The Last Stop - Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 20 Apr 2010 06:30
|
28:38.195S 153:38.180E
On February 23, we reached the last stop of our
southeast Australia road trip adventure, Byron Bay. I'm happy to report
that the coastal drive to Byron Bay from Coff's Harbour was dotted with a few
more Australian oddities. There was the giant prawn (shrimp),
bleached an iridescent white by the sun, perched on the roof of a
seafood packing plant in the town of Ballina. Then came the very Scottish
town of Maclean. Aside from its name, how did we know Maclean was a
Scottish town? The tartan designs painted on each and every telephone pole
throughout the town and surrounding area gave us a big, giant hint.
Every Scottish clan seemed to be represented. Plaids of every
configuration known to man splashed up on the power poles for all to
see. Flashbacks to my mom's classic collection of Pendleton wool plaid
pants rolled before my eyes as we rolled through the streets of Maclean. I
don't know how many clans are represented in the upstairs cedar closet
where my mom's plaid treasure trove is kept, but I can say
that I recognized a good many of those telephone pole tartans.
Pictures 1 and 2 - We stopped for lunch at the
Pacific Hotel in the seaside town of Yamba. On the outside, the Pacific
Hotel looked like a typical pub - big, old, a little downtrodden and
with the faintest smell of stale beer wafting out the front door - but inside,
once you got past the pub/bar/stale beer area, the place opened into a
cafe with a good menu and a marvelous
view of the beach below. Picture 1 is the marvelous view of the beach
below. Picture 2 is a close up of the marvelous view of the beach
below. Note the seaside, saltwater swimming pool. This wasn't the
first time we had seen a set up like this - there were several beachside
saltwater pools along the Great Ocean Road as well as other spots along the
way. The problem with many of the beaches in Australia is this....there
are too many nasty creatures in the sea, not the least of which are
sharks. Because of this, many beaches are protected by shark nets that
enclose the swimming areas, or, like Yamba, a seaside, saltwater pool is
provided for swimming. Makes that inviting surf look not so inviting,
doesn't it?
After Yamba, we carried on to Byron Bay, which is
famous for its hippie/surfer dude culture. Hippie/surfer dude
culture that now includes a dollop of yuppie - which is good
because the restaurants now serve more than just organic bean sprouts or
fish'n'chips. Byron Bay is also famous for its beaches (some of the best
in Australia), and the fact that Cape Byron is the easternmost point
of Australia. We are feeling pretty good about having trod upon
the most southern and eastern points of Australia. Before we leave, we
will add the northernmost point to our list, but will miss
out completely on the west.
Picture 3 - Cape Byron, the easternmost point
of Australia.
Picture 4 - Cape Byron
lighthouse.
Picture 5 - Watego's Beach looking south. We
stayed in a posh studio apartment in a house built into the hillside
above this beach. If we looked closely through the foliage surrounding the
house and our second floor balcony, we could see the beach.
Picture 6 - Watego's Beach looking north with one
lone surfer dude in the foreground.
Unfortunately, it rained for most of the three days
we stayed in Byron Bay, but that didn't stop us from exploring the
area. On a particularly rainy morning, Sue and I went to the local
farmer's market to experience the full brunt of the local hippie culture.
We found shelter from the rain under a tent next to a coffee/free range
egg stall and met a couple from one of the nearby inland towns.
They asked where we were from, and once they heard I was American, they went on
to tell us about their daughter, who attends medical school in Memphis.
She, unfortunately, is in a serious relationship with an American boy,
and the couple said they are terrified their daughter will come
home with that "horrible American accent!". They didn't seem
worried about their daughter coming home with an American husband, it was
more the accent that struck fear into their hearts. This, of
course, all stated matter-of-factly to Sue and I as I stood
there trying not to spew out too many
words in my horrible upstate NY American accent. The
husband redeemed himself a little later though when he asked in all
seriousness why all Americans have such bright, white teeth.
On February 26, we left Byron Bay and arrived back
at the Scarborough Marina where Storyteller and Harmonie were waiting for us -
Storyteller floating and Harmonie still high and dry on land. Don and I
spent the month of March getting Harmonie (and Don's ankle) ready for
Season 3. More on this later.
Anne
|
