Loving life in Byron Bay


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Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Byron Bay
April 22nd 2009
Published: April 22nd 2009
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Despite the fact that we seem to bring rain wherever we go, we are absolutely loving it here in Byron Bay. Our intended 2-night visit has turned into 5 or 6 nights, and if we had it our way, we would stay put for longer and attempt to find jobs here. Unfortunately, I think there are too many other people who are chasing that same dream, so we’ve decided to pack up again and head to the much bigger city of Brisbane.
Byron is a stunningly beautiful and very small beach town, full of aging hippies and young travelers (as well as a fair share of very affluent Australians). There is a big emphasis here on natural living, which is apparent in the numerous alternative therapy centres and organic and local markets and cafes. There are also heaps of art galleries and indie boutiques, and as you can imagine, every third store is a surf centre. The beaches here are gorgeous and perfect for catching a good wave. However, we still have yet to learn to surf!
Our hostel here also has a really great atmosphere, and seems to be full of Germans and Brits, though there are people from all over Europe staying here. So far, we haven’t met any fellow Canadians, though I’m sure that will change once we get to Brisbane.

The other day, we took a long walk up along Main beach to Watego Bay (an even nicer and more secluded beach), where locals were busy barbequing on some of the barbies that Australian cities supply for anyone to use free of charge. Pretty cool. We continued on a path through the coastal rainforest up the hills to Byron’s most famous landmark, the Lighthouse. Along the way, we wandered out to Australia’s most easternly point and stood for a while watching the massive waves crashing against the rocks. Being surrounded by the endless ocean reminds me of how small we are and you can’t help but stand in awe and feel the utmost respect for nature's wonders. When we finally got to the Lighthouse, we were at the point where we were almost getting blown away by the maddening winds, so we quickly made our way back down to Watego and spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading. Yeah, we know, life’s tough. We also met up with an old friend from London (Ontario) the other night. JP came to Oz about 6 months ago to work and follow the surf, so it was great to catch up with him on the other side of the world.

We’ll probably just be here for another night before heading on to Brisbane to search for some work. We're also toying with the idea of doing some wwoofing first before we settle into one place. WWOOF is a really neat world-wide network of organic farms or retreats that offer accommodation and all meals in exchange for work. You can be doing anything from picking up after the animals (not too keen on that one), helping out with veggie gardens, building, or even just basic deskwork for a B&B. It's a really cost-effective way to travel, and you have heaps of free time to explore on your own.
We definitely want to do some wwoofing while we're here, but it may be later rather than sooner. For now, we're just taking it one day at a time, so we'll see where the next chapter takes us...



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RainforestRainforest
Rainforest

Heading into the coastal rainforest.
AdamAdam
Adam

Can you spot him?
The tipThe tip
The tip

Australia's most easternly point.


27th April 2009

This is looking sweet
i'd like to congratulate you guys on choosing the most impossible Blog to visit. It's really great spending weeks trying to see what you guys have been up to! Suz finally figured it out I guess and hooked me up. Hope all is well, pictures look awesome!

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