Exodus

Byron Bay

I left Gosford at around 7.30pm on my first Greyhound journey of the East Coast. After a couple of stops through the night, I rolled into sunny Byron Bay at 8am. I met a fellow Englishman and snowboarder guy called Mikey, the two of us made a habit in Byron of meeting up checking out the days ‘to do’ list and then ending up in Cheeky Monkeys, the big party night; every night in Byron. The first morning we checked out the lighthouse which has some amazing views of the Byron, you can easily spot Dolphins and Whales too – from quite a distance.

After getting the remainder of my East Coast trip planned and taking in some rays on the beach, it was time for my first backpackers dinner in a long time!

On my only full day in Byron, Mikey and myself took a daytrip with Jims Alternativ tours to Nimbin – the town famed throughout Australia as the place to go for high-times. The town is pretty weird to say the least, shops dedicated to the ancient arts of getting mellow, museums and a whole bunch of characters to stop and talk to for some very alternative takes on life.

After lunch we headed out to see a guy called Paul. Paul is an American that took a windfall some years back and bought a plot of land. His obsession with the plant world let his imagination run riot in creating the horticultural equivalent of Willy Wonkers Chocolate Factory. With pretty much every species of plant and tree he can grow on his patch, he’s really living his dream as a fresh bunch of tourists rolls in each day to share fresh fruit and Macadamia nuts.

I have to make a special point about the tour itself though – as well as the destinations and transit that you pay for, Jim; a little like myself, loves his music, and the whole tour is timed to perfection with apt tunes to make the atmosphere audible including an incredible number by the Floyd which runs for 5mins 12seconds – the exact same time as it takes Jim to boot the tour bus around a roller coaster course of hills in the hilly Northern New South Wales countryside.

Another big night in the Monkey meant a slightly later start on my final day, which I spent in true Byron style doing pretty much nothing but chilling and relaxing.