After a long drive yesterday, we were keen to start today in a more relaxed fashion, doing things the Bellingen way. After a delicious lazy flat white in a local coffee shop, we followed directions from two guys in the hostel to a more scenic drive known locally as The Promised Land. They used the word "magical" a few times... But to be fair, it did have that feeling. Completely out of the way, dirt track roads with barely a car in site, I slightly felt the need to throw away my shoes and hair brush and become one with nature a la Kate Bush.
It didn't get quite that bad but we did stop to take in the mountain shaped like a lying down man and later stopped to dip our toes in the water of one of the rivers, and take a few selfies, naturally.
Back on the Pacific Highway, the first question for our day is always "where do we stop for lunch". Taking a lucky dip with the place names up the coast, I picked the imaginatively named Sandy Beach. People should lucky dip more often, this place was stunning. Gorgeous shell-free sand extending along to smooth rocks stretching out into the sea and completely deserted. Out in the distance was a green rocky island just asking to be explored. Once again, I wish we could stay longer. Oh and also that I had a boat.
We arrived in Byron Bay and immediately got a feel for this notorious beach town before even getting out of the car. Surfers and cyclists, shorts and bikinis, live music and buskers, sun bleached hair and not an inch of pale skin anywhere. For sunset we made it to the Cape Byron lighthouse on the top of the cliff looking over the bay. What a view, seriously.
A short walk along the cliffs and we have reached the Eastern most point of mainland Australia. It feels like a bigger achievement than it should but after days of driving, I'll take glory in any achievement I can get - as this photo demonstrates...!
Our accommodation was a pleasant surprise to end the day. A beautiful, almost too pristine white washed wooden guest house with oh so soft beds ready for my sleepy head and old woman back. Before we lay our pretty little heads down though we headed out on the town.
Friday night and Byron is buzzing, so it's hard to know where to start when it comes to food as the usual 'where's busy' trick doesn't work quite so well. We settled for Mongers (as in fish, not ugly people as I'd strangely assumed), one of a number of 'gourmet' fish and chips joints in Byron. It was so delicious, seriously. Hoki in batter with chips, tartare sauce and some soy for me. They even had salt and vinegar.
We ended up in The Railway. A far cry from the Blackheath equivalent, this open air bar was packed with people of all ages but all with the signature long sun-bleached hair and tanned torsos (and that's just the guys), a live band and an impressively swift service at the very busy bar. A really fun place that gave me a good idea of Byron life. Quite appealing I have to say... I can see why people don't leave. At the front of the bar with the band and even out on the streets, though, there is this strange hobby called 'dancing'. Obviously I'm a fan of the odd dance, but this is the unashamed Australian public boogie that I haven't quite got into just yet...
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