Australia

Day 1 - Friday 2nd December

This weekends activities involved a flight up to Gold Coast and then a bus ride out to Byron Bay where we'd booked a hostel for 3 nights.

After we'd dropped all our stuff at the hostel we headed to our first activity which was surfing lessons.

Now, anyone that knows me (or has seen me dance), will know I have the grace and elegance of an epileptic sloth. That fact was no less true today.

Fortunately, since my camera is not waterproof and the surfing guys were charging for the photos they took (which weren't spectacular really anyway), there is no photographic evidence of my particular brand of surfing ineptitude. Sorry! (Not really.)

The wind was incredibly strong that day and threatened to blow the surf board half way down the beach every time I picked it up. Being tethered to the thing, I wasn't too keen on that but it made the process of picking up the board after another unsuccessful journey ashore, wading over to the other side of the beach, and then back out to the ocean to catch the next wave a grueling task.

Ending up back at the hostel exhausted (the flight was at 7am, meaning we were up since 5), we had dinner, drinks, met some Irish girls staying at the hostel, and went out to explore the nightlife.

Day 2 - Saturday 3rd December

Hippy Town

A slightly later start to the day, we were up at 9 to meet the tour guide for a trip to Nimbin. Nimbin is like the Hippy Capital of Australia. It's like taking a trip back to Woodstock '69.

Unfortunately, I'd left my camera on the bus as we got out so I don't have any pictures of the town.

That's the bus.

That's Laura on the bus.

Nicole on the bus.

And a whole bunch of other people on the bus.

The driver was really chilled and the music he had on was boppin'. All 70's music as well as some house music mixed in.

He'd tell stories along the way about how he "got fired from the university in this town and it was a bad experience but I'm much happier now. So, as we leave this town there's only one thing I can really say." And then he'd put on a song, in this instance that song by CeeLo Green, Fu-.. *ahem* Forget You, I believe it's called.

On the way back we stopped for a BBQ at a dam which had a nice view.

Got to see a wild Koala. A girl, apparently, according to one of the locals complaining about her screeches early in the morning. Tell me about it, eh, fellas? :D

Back at the Hostel

Slightly less drinks had tonight as the next day's activities would have us up early, but nice photos all the same.

This lil feller lives outside the hostel somewhere and likes to sun himself in the afternoons.

A painted wall outside the hostel we thought would be nice for some photos.

This is by far, I think, my favourite photo that I've ever taken.

For so..

Many..

Reasons...

Day 3 - Sunday 4th Decmeber

Kayaking With Dolphins

Kayaking. With. Dolphins.

Need I say more? No. I needn't. But you should know by now that I like to hear myself type so buckle up, buckeroos.

As with the surfing, I didn't bring my camera due to lack of water-proofing so the below photos from the kayaking were taken by the guides with a GoPro.

Orientation

I'm the one in white right there! :)

You can tell which boat is Nicole & Laura's because it's a) the only blue one, and b) the one farthest away from all the other ones.

These photos are a little disappointing because the dolphins literally came right up to the boat and swam by us a few times. You can kind of make out their fins in the above and below photos, but you'll just have to trust me that being there was far more impressive.

Having successfully "kayak surfed" back to shore thanks to the hunk in the back of the kayak who does all the steering while surfing. Who IS that handsome fellow? Not so graceless now, eh? :)

Speaking of graceless..

The girls were not exactly dry coming ashore. Kayak-surfing is evidently not as easy as one makes it seem. B)

Definitely my favourite activity of the weekend.

Sunset Stroll

We had heard that the Lighthouse at the edge of Byron Bay (the most easterly point in Australia) was supposed to be amazing at dawn/dusk. Since none of us are really "morning people" we thought a sunset walk would be perfect. We (again) didn't make it the whole way but since the lighthouse was east and the sun sets in the west it wouldn't make too much difference.

We set up shop at a lookout spot near the end of the bay and cracked open a few. It gave me a chance to play around with the manual setting of my camera also which was great fun and I think some nice shots came out.