Coffs Harbour & Byron Bay – day 295

Since we were able to keep the rental car until 9am this morning, we decided to use and abuse it by driving ourselves to the view point to get some last minute glimpses of humpback whales before we go up the coast to Byron Bay. Parked the car in the car park and headed around the cliff top walk to find a quiet spot to sit down and wait. Didn’t have to wait very long before a mother and calf passed by, quite close to the shoreline, and we even spotted a breaching whale way off in the distance as the sun slowly began to rise, changing the colours of the sea as the waves rippled towards the shore. Had some apples as we watched the whales before getting back in the car and returning it to the Thrifty depo. Apparently, I was the first person in 5 years to park it properly (i.e. not in the way!). Most people just leave it in the middle of the forecourt… Walked back to the hostel, enjoying the warm sun with our iced coffees. Packed up our bags and checked out before having some breakfast. Got a lift to the bus stand from Craig, who gave us loads of tips about what to do, where to go and what to see during our time in Australia. A pretty uneventful 3.5 hour coach journey to Byron Bay where we both had a blog to catch up on and some other bits and pieces to do. I finished my book ‘Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children’. I have to say that, whilst it wasn’t too bad, I’m getting a bit fed up of books that are written which clearly decide half way through to turn the story into a trilogy. Haven’t had any plot resolution from that book and I’m not sure I really want to read the next ones… Oh well. Arrived in Byron Bay and dropped our bags off at the YHA. The lovely Carrie at reception gave us a map and told us what we could do whilst in town. Clearly a ‘sleep all day and party all night’ kinda place, she pointed out all the good pubs that were open until 3am with live music! There really isn’t much else to do here apart from surf, walk and party! Decided to walk along the beach, stopping to enjoy the acoustic guitar set that was happening on the entrance to the beach. The stroll along the beach was beautiful and quiet as we watched surfers, dolphins and more humpback whales bob up and down between the waves. There were even bush turkeys strolling along the beach next to us, clearly looking for any scraps of food that people may have left lying around after their picnics. Jayne was braver than me as she wadded through the knee high water to the view point to see if she could get a better view of the whales. I sat on a rock and watched the surfers do incredibly well on what looked like very small waves as the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. On the return journey down the beach, the acoustic guitar players were joined by a couple of guys swinging around flaming batons. This town really reminds me of Montalivet with its, rather expensive, hippie dippy vibe. Headed back to the hostel via Aldi and the bottle shop to get some essential supplies for dinner. Vegetable gnocchi with white wine for dinner before climbing into bed to watch a couple of Friends episodes with popcorn and some peppermint chocolate.

Thursday 28th July 2016