The Rainy Coast

Coffs Harbour

After another overnight coach trip and a combined total of 2 hours sleep (but I’m saving money on hostels right- who needs sleep anyway?) I arrived in the sleepy town of Coffs Harbour. After the hustle and bustle of Sydney the contrast was a bit of a shock. I had to walk more than 50m to get to the nearest supermarket, everyone knew everyone and the hostel itself was very old school. I’m talking a sizeable shack. It’s the type of place I imagine my mum stayed in when she travelled Australia 30 years ago. But it was pleasant nonetheless and run by a couple who put on trips out to local highlights in their little minibus.

I was only here 2 days which, if I’m honest, was enough to experience everything the little town had to offer. Everyone else I met in the hostel were living there whilst doing farm work (it wasn’t a tourist hotspot let’s say). However, despite the lack of tripadvisor things to do and the changeable weather (the heavens had opened) I still made the most of being somewhere new. I climbed to the furthest-most point of Muttonbird island (normally you can see dolphins and whales in the waters around but I didn’t get so lucky) and then had a wander along the harbour. Because it was a grey day, I did feel a bit like I was in England (minus storm Ciara!). The next day was brighter so I grabbed a kayak from the hostel and headed down to Coffs Creek. From here you can paddle to the sea but I decided to go in the opposite direction towards the Botanic Gardens. The kayaking made me glad I actually stopped off in Coffs, as it’s something I wouldn’t have done elsewhere, where surfing or paddle-boarding in the sea takes preference. After exploring the area by water, I then packed up a lunch and decided to wander back to the gardens on foot this time. They were beautiful and had little sections for different areas of Australia, as well as other places around the world. What I wasn’t prepared for though was the mozzies. After the rain they apparently come out in abundance… which I didn’t realise. One of the rangers must have noticed my blotchy red skin, along with the excessive itching and took pity on me by offering some repellant – definitely a tourist!

That evening was the highlight of Coffs for me though- seeing Kangaroos in the wild. I signed up to one of the hostel minibus tours to Emerald Beach in the hope I’d be able to spot some kangaroos… and there were hundreds. I can now tell the different between a kangaroo and a wallaby and learnt that wild kangaroos are actually friendlier than those kept in captivity!

Byron Bay

After a whistle stop trip to Coffs Harbour it was on to my next stop where I found out that the rain in Australia falls mainly in… Byron Bay apparently. And let me tell you, it did not just rain but it rained and rained … and rained. From the moment me and the girls arrived we had to grab ponchos and after constantly checking the weather app and just seeing rain and thundercloud symbols I realised it was going to become my everyday outfit. Surprisingly, walking around looking like a bit of an idiot is easier in Australia than it is England – goodness knows why. Ponchos on and not letting the rain stop us, we went straight out that morning and hiked 3 hours to the lighthouse and the easternmost point of Australia – we even finally spotted some dolphins making the soaking (almost) worth it! That afternoon we booked a glowworms and waterfalls tour.

Byron Bay is all about the alternative ‘hippy’ lifestyle. It is all about giving and living at one with nature. This couldn’t be more true than of the place we visited – ‘The Rainbow Temple’. Just outside of Byron a man started building this treehouse-like community 39 years ago. He is yet to finish it but people come and go all the time and help add to the building in some way (one woman lived there for a year creating artwork for the walls). Underneath the temple was the real attraction – a hand-carved cave filled with glowworms. I must admit, being led into a tiny cave, chiselled by hand and filled with bats, by a man who was probably high did put me on edge a little. Once inside the cave we were encouraged to close our eyes and exercise our breath using ‘ommmm’ whilst said man played a flute. It was just the most bizarre experience of my life. I have no other words for it. Fun fact though – glow worms don’t actually glow, but it’s their poop that does!

After this, we travelled to a waterfall where we swam and cliff jumped (again – was it safe? Who knows) and then to another waterfall lookout point where we had a guided meditation session and then a vegan meal. I left feeling very zen and peaceful. That was soon shattered when we went to The Railway Bar that evening – Friday nights are live music night and it was a blast!

The next few days the rain was off the scale – apparently the worst flooding Byron had experienced in over 50 years! This made it hard to explore the beaches (or anything to be honest) so instead I taught the girls numerous card games and we wandered around some of the cute and quirky little boutiques and trinket shops. We booked a tour to Nimbin- famous as Australia’s hippy (and drug) capital – but again it just rained and rained. Luckily the street is only 100m so we walked up and down in our ponchos in about 10 minutes and then took shelter in a cafe before having a lovely Ozzie BBQ in the pouring rain – how British!

The day before we left, the sunshine finally came out and I was out there sunbathing quicker than you could say kangaroo, topping up the tan and talking a dip in the pool. The weather app kept saying that it was going to rain but it lied and we finally made it to the beach in the afternoon, 5 days after we arrived in Byron Bay…

My overall impression of Byron Bay was that everyone there is so laid back they are practically lying down. Anything goes and hippies and surfers both live a carefree lifestyle. I felt out of place because I was shaven and wearing shoes but in honesty I don’t know if I could live the casual lifestyle they live. I like that family, community and the environment are their central values and financial gain is not of importance. This is such a change from the big cities and is actually quite a breath of fresh air. Saying that, I’d also be quite happy if I don’t hear anymore Bob Marley during my time in Oz.

I’m currently en route to the next stop, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, where we are taking a break from hostels and having a little bit of luxury… stay tuned.

Annabel x