The magic of being home
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2006
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Trip End
May 17, 2006
Byron Bay,
Australia
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The people there are so great and I miss them enormously - the barefoot gurus and goddesses, the musicians and artists and sun-loving, fun-loving crazy mix of wild and free souls living in sub-tropical heaven on the coast. The Byron shire is one of the most beautiful places in Australia but it's sadly under threat from massive land speculation and (almost) impending tourist resorts. The locals are fighting hard against plastic urbanised tourist developments in this potentially pristine coastal paradise so if you go there try to stay somewhere low-budget and support the local unique stores rather than any chains or franchises where possible
Whites Beach, Byron Bay
. Check out www.virtualbyron.com for an award-winning virtual tour of the place.I grew up in various places in the Byron Shire but mostly in Brunswick Heads. After I was given my first surfboard at the age of 12 I spent almost every day on the beach and in the waves until I was 18 and began to travel. My first journey took me to my birthplace - Cairns, and it was there that I learnt the art of the 'living statue'. My deep thanks go to Olivier, the french living statue and dreadlocked surfer who fathered so many of us on his own personal journeys across Australia. I then travelled Australia's east coast, from Cairns to Melbourne including Canberra, Adelaide and Uluru (Ayers Rock) performing and surviving as a street artist before heading to the cities and festivals of Europe.
