Byron Bay and Nimbin

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Hi guys! I am officially reviving the travel blog! Only, this time it will just be me, Amy, as Laura and I have finally parted ways. Laura is still beavering away in Sydney as she has travelled in Aus before, so I am out on my own now!

I left Sydney on Tuesday evening and had a lovely little sending off committee! The bus was 13 hours to Byron Bay and I managed to sleep a fair bit. I spent the first afternoon exploring the amazing hostel and Byron itself. I am staying at the Art Factory which is just outside town and like its own little world! It's like a hippy commune complete with teepees, bar and restaurant, yoga classes, didgeridoo lessons, a cinema, a pool and sauna and more! On my first afternoon I witnessed the staff catching a red bellied black snake. It was only small but one bite can kill if you don't get the antidote, no poisonous spiders yet though...!

Byron is really nice, very laid back and full of bead shops, book shops, juice bars etc. The beach is gorgeous and I managed to catch up on a bit of sleep there Wed afternoon too! That evening there was some entertainment in the hotel in the form of a one-man-band followed by a fire show! The one-man-band was excellent, playing the didgeridoo, guitar, drums and singing all at once! The fireshow was also impressive but I was a bit concerned about the 10 year old girl who was hula-ing with a hula hoop of fire!

I manage an early(ish) night in preparation for a 4.45am start to go and watch the sunrise from the Lighthouse. This is the most easterly point of mainland Australia and therefore the first sunrise each day! It was beautiful. Managed a couple more hours of sleep before heading to Nimbin for the day.

For those of you who don't know, Nimbin is a hippy's paradise! It started as a haven for men trying to avoid going to Vietnam and hosted a festival called the Aquarius festival in 1973. Basically the hippies all decided to stay and the police turn a blind eye to the copious amounts of drugs! It's now a backpacker tourist attraction, very random! Just walking down the street you are offered drugs every few steps. I had a look round the strange museum and then had one of the obligatory cookies. The rest of the day was very chilled out! We visited a guy who grew lodas of fruit and tried them from the tree. We went to see a waterfall and I'm pretty sure we went on a rollercoaster? Anyone who has been on Jim's alternative tour will probably understand that! After a stop for munchies we got back to Byron Bay in time for some goon and dancing on the tables in Cheeky Monkey's!

Today I was hoping to be lying on the beach getting a tan but the clouds have denied me this pleasure! Think I will have a walk this afternoon and then the cinema later. Brisbane tomorrow...

x

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