On this trip, I was going to make a point to go to Byron and see what all the fuss was about.. Known for it's lovely beaches and nice scenery...I took the Greyhound south...Byron Bay was the perfect stop on the way to Sydney. It's also the most East point in Australia...you can sail away on a bot from Byron Bay...and the next land you'll hit is Chile...So I was there to make the most of it, what I didn't know was that it was the Blues Festival that weekend, so this sleepy little town was busy and every place was packed!! Whoops..could've planned that a little better. It's alright though..it made the town a bit more lively. I met people that were volunteering to work at the hostel and drink the buses to the festival just to get a free ticket. I guess Bob Dylan and BB King are pretty big no matter where you go.
So...I'd planned to do a few activities in Byron...go kayaking with the dolphins..which I was really excited about, so I signed up to go in morning. When I arrived...there was only myself and another Aussie lady who was there for the blues festival going out with the guide. We shared a two person kayak for the trip. I took my seat right in the front...and from what she said...the hardest part would be going out over the waves...it seemed to go pretty smoothly...a few times we plopped down in between the waves...we paddled out steadily into the bay to try to see a pod of dolphins that lives in the sanctuary closeby.
We paddled in the direction of the little island above...which had some ancient aboriginal story related to it that I can't remember now. Within a few minutes of being in out in the middle of the bay, we say the pod of all girlie dolphins swimming in the distance, there were are few babies in the group and they swam up pretty close to the kayak probably within about 10ft or 3m..:) Being that close was an experience I'll never forget.
After a little while, they swam off and we paddled out to the other side of the bay.
 |
| Add caption |
We paddled out past the surfers to the other side of the bay where you could see the lighthouse and the most easterly point. One the way back, we paddled close to some coral reefs and our guide had a few snorkels...so we jumped in the water and snorkeled around and we saw sea turtles, a puffer fish(? )and tons of little fish....even some of the Nemo fishes.It's funny how you don't know the names of the fish, but you know they were in Nemo..:) After we were getting a bit tired...we swam a bit...and then floated part of the way back to shore...watching the surfers.
Our guide told us that going in on the kayak would be a bit different...Since I was in the front...I didn't have to do much but throw my weight to the back..at the right moment. The lady in the back...just had to stick her paddle in at the right moment so we could surf our way in...a bit nervous...but up for it...we paddled in and all of the sudden we got pushed right into shore without any fuss at all..:) Our guide got out some TimTams and we had cookies on the beach before bringing up the kayaks to the truck. It was great fun and I'd recommend it to anyone.
My next activity was to go hike up to the lighthouse and the most easterly point. I wanted to be good and tired before hopping on the 14hr bus ride to Sydney. Before I started the hike I needed a bit of fuel, so I went to a seaside restaurant for lunch...the calamari looked too good ot pass up,so I sat down and ate lunch.
Next I walked up the road to lighthouse, some of the houses on the hill are worth millions. I guess Russell Crowe has a house up there...somewhere...the Gladiator sleeps.
It was a few miles up to the lighthouse which passed by quickly...taking photos and having a look around.
 | |
| The way up the hill |
 |
| The other side of the island |
 |
| The lighthouse |
I couldn't help but think how my dad would like it there especially given it's geographical significance. It was a national park with tropical plants around the side of the island. The path winds around the side of the island showing you the rocky cliffs and blue blue water. It was a spectacular walk on the great day.
After winding around the side of the island, there were some private rocky beaches where you could take a dip and refresh yourself after a long walk.
 |
| The Beach view. |
I loved it here...in Byron. I hope to go back someday. After a little rest, I got back up and walked back to town...along the beach.
After a kayaking in the morning, and the long walk up to the lighthouse...and back...I was good and tired...at 8:00 that night...we waited for the greyhound..at the corner..the blues festival had started and it was time to go to Sydney...:)
Here's a link to some more photos from Byron...
No comments:
Post a Comment