Byron Bay

We are now back in good old NSW. Nearly everyone that we have met along the coast all say Byron Bay is the best place but when we arrived it was pouring down. Apparently the storm was part of a cyclone that had passed from New Zealand.

So for 2 full days we had to stay indoors and watch bert films in the freezing TV room. On Saturday the sun was shinning again so we went to Nimbin which is a small town (200m street) which is full of hippies, freaks and backpackers, famous for selling marijuana. There's no relaxation of the drug laws it's just tolerated by a certain degree by the police.

They do make a few arrests every now and then but normally it's just let be. There were old ladies trying to sell you 'cookies' and all the people look weird and spaced out. A bad advertisement for the lifestyle. We went to the weirdest museum (or rubbish shack) with loads of old stuff obviously dumped there from the local's attics!

Saying that the Rainbow Cafe makes the nicest coffee and chips we've had in ages. The chips are all freshly prepared and the coffee is grown locally.


We were supposed to go whale watching but just like in Surfers Paradise the weather played havoc with our plans. On two successive days we were cancelled at the last minute because the boat couldn't get into the water.

Nightmare! We made the best of a little sunshine and headed to the famous lighthouse which happened to be right beside the most easterly point on mainland Australia. We had a little picnic on the way back. Classic stuff. Flat sandwiches, crisps with dips and a cheap bottle of plonk. Great fun.

Photos are at the usual place:

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/dougalbaa