Byron Bay

Grafton to Brisbane

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It was time to leave Sydney and head north.

Train to Grafton

This time I decided to take the train as for as Grafton. As readers many have ascertained, I actually quite like traveling on NSW Trains, albeit there are a lot of improvements that could be made to the service. At some point they will have to replace the old XPT rolling stock.

The Australian Hotel

I had made a reservation in the Australian Hotel which is in South Grafton. Previously, I have stayed in the Royal Hotel which in on the other side of the Clarence River.

I am not an expert on Grafton, however I suspect that South Grafton is probably thought to be  ‘less desirable’ compared to the part of town that is on the northern side of the river.

Cold Chisel Tribute Band

Refer to separate post.

Along the Clarence to MacLean

Leaving Grafton, I rode along the western side of the Clarence river towards MacLean.
Last year, I had continued past MacLean to Yamba. I really like Yamba. However, this year I was running out of time and decided to skip Yamba and stay overnight in the MacLean Hotel.

Woodburn

The next day, I headed up the Pacific Highway to Woodburn. This was not very pleasant. This part of the highway is being rebuilt.

I stayed in a bit of a dodgy motel. It is doing good business housing the roadworkers. They are ‘making hay while the sun shines’. That won’t last long. I suspect that the place will close when the town is bypassed

Ballina

Next morning, continued on to Ballina. As I entered the town, it started to pour with rain. I decided to stop and booked into another ‘The Australian Hotel’.
When the rain cleared. I went for a walk along the river foreshore to the local ‘club’.

These places are ‘so the same’ irrespective of the town. They all have shocking carpets and a seemingly never ending supply of old people to rip off with their poker machines. It is rather depressing.

Old Friend in Lennox Head

In the morning I made the short ride to Lennox Head. I had arranged to meet an old school friend in the town.

We met in the main street and after a coffee, we headed up a very steep to her house where I met her husband. She told that they had owned the house for a couple of years and were now sharing their time between Lennox Head and Sydney. She is retired, however, her husband is still working and is able to operate his consulting business from both locations. It seems to be an ideal arrangement.

It was great to catch up with her.

Byron Bay

Next stop was Byron Bay. Readers may have guessed that I quite like the place.

The Blues Fest

One of the things I did on this visited was to go the ‘Blues Fest’ music festival. This is a major event that is held on property about 10 kilometres north of the town every Easter.

I bought a ticket for the day that Robert Plant, formerly of ‘Led Zeppelin’ was playing. He was due to play at 9.30 p.m.

In the late afternoon, I caught a shuttle bus that was running between Byron Bay and the festival. As you would expect, there were lots of signs directing traffic to the festival site.

Notwithstanding this signage the driver managed to miss the entrance to the festival and we headed back on the road to Byron Bay.

Fortunately, none of the passengers were fussed and on his second attempt we were dropped off at the festival.

I have been to a few of this type of event over the years. This one seemed to be very well organised.

One feature of it was the wide range of ages of the patrons – including families, ‘millennials’ through to ‘baby boomers’. The music on offer catered for all the ages.

There were plenty of food and drink outlets. However, I was disappointed to find that the ‘craft beer’ tent only sold ‘industrial craft beer’ e.g. James Squire and not real ‘craft beer’.

I wondered around the various venues before Plant was due to play. Finally, it was 9.30 p.m. and I headed to the tent where he was on.

It turned out that I was one of the younger people in the audience. It reminded me of being in Alnwick in the northeast of England last year. I went to the screening of a film of a concert that David Gilmore gave to commemorate concert that Pink Floyd did at Pompeii. The film was screened at cinemas, and other venues, at the same time and on the same day at venues around the UK. I saw the film at the Playhouse in Alnwick. I was very much one of the youngest in the audience. Many of the other patrons had Zimmer frames.

The Plant show was okay. I was disappointed that the only Led Zeppelin song he did was ‘Whole lot of love’.

Once the show was over I joined the crowded heading back to Byron Bay. There was a very long wait for the shuttle buses.

Kings cliff

Leaving Byron Bay, I rode north to Kings Cliff where I stayed one night before continuing on to Main Beach in Surfers Paradise.

Commonwealth Games

The night I arrived in Surfers Paradise was that start of the Commonwealth Games. There were lots of people around.

I ended up watching the ‘Opening Ceremony’ in a bar in Main Beach. Surprising few of the locals seemed to be interested in watching the ceremony.

Riding towards Brisbane

In the morning, I head off towards Brisbane.

This involved riding passed the swimming centre. This was very impressive with huge temporary stands that were full to capacity. The use of temporary stands is such a good idea.

The main road through Southport was closed off for the triathlon. I got to see some of the athletes running.

I was trying to follow the ‘One Bike Route’. When I got to Coomera I completely lost the trail and headed to the train station. I had previously been advised that no bikes were to be taken on the trains between the Gold Coast and Brisbane for the duration of the games.

As it turned out getting on the train was no problem and I was soon in Brisbane

Back in Brisbane

It was good to be in Brisbane. I caught up with a couple of cousins and visited my aunt who is in her 100th year.

