We thought Nimbin was an eye opener but Byron takes first prize thus far for entertainment and life in general; if we did see any locals it would have been by pure accident as I am sure they stay well out of town given what goes on here.
Byron thrives on the tourist and backpacker fraternity and every day here is like a Saturday and/or Sunday; the streets are awash with people no matter what time or day you venture out.
Firstly lets get the normal stuff out the way. We stayed at the First Sun Holiday Park which is right in the heart of Byron Bay, 20mt walk and you are amongst it all. The photo below is taken from our site and shows the beach-front sites on the right; these are the best sites as on the other side of the cabins are where most of the overnight wicked type campers stay (zip bangers), zip the sliding door opening and bang the door closing.
Not cheap here at $37 per night but quite good and no need to use the car. Beach access is by way of 2 gates along the back of the vans you see; the good part is the park is fully fenced, secure and the beach gates are padlocked at 7.00pm.
The photo below is of Byron Bay from Cape Byron lighthouse; the views from here are nothing short of spectacular, it did not mater which way you turned the views were awesome.
As the sign says Cape Byron is the most easterly point in Australia; it is also the most windy so hang on to your hat. The photo was taken courtesy of a young couple on holiday; they were blown out to sea just after this shot but I was fortunate enough to grab the strap of the camera so we avoided a major loss of funds in a replacement (they were young and looked like good swimmers).
The track below is a climb you can make to Cape Byron; there are quite a few lunatics around that run up this and then do several push ups at the top. This is not for me and apparently not for the paramedics who seem to be kept quite busy taking them to the local hospital suffering cardiac arrest.
Byron Bay mmmmmmm Byron Bay. This little temple was on the beach about 2km from the caravan park; on one of Linda’s beach walks she spotted this gem complete with a little lady sitting cross legged wearing a green pointed hat and praying to the moon god, sun god, demy god or maybe just plain oh god.
The Balcony below is on of the must visit eating places in Byron; the side you see in the photo is where we sat, as it is on a corner the side running down the left hand side is the same but has couches where you can indulge in a 3 hour coffee if you wish. The food is very good (BLT for me and a Tapas for Lin); about $20 for this pair and they do have cocktails at $14 each (we both had water for free).
The photo below is taken from the beach and directly behind these characters is the Beach Hotel where all the Thursday through to Sunday entertainment comes from. The early hours start with this group affectionately known as “The Bongo Trio”, they are accompanied by slide guitar (might as well slide it as he couldn't play it) and Phil the flute player. As far as flute playing I could fart a better tune.
Now this may seem amusing seeing them humming, bongoing, smoking, drinking and scribbling peace signs on the footpath until you realise the whole concert is sponsored by Centerlink. Following the early start here the pub rolls into action around 9.30pm until 1.00am; to be expected on a weekend and accepted by most residents of Byron. It is only when the crew below believe they should not be out-done and kick off again at around 1.30am.
The pub revellers seem to think it is a great idea as there is nothing like a six pack and 2 kebabs to keep all entertained until 5.00am. If you do stay in the heart of Byron I would suggest the weekend evening meal should consist of 250ml scotch, 2 x Cerapax and a pair of ear plugs; waking up at lunch time is not so bad after all.
Had to take a picture of this little beauty that pulled in a few days before we left; not sure of the age but it certainly is a classic.
Whilst we were at Byron Bay our pride joy the The DavLin Rig (Sunland Caravan) was hit yet again by hail; this is the second time in 12 months and the next post will have all the details so stay tuned.
Will be posting again soon – David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
