Blogs from Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 5

Our next stop was Ballina where we stayed on a caravan park which can only be reached by ferry, all very quaint but in exiting the ramp we managed to shere off the little caps which cover the stabilizing legs of the caravan. Oh well, back to square one where we used wooden blocks to do the same function. From this area we ventured out to visit Byron Bay (on a cold misty day) Lennox Head, Mullumbimby, Lismore and Nimbin. All these places were well worth a mention but Nimbin will always stay in our minds. Some of you may have heard of it but for those like us who were innocent of all knowledge it was a real culture shock. Nimbin is the psychydelic hippy centre of Australia. It was like going back to the ... read more

G'day Folks, Remarkable but true, China Eastern Airlines got me all the way to Sydney - no hassles and pretty much on time. No chickens on board either! Food and accommodation on board OK, but not spectacular. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Very impressed with the new airport in Shanghai (Pudong). Very post modern architecture. Probably the worlds cheapest duty free (200 Chinese fags - a bargain at US$8 - 4 quid). Arrived early morning in Sydney at about 1100 hours - took bloody ages to get through customs, immigation and environmental. Managed to avoid the full rubber glove treatment (your call to Australian customs failed Dan). New YHA Hostel in Sydney very swish. Converted from an old railway station - rooms are available in railway carriages kept in sidings. ... read more

While driving towards Ballina, near Byron Bay, we spotted some hang gliders and went in to investigate. Robin decided to do a half hour flight (in tandem with instructor). The winds were ideal--they were able to take off almost instantly from the cliff edge. I watched and photographed from the ground. Afterward, the instructor said that the winds were so strong, that I would not have had enough weight to fly. That's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it! Robin didn't say much about his flight, but he had quite a grin on his face for awhile!... read more