Port Macquarie - koalas and roos!

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After a 7 hour bus ride from Sydney, we arrived in Port Macquarie, a small town on the East coast. Our hostel there - Ozzie Pozzie backpackers - was pretty nice with a decent room, a big clean kitchen, clean bathrooms, and a pool (not so clean). We spent the first day - Adam’s birthday - wandering around the port and waterway, and ended it with some very large glasses of Stella Artois. Australians don’t seem to have our standard North American sized pint. It’s either a small pint, or a massive glass. We clearly opted for the big glasses (hey, it was Adam’s birthday!), and drank while watched the sun set on the water. On our second day, we rented bicycles with the intention of biking the 45 minutes along the highway to the Billabong koala sanctuary. However, we quickly abandoned that plan after discovering that the rusty bikes had no gears, and the brakes were only partially functional. Instead, we rode all around the waterway, checking out the nine beautiful beaches that straddle Port Macquarie. The rock wall surrounding the main port was pretty cool; a local community project allows people - residents and visitors alike - to paint the rocks however they so desire, creating a colourful and interesting boundary between the people and the ocean. Our last day in Port Mac, we FINALLY saw some of Australia’s local wildlife - koalas and kangaroos! Port Mac is apparently a big nesting ground for koalas, but due to human development, the poor little guys have been edged out of their homes, and many end up at either the sanctuary to breed, or at the local koala hospital. At the sanctuary, we hung out with Clancey, a 9 year old male koala, who pretty much slept through the entire presentation about him and his fellow mates in the sanctuary, and was also still sleeping while dozens of people cozied up to for photos. Clancey was adorable, and incredibly soft. I could barely resist the urge to scoop him up and cuddle, but unfortunately, this was not part of ‘petting hour’. I asked the guide how many hours a day koalas normally sleep: anywhere from 18-22. They really reminded us of Elmo. We were also the first ones at the sanctuary (I know, so unlike us), and we were the first ones to feed the kangaroos, who were amazing to watch hopping and lazing around. We also saw a couple of little joeys (baby roos) hop into their mom’s pouches. All in all, we were very satisfied with our first Australian animal experience. Adam is also really impressed with the massive bats here. The further north we get, It seems the more bats there are. Massive, massive bats. As soon as the sun begins to set, the sky becomes filled with hundreds of bats flocking toward their feeding grounds. It’s pretty incredible to watch.

So, after spending a couple of good days in Port Mac, we boarded another bus and embarked on another 7 hour bus ride, this time the popular surf haven - Byron Bay. From everything we’ve heard, it’s a great little beach town with beautiful scenery and beaches, and a strong appetite for an organic-fusion lifestyles. I have a feeling we’ll fit in very well here. We’ll probably stay in Byron for a few days before we head onwards in search of work, but then again, anything could happen…

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Photos

Beach
One of the nine beaches surrounding Pot Macquarie.

Water walkway
Painted rocks surrounding the main water walkway.

Rock
One of the funnier painted rocks.

Ozzie Pozzie Backpackers
Our hostel in Port Macquarie.