I also caught up with the Cooma girl with an unusual name. That is always good.

Flickr Links
Grafton to Byron Bay
https://flic.kr/s/aHskzkjEEy

Byron Bay and Blues Fest
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmdYRdvd

To Brisbane
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmjDaUxM

Garmin Links
Grafton
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2577944815

Maclean
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2580075743

Woodburn
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2583634462

Ballina via Lennox Head
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2597483353

Byron Bay
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2597481686

Kingscliff
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2605887745

Surfers Paradise
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2605887792

Swimming with Turtles in Bryon Bay

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I took the train from Sydney to Casino. This is actually a great rail journey. It is slow, but the old XPT is very comfortable and it travels through some great countryside.

From Casino you take a connecting bus to Byron Bay.

I really like Byron Bay and of, have a few rituals. These include a meal a Fish Mongers and a beers at the Beach Hotel. The meal was up to its usual standard which is excellent.

BIB has Definitely left the Beach

The Beach Hotel has been famous of the years for the quality of its bar staff. The place has recently changed hands. Clearly the policy with respect to the recruitment of bar staff has undergone a change. This is a pity albeit it probably more ‘PC’.

Some Healthy Activity

I decided to do ‘swimming with the turtles’. There are a number of companies that offer trips out to Julian Rock to see the turtles. I pick one, Wild Byron. They operate out of Brunswick Heads which is about 20 kilometres north of Byron Bay. This involved being picked up in Byron Bay by 4WD and battling the traffic out of the town.

I was one of only four on the trip. The others were two French girls on holiday in Australia and Scottish lass who was working in Byron.

If only I could speak French

When we arrived in Brunswick Heads, we were met by the Skipper of the boat that would take us out to Julian Rock and our guide, Laura who was also French. As it turned out all the French girls were from Montpellier. There was a lot of excited conversation in French.

The Skipper of the boat explained that Julian Rock was part of the Cape Bay Marine Park. It is also the point where the currents from southern NSW and north from Queensland meet. These two factors make it a great place for marine life. This include dolphins, sharks and, of course, the turtles.

It is also a great place to see whales and manta rays in the winter months.

Getting to the Rock is half the Fun

After the brief introduction and the donning of our wetsuits, we boarded the boat and headed along the river and out to sea. Once we out of the small harbour, we certain picked up speed. It was a very fast boat. The views across to Byron Bay and the hinterland were spectacular. The boat ride is an experience.

When we arrived at the Rock, The Skipper explained that Laura would guide us to the best laces to see the wildlife. This involved swimming to a gap in the rock and slowly drifting along the side of the rock which faced Byron Bay.

Lots of Turtles and friendly Sharks

We all jumped into the water and headed to the rock. It wasn’t long before I saw my first turtle. Check out the video.

There was a bit of wait before I saw a shark. It took it to be a Leopard Shark. I have since been told by an old school mate, who knows a great deal more about sharks than me, that it was actually a Wobbegong Shark. In case you are worried about these sharks, you can be rest assured that they a both harmless.

Apart from the Turtles and the Sharks there are also other fish, but not in the number that you would see on a coral refer such as the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo in Western Australia.
Albeit, I was wearing a wetsuit, I started to feel the cold and decided to get out. It must be an aging thing. The others stayed in the water longer.

As I waited for the others to finish, I chatted with the Skipper and his offsider. They told me a bit about their business and the competition. One competitor is allowed to pick up customers on the beach at Byron Bay. This is a bit an advantage, I guess, but the trip from Brunswick Heads was interesting and being so fast, it was a bit of a thrill.

Seeing Whales could be even be Better

They also talked about the whale watching tour they run in Winter. They showed me a video of two whales on either side of the boat. The whales “were very curious and hung around the boat for ages”. Even though they “could have sunk the boat with one flick of their tail, there was no danger”.

I must to a whale watching trip someday.

After the others finished their dive, we headed back to Brunswick Heads at full speed.

It was a great trip that I can highly recommend.

Link to Wild Byron

Home

Flickr Link
Swimming with the Turtles

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8iBmgW

Garmin Link
(Fast Boat)
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2392280528

Wobbegong Sharks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobbegong

 

 

Byron Bay, Brisbane, Noosa and more

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Brisbane Byron Noosa

This post fills in some gaps.

I spent most of the summer in Australia. There was a lot of bouncing around. I have already posted about being in Melbourne for the tennis and taking a trip to Phillip Island

Sydney

I arrived back in Australia on the 7th of December, landing in Sydney. It was good to be back.

I caught up with my daughter for dinner. This was great. Lunch with an old friend from my school days was also great.

I also caught up with some of my Friday Night drinking mates at the GPO Bar. It is good to see that this is still a tradition.

Byron Bay

Next stop was Byron Bay. I flew to Ballina and caught the shuttle bus to Byron Bay

I like Byron Bay and have often thought what it would be like to live there. There is a lot going for it. The beaches and hinterland are beautiful. There is always something going on – threatre music etc. It is also relatively easy to get to Brisbane if you need the ‘big city’ thing.

