Byron Bay “I-forget-the-name-of-the-campground” Campground
1,497 kilometers around Australia
The dust storm quickly passed and we made it to Byron Bay, the promise land for surfing, partying, burning nag champa, and chillaxing (as my little sis would probably say) along the east coast of Australia. We spent two nights in this hip little town and the surfing fanatics out there will be disappointed that we only ended up wading into the water. After much debate, we decided that we a) didn’t have enough time to really learn how to surf, and b) were secretly terrified of losing a leg or an arm to a hungry shark. The water, however, was beautiful and although slightly chilly, the hoards of surfers in the waves looked to be having a blast. We explored a coastal trail along Byron Bay point and up to a lighthouse, the eastern most tip of Australia, and strolled the amazing sandy beaches a handful of times. You will not believe how soft the sand is. It’s a beautiful golden color and so fine that it feels like you are walking along a smooth satin blanket. This is the type of sand that beaches are supposed to be made of. We weren’t on the beach for more than five minutes during our first visit when BJ pointed out to sea and said “look, a whale!” We spotted about half a dozen out there and it must be a common sight because no one else was nearly as excited as we were.
While we are trying to cook a majority of our meals, we are allowing ourselves one dinner out a week. This week we took advantage of the wide variety of restaurants in Byron Bay and made a night of it at a place called the Orient Express Eatery. I know what you’re thinking . . . “you got Chinese takeout?” The name was very deceiving and the restaurant offered an “inspired” mix of all Asian cuisine including Thai, Chinese, Malay, and Japanese. It even had a special menu for $50 teas . . . Fifty dollars . . . for tea! We skipped the tea and bought $8 beers instead. They even sent us away with a fancy little tea holder from Taiwan . . . a free gift because we found and extra batter chunk in our fried banana dessert. But the food was delicious and we left satisfied and satiated.
Today we are back on the road, driving a little further north to Lamington National Park, just southwest of Brisbane, where we will spend the next couple of days. I’d like to end with a comment from my mother, who yesterday told me that if she had her own blog she would share her latest adventure of learning how to snot-rocket while hiking. It’s taken her years of training and I am so proud mom!