Blogs from Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

Whilst in Byron Bay decided to do some Kayaking, I have done some before and did actually have my own Korean kayak at one time so thought I would give it a whirl. Thankfully the sea was calm and the surf not too high, perfect conditions the guys said who took us out. There were about forty of us I guess and I was paired up with a lady from Brisbane who was on a few days holiday with two friends. We got through what little surf there was and out into the open sea without capsizing. We were out on the water for about three hours in total but unfortunately we did not see one dolphin or one sea turtle, so somewhat disappointing. Shelagh who was staying at the same place as me had seen ... read more

First day at Byron Bay decided to walk the headland, started by getting a map for the information centre as thought this might help, didn't want to get lost in the bush!!! Started on the first part of the path to be greeted by a large green and yellow lizard about eighteen inches long, for once I didn't have my camera around my neck and consequently lost the is hot as by the time I had my camera the lizard had gone on his way so well camouflaged that I couldn't see him. A little further along I reached the headland and the lighthouse. A bit perturbed by the sign I saw with a big snake on it oh dear!!!! I don't like snakes!!! Still un deterred I carried on walking to the most easterly point ... read more

I'm in Newcastle, Get Me Out of Here... - On our way from Sydney to Byron Bay we decided to pit stop for a day in Newcastle... Worst mistake ever! - In what appeared to be a ghost town there was literally no one around, nothing to see or do and no restaurants or cafes to speak of! - Our Sunday consisted of: * Traipsing round in the drizzle with heavy backpacks finding refuge in the local supermarket to purchase and eat our picnic... We made it last! Byron Bay Renowned for housing Australia's best beaches Byron was swarming with backpackers all year round completely outnumbering the locals. img=http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b534/Rachel_1988/5E65382C-F7DF-443C-B363-F002B806E7B1-1019-000001D6F265EC79.jpg With a relaxed, hippy atmosphere and the option to go "get happy" in Nimbin you can't help but love the sound of the loc... read more

In true camping style I woke up having had limited sleep, nether the less I still love it. I decided to continue the camping early morning swim tradition, so went for a dip in the sea before tucking into some fruit for breakfast and packing up the camp. All sorted we headed to ‘secret beach’ a beach which was one of those seen from the broken head lookout from yesterday. The drive to the area had been washed away in the floods last year and was littered with truly massive potholes, and angled rather funnily in places. Once parked we headed on foot along the designated path to the beach - I had been warned it to watch my footings on the path as it was quite narrow and very close the cliff edge! This was ... read more

I was picked up at 8am, the car already loaded with boards, tent, sleeping bags and very importantly….the esky (cool box). We stopped at Rainbow beach for a quick surf. When we got in the waves were a little larger and messier than it looked from the car, and it took a while for us to get out back (behind where the waves brake), so I got battered by the breaking waves for a short while, but soon made it out. I thought I would be nervous as it has been a few years and the standard of surfing is just a different level to home, but I wasn’t. It certainly helped to have people I knew and who can surf around me though! After a few years and a couple of good waves later we ... read more

Given that we slept next to the motorway, it's not surprising that we were up at 6am. Luckily we hadn't been caught for 'illegal camping' and we headed to Byron Bay for some early morning beach action. James went for a run and I popped down to the beach to do some light exercising before breakfast. Byron Bay is known as the 'chilled hippy town'; it continually comes under threat by developers to turn it into another Surfers Paradise, but the residents put up a strong fight and there is not a single high-rise building. How long this will last, I'm not so sure! After a wander around the town and finally some free internet access we headed back to the beach for a swim and a brief sunbathe (we ... read more

Byron Bay, Byron Bay, Byron Bay. Everyone keeps banging on about how good Byron Bay is and so we went. People have gotten engulfed in this place for weeks, charmed by it and more than probably drugged by it. We had arrived into the town in the evening, after changing our clocks forward an hour, not booked a place to stay as the whole way down accommodation hadn't been a problem. Byron bay however was different, everyone we asked said they were full all but 2. One offered us a double room at quite a price which we almost fully booked until we heard of a couple of beds free at one of the hostels. We cancelled our booking and made for the hostel. Now these free beds that they said they had soon disappeared and ... read more

On the road again... ...to Byron Bay. Words cannot describe how much we loved Byron Bay. With its laid back vibe, gorgeous beach and numerous ice cream parlours (fuelling Georgia's addiction) we were in paradise. Despite the extortionate amount we paid for our beds at 'The Holidy Village' (Max sleeping in a storage room for $30 a night...no jokes.) it was worth every single precious penny. The hippy and vintage shops kept Georgia and Sophie entertained for hours whilst at night we made some of our favourite memories in the infamous Cheeky Monkeys and Woody's (Georgia met her future husband here. He was perfect.) One day we ventured out to the peculiar town of Nimbin, famous for the hippy vibe originating from the Nimbin Festival in the 60's. With shops such as 'Happy High Herbs' and ... read more