Byron Bay to the Gold Coast

As we arrived and drove into Byron Bay it was really weird. Having heard so much about the place over the past 4 years, I had finally made it. Byron is Australia's most easterly point and is somewhat of a hippy mecca. It is the centre for the alternative lifestyle and organic you-name-what. The day after we arrived I went to draw out $20 (about £9) from my Australian bank account to be told I had "insufficient funds". Therefore, the entire week I have been in Byron was spent trying to spend as little as humanly possible. This meant that our dinners consisted of 50 cent's super noodles and egg, pasta or anything on toast. We were real budget travelers now! This was also a pain in the arse as Byron is a big backpackers destination, meaning lots of bars and partying. However, that all costs money! So you have to pre-drink heavily (basically get wrecked and then go to the club or bar, meaning a cheap night) - to do so really cheaply requires creativity as whilst we were traveling up the coast, stopping in each town for one night and then leaving the next morning we hadn't had any real heavy nights out so were in serious need of one! (or three). Since arriving on the East Coast I have converted about 13 other backpackers onto Passion Pop as their pre-drink of choice. We are all now on a major budget and looking to buy the cheapest booze to be found in order to get pissed. For $4.50 this passion fruit tasting sparkling wine, like the daddy of Babysham, is the drink of choice. If you want a really good (aka destructive) night then 2 bottles to warm up is the only way to go. The other alternative is a "goon bag" (a box of wine) but it is so dire that it makes me heave, being the wine connoisseur that I am. So we had a number of good nights out on the Passion Pop in Byron and it now rests very close to our hearts. When Dale gets drunk he gets crazy stupid and becomes a hilarious mess. However I can't talk. One night we went out with Chris and Stuart from Portsmouth (one bottle of Passion Pop and beers) and the other night with Adam and Tegra (two bottles of Passion Pop). Various illegal incidents occurred including broken windows, street wrestling matches, the scaling of shop fronts and a number of other photos which are self explanatory. Oh, dear!!, better luck next time!, supermarket sweep, speedway sweep.

Byron is a reasonably chilled place. Apart from going surfing at a crowded righthand point break "The Pass", chilling on the beach and just generally loitering the streets of Byron, we took the walk upto the Lighthouse and got a picture at the Most Easterly Point sign (to add to my collection of the most southerly point taken in W.A.), checked out a monthly Sunday hippy market and went on a "hippy" day tour to Nimbin courtesy of Jims Alternative Tours. All I will say about Nimbin is that if you want to know about it - look it up, but here is a general street shot and the Nimbin street code! Ohh naughty! We also visited some hippy guys house and got driven down a mountain in time with "Dark Side of the Moon" - its must rank as the most alternative rollercoaster ride in the world!

We ended up arriving in Byron two weeks before the festival so opted to spend a few days further north on the Gold Coast. At the foot of the Gold Coast is a small town called Coolangatta (the "Cooly"). The state line between New South Wales and Queensland also runs through it. It is known for all things surfing and is legendary to all surfers as it is home to the world famous "Superbank" (the Superbank is the collective term for when three of the Cooly's best surfing beaches: Kirra, in the previous photo, Greenmount and Snapper Rocks all link up to form a perfect wave which can go for upto 2 kilometers!!). It is also home to three of the worlds best: Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison (not to mention countless other pro's who have moved here). As soon as we arrived I was in my element. Having spent the past 4 years wanting to visit, having pictures on my wall and watching DVD's of the place it was awesome to finally arrive. Unfortunately the waves were pretty rubbish all the time we were there but it still didn't stop me going for a surf everyday. Whilst out for a surf at D'Bah beach yesterday I met Mick Fanning as he came out the water which was awesome!! (I'd also visited his shop a few days earlier too). Apart from surfing we took a trip further up the coast to Burleigh Heads (another legendary spot) then to Surfers Paradise (which is anything but). Surfers is a high-rise commercial town on the beach, full of tacky rubbish and attractions. On the way back we got caught in a proper tropical rainstorm, we thought the hale (!?) was going to break the windows. We stayed in the only hostel here which had the weirdest people staying in it. It wasn't even officially in Coolangatta, but right by the Gold Coast airport and hell we were glad to get out of there which was a shame as Coolangatta is a really nice little town (but then I am biased). Only problem is everyone here are pro-surfers, which is good to watch but not good to surf with. So the next plan is to get back down to Byron later today before for the festival which starts on the 13th April. I shall be surfing LOTS and we also plan to go hang-gliding over the beach, so watch this space!!