The local council have been very strict on development in the town. Of course it has changed a lot over the past 30 years or so, but not nearly as much as other coastal towns.

In many respects the ‘fabric’ of the CBD streets is much the same. It is just that the use being made of the shops has changed.

There are heaps of cafes and restaurants.

The Beach Hotel hasn’t changed since it was built. They have a very recruitment policy. It was particularly good in 2009. It is unlikely that that standard will ever achieved again.

One of my Bath hosts will attest to that standard.

Friday through Sunday in the place is amazing. There are people everywhere. There are tourists (seeming mainly from Germany, the UK and Scandinavia), young Australians (many from Brisbane), hippies, oldies like me and a few bogans. I don’t know where they all stay.

While I was in town, I caught up with an old school friend who owns and operates a blueberry farmer with her husband in the hinterland. I was great to catch up with her. We not only went to school together, but we lived opposite each other in the same street after we were born. I moved a short distance way went I was one.

Xmas in Brisbane

I headed to from Byron Bay to Brisbane for Xmas.

On the way I stopped off in Tweed Heads for lunch with my Canberra hosts. They were in Tweeds Heads to see their daughter and grandson.

I have a thing a seeing friends in places other than their home town. It is really good to do this in exotic places oversees, but it also good to do it in Australia.

Xmas was at one of my cousins places. It was a great day.
A couple of days after Xmas I went out to the northern beach suburbs for lunch with one of my cousins. She took me to Redcliff. One of the suburb’s claim to fame is that it is where the Bee Gees started their musical career. To commemorate that fact, the local council has built the Bee Gees Alley. Check out the Flickr Link. It was opened by the sole surviving brother, Barry. My cousin was at the opening.

New Year In Noosa

I headed to Noosa after Xmas. I stayed Halse Lodge which is on the hill overlooking Hastings street. It is an old time quest house that was built from the 1880’s to the 1920’s.

It was put on the ‘Heritage’ list in 1997.
It is a classic ‘Queenslander’ timber building.

Noosa was the location of numerous family holidays from 1994 to 2008. I call them the ‘ground hog’ holidays. They all seemed to be much the same. They were still fun though.

I headed back to Brisbane for a couple for a couple days. It was great to catch up the ‘girl with the funny name from Cooma’.

Back in Sydney

I left Noosa and headed back Brisbane and on to Byron and then to Sydney for a couple of days. . I also had lunch with some friends at the Oaks Pub in Neutral Bay. I really like that pub. We ate under the Oak Tree. It was a great lunch with great company.

I also had dinner with my Journalist mate that I went to pre-school with, and his wife. We ate at the Willoughby Hotel. There was a really annoying bloke who was trying to talk to all in sundry. He was the classic ‘village idiot’. My mate’s wife is Croatian. To put the ‘idiot off talking to us, she started speaking Croatian.

It worked, he left us alone.

To Melbourne

I took the train to Melbourne. As I noted above, I have already posted about the tennis and Phillip Island.

Canberra

I took the train from Melbourne to Canberra.

It was great to be back in Canberra. I caught up with some old school friends and their wives for lunch.

We have had a number on these lunches over the years. This was typical of such a lunch. It started at 12.00 p.m. and finished at 11.00 p.m. As people with close friends know, you may not see the close friends for ages, but the conversations start as if you saw them yesterday.

Before the lunch I had a coffee with the journalist who I have posted about writing a Quarterly Essay. She had some very interesting things to say, including some comments on Tony Abbott.

While in Canberra I saw a number of other friends.
There is a real possibility that when I finally stop travelling for a while, I will stay in Canberra. There is a lot going for the place.

Sydney

I took the train back to Sydney. The train is slow, but it is so much more comfortable than a bus.

Back in Sydney, then was another Friday night drink. There are constants arguments as to the venue. I suspect things will never change.
I was great to catch up with my daughter. She always likes to have dinner with me at the same place. It is becoming a bit of a tradition. I like that.

Byron Bay Again

I caught the train to Casino and on to Byron Bay yet again.
Brisbane

After Byron I headed back to Brisbane again. The main purpose was to see my Aunt. She is inexorable heading to the age that she get the ‘telegram’. Let’s hope she does.
I also caught up with a school friend who teach English as a Second Language. She reminded me that I have been promising to do the TESOL or similar course for ages. It will happened. I told that my London host had between me to it.

Gold Coast

My flight to Singapore was leaving from the Gold Coast. I stayed that night in Coolangatta. That gave me the chance to catch up with the aunt of my god daughter. It was good to hear that her father is doing Ok.

Flight

The Scoot flight to Singapore was really good. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is really good aeroplane.

Flickr Links

Byron Bay

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/486625

Noosa

https://flic.kr/s/aHskozYZX5

Brisbane – Bee Gees Ally
https://flic.kr/s/aHskrgpYfo

Surfers Paradise
https://flic.kr/s/aHskuWi8Yo