05/03/2023 From Surfers Paradise to Byron Bay
In the morning we took the Greyhound Bus down the East Coast to Byron Bay.
What to expect
Byron Bay
Back in the 1970s, Byron Bay was known for its alternative culture, laid-back surfers, and off-the-grid hippies. Now, Byron may be a bit more polished, high end houses, 5 star restaurants, and world class beaches packed with celebrities under Beach Tents. You’ll still be able to discover fantastic surf breaks and tranquil yoga retreats that pay homage to Byron’s hippie history. You’ll also find barefoot backpackers through to Hollywood celebrities.”
byronbaybeachlife.com.au
We both love Byron Bay! The vibe is very special and I love how everything goes slowly here. So when my flip flops broke and I had to walk barefoot, I didn’t even stand out since many people don’t wear shoes here. I think you get the idea what kind of a place Byron Bay is: very laid-back.
Visit the Sunday market
Every first Sunday of each month, there is a big market in town until 3 p.m.. You could think I might have planned it, but when we arrived in Byron, we had exactly 20 minutes left before the market would close. Never have I ever checked in a hostel this quickly, dropped off all our stuff and grabbed Blake’s hand to speed-walk back to the market.
Karma points for the juice lady
Since the market was about to end soon and we didn’t have any cash on us, a very kind lady even gave us two big cups of ginger and lemon juice for free.
Have a picnic at the beach during sunset
After the market and obviously trying as many snacks and drinks as possible in the limited time we’ve had, we went to the beach for a picnic with the sun setting behind us and the surfers catching waves in front of us. Again, I realized as so many times on this trip that it is the simple things that really do make us happy (I’m just pretending that Blake would pick a nice sunset at the beach over an exciting sports match in a bar any time as well – a girl can dream 😉).
06/03/2023 Byron Bay
Join a yoga class
Byron Bay is known for its hippie-yoga-vibe. So where would a better place be to try some yoga again? Unfortunately, I had to realize once again how very inflexible I am. But the one hour of yoga I’m doing every two months on this trip should clearly help, right?!
Walk to the lighthouse
Then Blake and I did a very beautiful walk along the beach and through some thick forests that ended at the famous Cape Byron Lighthouse. The views over the coastline were stunning from up here.
When you’re lucky you can even spot dolphins and whales from the lighthouse. However, all we saw were surfers.
Go to the most easterly point of Australia
Close to the lighthouse you’ll find the most easterly point of Australia, which we visited as well of course.
Relax at the beach
Once we walked down again, we relaxed at Wategos Beach for a bit. When we both first traveled down the East Coast separately many years ago, we had no appreciation for nature’s beauty and all we wanted to do was to find the next big backpacker party. Now we were sitting at the beach after a hike and we are just blown away by the stunning coastline and other natural wonders Australia’s East Coast has to offer. How priorities can change over time…
07/03/2023 From Byron Bay to Sydney
An expensive package
Tonight we will be taking a night bus (Greyhound) to Sydney. However, it is only a bus that drives at night and not an actual sleeping bus like in Peru. But hey, we are saving a night in an expensive hostel. So we will choose discomfort and saving time over spending more money. The money we saved I did spend, however, on sending a big box of clothes and other stuff back home which I did not want to carry around with me any longer.
Stroll along the cute shops
After sending the box home, we had a look at different shops that all sell a lot of cool beach clothes.
Last time at the beach
Afterwards we were debating between going surfing and going to the beach. In the end we decided against going surfing, because
- The beach with the “good” waves was quite far away and
- There were no more beginner boards available. (Yes, shockingly we do still consider ourselves as beginners – even though in my dreams we are clearly more advanced 😉)
We enjoyed the beach in Byron Bay one last time before grabbing some food and getting ready for our night bus to Sydney – my favourite city in the world.
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