First Sun Holiday Park, Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. 3070 km
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 We left Murwillumbah rather early today on an overcast and slightly rainy morning. The drive to Byron Bay took about an hour and it was very scenic. Byron Bay is a very popular town. It is the easternmost point in Australia and it’s where the tropical waters of the north meet the colder water of the south. There is great surfing and great views from Cape Byron. There has been a real estate boom here in the last few decades and the town feels very vibrant, like Carmel in California but with an average age 25 years younger.
We started the day with a walk along Cape Byron, which involved many, way too many, stairs. The clouds started clearing but it was still a bit brisk when we began at 9:30am. Nonetheless the views of the ocean were amazing. We were able to sea (with binoculars) a whale (humpback or sperm?) a few hundred meters in the waters. We later saw a bunch of bottlenose dolphins as well. A group of kayakers seemed to us to be almost on top of the dolphins that were no doubt used to the attention.
We walked all the way up to the lighthouse which is still functioning. A hang glider was circling above enjoying the strong winds. The views were great but Orr was a bit tired and made sure we understood. I ran back to the motorhome and drove to the lighthouse so that we wouldn’t have to endure any more crying.
We checked into this campground right smack in the middle of town and after lunch and a siesta, we walked around town for a few hours. We found a hat shop with great hats for the kids, see pictures. They refused to take the hats off long after the sun set, and into dinner. The few streets that comprise the downtown are littered with all sort of wacky shops along with designer boutiques. And many backpacker tour operators. Middle aged couples on a romantic getaway, surf bums, and families like us all find their place in this nice place.
We had dinner in a nice restaurant called The Balcony. Orr wolfed down a gnocchi plate and Ron and Shir enjoyed the varied tapas dished we ordered. The food was good, not great, and it was hard to fully enjoy because we had to attend to the kids all the time. I think we better stick to lunches in restaurants, not dinners.
Although we would like to stay here an additional day, I think that tomorrow we will head back to the Brisbane area because the day after we have to return the RV and fly to Melbourne.
Good night,
-Hemi
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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 at 5:10 am and is filed under Australia, Big Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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