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Published: February 19th 2008
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Just corrected a couple of spelling mistakes from my last blog, no I haven't got a shoe fetish!!! I wrote that we ate sannies, instead of sarnies. I also mentioned that not a sole boarded the ferry, should've read soul. Actually, that is also a flatfish. I haven't got a fish fetish either.
Hoping the weather improves as we travel north. Our Greyhound Bus ticket allows unlimited stops on one way travel between Sydney and Cairns, so we are giving Newcastle a try for a couple of nights. We arrived at the Backpackers By The Beach Hostel, late afternoon following a two and a half journey, not overly impressed by any hostels we,ve came across so far, such poor value, most are a rip-off. Paid 61 AU$ for a double room, which consisted of a bed and, well, errr, nothing else, not even a hook or a bin. Found out too late that a nearby hotel had rooms with facilities for 70AU$. Have to say, right enough, Young yins like them, they are good for meeting people. On the day we arrived, it was Pizza Night!!! 2 Dollars each, so that was good.
Although Newcastle has a
Belongil Beach House Hostel
Our Chilled Out Accommodation, no not that little hut. reputation as an industrial town, it has great beaches, parks, and a nice riverfront area. The authorities must've put in a lot of work sprucing the place up in recent years. On our first night we came across an enormous outdoor swimming pool next to the beach with a few locals making good use of, will have to give it a try later. Couldn't!! it rained for the next two days!!!
Newcastle probably got its name from the nearby coalfields. Out at sea, you can see large numbers of container ships waiting their turn to load up with coal then head off to Japan and South Korea. Other places in this area with names connected to the North East of England are Stockton, Jesmond, Redcar, and Hexham. Coal is not the only export, Stockton Beach, which stretches for miles has a contract to send sand to Hawaii!!!
On our last day, we visited Blackbutt Reserve to see some wildlife. After nearly 4 weeks, we've finally seen Kangeroos, Emus, and Koalas, although not quite the outback. Looking forward to our more adventurous excursions in a few weeks time.
John on Beach
Belongil Beach, North of Byron Bay Travelled overnight for 10 hours, arriving early morning in, ever so popular Byron Bay, the most easterly town in Australia. The different vibe is immediately apparent, it has a laid back holiday feel, and Sunshine!!!!!!
We are staying at the Belongil Beach House Hostel, next to a glorious beach with a good mix of people. Although the hostel is in need of an upgrade, the outdoor space and laid back atmosphere is enjoyable.
A walk along the sand was called for after checking in. The pristine beach is something else!!! We walked barefoot on the softest of sand for about a mile into town, which has its share of trendy boutiques, cafes, surfing shops, old hippies, and new age establishments offering nonsence such as tarot reading, crystal healing, FAIRY PORTRAITS, and AURA PHOTOS. Go Figure!!!!!
After a look around, which included a visit to a bottle shop for some alchohol, and a supermarket for supplies to cook in our hostel, we hopped on the free shuttle bus back to The Beach House. Spent the rest of the day sunbathing, little did we know that it would bloody rain for days after
Parrot
or could be a Parakeet or Lorikeet that!!!
A constant downpour preventing you savouring a wonderful beach only yards away is no fun!! This is the worst summer weather on the East Coast for decades, even during normal winter days it's dry with temperatures regularly reaching 35 degrees. Further north, storms are causing severe flooding!!!
Will just have to make the most of it.
Took advantage of our hostels free bike hire, have to say, they looked a bit dodgy, don't know when they last seen a touch of oil. We had only cycled for 5 minutes when my chain snapped, this was bad enough, but it was one of those bikes with a weird braking system. To stop, you back pedal, except with no chain, the brakes didn't work!!! luckily it was just before we reached the main road, otherwise I could've been in serious bother. Had to walk the bike back to the hostel. The manager then gave me his own bike. We headed off for a second time to Cape Byron, the most easterly point on mainland Australia to see the lighthouse which sits on top of the headland. Guess What!! as we were admiring the stunning views near
the summit, it started to rain heavily again. Within minutes visibility dropped dramatically as we sheltered at the visitor centre. The wind also picked up, nothing else for it, we just had to brave the elements, stood near the edge enjoying the dramatic scenery. Unfortunately, never saw any dolphins who are regular visitors around the cape, they prefer calmer conditions.
In between rain showers, the sun will pop out, tempting us to quickly gather our beachgear and make for a spot in the sand. Usually get an hour of sunshine before it clouds over and rains again. If you can stick it out, you're normally rewarded with another spell of bright sunshine. The only people who are not to bothered by the constant rain are the surfers who spend all their time on the water anyway.
Spent 6 nights at rainy Byron Bay, not many people can say that!!!! This is a great place, just a pity about the weather, one minute it was a sunny 28 degrees, the next it was a downpour. We practically had the beach to ourselves, except for a few nudists, they just went in the water until the rain
Mad Hair at Cape Byron
Tallow Beach in Background clouds passed.
Arranged our next journey north, this means we are getting ever nearer to the Queensland storms, flooding, and landslides. Can't be helped, bus, flight, and trips booked.
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Lindsay
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nudists....
I stayed at the belongil beach house too....did you venture left up the beach and come across the ageing nudists?! a couple of them struck up a conversation with me as I was walking along the beach one day....very embarassing!!!!!!!