Coffs Harbour, Lennox Head & Brisbane

---

After a short drive from Bellingen to Coffs Harbour we enjoyed a walk along the marina to Muttonbird Island for great views of the town and surrounding coast. We then walked along the beach under the old pier but it was still a bit cool and windy to sunbathe or swim. This is the nicest part of the town but we decided to walk into the centre anyway which is a few kms away. We found a beautiful walk back from the centre to the marina along the creek, part of which was a boardwalk through mangrove swamps. The YHA hostel near the marina is worth staying at as its a modern purpose built hostel complete with swimming pool and friendly staff. Next day we drove north and stopped at a quirky wee town called Maclean which is very proud of its Scottish roots. We loved the tartan lamposts, a park sign in Gaelic and an old, musty smelling Scottish souvenir shopselling old copies of The Scots Magazine and Peoples Friend along with a few old kilts and fridge magnets! We carried on north to Lennox Head which is an ideal base for visiting Byron Bay, but is a much quieter, peaceful town. One attraction is swimming in Lake Ainsworth - a dark tea coloured lake stained by the tea trees around its banks, so its claimed to be medicinal! It might be medicinal but it was bloomin cold, though still worth the plunge! Our hostel was in a great location - near the lake and the beach and only a short walk into town. That night 30 drunk rugby supporters arrived at the hostel and spoiled the peace and tranquility! They were on their way by bus from Darwin to Sydney (taking several days to get there!) to watch the rugby final and had been on the beer since the day they left! The owner of the hostel was up till 5am trying to maintain order! Byron Bay had an interesting mix of people hanging about - from hippies (both young and old), surfer types and girlie beach babes! It is quite a busy place but the main beaches and shops are well worth a visit. We decided to stay an extra night in Lennox Head but there was no room in the hostel so the owners put us up in their own house. It was very kind of them, though Jen did get a surprise in the morning when she saw the owner half naked and fast asleep as their bedroom door was wide open!! It rained next day so thankfully that meant only a short visit to the Sunday market in Byron Bay (!) before heading to Brisbane. Originally wed only intended staying in Brisbane for one day to meet Jens friend Pam, but we loved the place so much we stayed an extra day. We really enjoyed walking along the river which flows near the centre of the city. Theres a lovely walkway on either side and the South Bank Parklands are very impressive with a manmade beach, rainforest boardwalk, a picnic island and lots of colourful flowers. Both the parklands and the Botanic Gardens (on the other side of the river) are very chill places in the middle of a busy city. Later on Pam gave us a fantastic guided tour of the city (thanks Pam!). We visited another park, sampled local Bundaberg rum and Castlemaine XXXX in a bar directly under Story Bridge, went for fab Thai food, then went to the lookout at Kangaroo Point to see the stunning views of the skyscrapers and city at night. Theres also very good views of the city from Mount Coot-tha which is a 15 minute drive out of the city centre and from the top of the Brisbane YHA hostel! The hostel is large, modern and in a good spot though lacked kitchen utensils and atmosphere! GG is pleased to report there have been no recent JP souvenir purchases due to the current economic climate! Australia is expensive!
Next stop - Noosa!

---

Comments

[Sylvia]

Er... hello
Lovely photos again and you e obviously having a wonderful time. Shame about the chilly economic climate Jennifer. Don bother buying me a Peoples Friend as I can get that at the Anstruther Co-op (if I should so wish). Must go as I can hear girlish screams (not from Pete but from Sophie and Jenna who are staying the weekend) I think theres nothing amiss. Girlish screams are normal it would seem - in fact, mandatory, if playing outside. We e all going to see "Up" at the cinema in St Andrews tomorrow as its a highly rated animated cartoon. (Just up Petes street). Keep enjoying yourselves. Lots of love Yer Auntie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Steven Grier]

Fridge Magnets
Fridge magnets are the devils work Doors. Ive binned the ones you had and your fridge is now a magnet free zone. Just watched Jenson win the world championship in a bar in Cape Town.