Wednesday 19th - to Sapphire Beach via Byron Bay

Wild Carol does Australia
John and Fiona Fraser
Thu 20 Sep 2018 06:01
Cape Byron
28 38.31S
153 38.184E

We did a bit of cleaning and tidying up and sorting out of the stuff we would have to leave behind (eg the Porta Potti!) and then headed south again, our destination Sapphire Beach to stay with friends for a couple of days.

On the way south we spotted the sign for Byron Bay which sounded like a nice place to visit so we made a short detour off the A1 and arrived at a very busy little town set on a beautiful bay behind a headland which turned out to be the most easterly point of Australia. We did a bit of shopping (using the term ‘we’ loosely!) and then drove up to the lighthouse on the headland. As we were pushed for time we drove all the way up and paid our $8 to park the van in the tiny car park next to the keepers’ cottages.

It was a clear, blowy day with a strong nor-easterly whipping up the whitecaps and creating decent waves for the surfers. We resisted the museum and the cafe, took a few snaps and off we went again.

It was still a fair way to Sapphire Beach but we managed it in in one hop. Google maps gave a rare misdirection but we soon sorted that and pointed the van up the very steep Gaudrons road past banana fields to be met at the entrance to his property by my friend from EPDS days, Grenville. Backing the van into his drive posed a bit of a challenge but we were soon enjoying a much-needed cup of tea with Grenville and his wife, Grace, who cooked us a wonderful Chinese meal that evening.


The obligatory corner site hotel in Byron Bay

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The eponymous bay

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Cape Byron Lighthouse - most easterly point of Australia

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Another view

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Beach south of Cape Byron

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