourselves alone on a long stretch of beach with big breakers crashing onto the shore. I would say that we swam in the sea, but it was more a case of jumping in the breakers, which was great fun! Then we drove through the small town of Mullumbimby to get to Minyon Falls which we had read about in our guide book. We had our picnic at a lookout point opposite the falls and then drove round to the top of the falls. The water was very low. We spotted a big goanna lizard there. Leaving the National Park we took a wrong turn and found ourselves lost in a most beautiful forested area. Eventually we came to a dead end and had to make our way back along the same road we had come along, although it was a truly lovely place to get lost! We finally found our way back to Byron where we picked up the ingredients to cook for Tal and her daughter Rachel that evening.

Tuesday 23rd January
We had to drop the car off by 9 o'clock so we packed all our baggage in the car and left it at the car hire place as we had a few hours before we needed to catch the bus to the Gold Coast. Tal came and picked us up and the three of us went for a coffee at her favourite café. Then she drove us to the Byron Bay lighthouse which affords spectacular views of the bay on one side and the endless ocean on the other. We made our way back down the hill to town and went to pass the remaining time people-watching at the Beach Hotel. We picked our cases up from the car hire place and went to the bus stop where we started the hour's drive to the Gold Coast. Once at Coolangatta airport we took a bus and we were picked up at the terminal by my Internet Friend, Jane, and her husband Brian. They brought us to their home where we met their three children and passed the rest of the day chatting and looking at each others' travel snaps.

That brings me up to date! Today we are flying to Cairns where we stay for four nights before coming back here to stay with Jane and her family for the final two nights before we leave Australia. We've been here for exactly a month now, and we feel like we've managed to fit in a lot and see lots of different places.

I'll try to give a report on our dive for the MHMF when we get back from Cairns. In the meantime, if you think your contacts might be interested in our web log and in sponsoring us, do pass the link on to them and ask them to do the same - thanks!

xesther & AD

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