Byron Bay Getaway

It was a blessing in disguise that Mad ended work earlier than expected, because we got to take a spur of the moment road trip 800 km up the coast to Byron Bay.  It is a beautiful town with a strong cruisey vibe, and is only a stone's throw from the Queensland and New South Wales border.  In a day we managed to snag a tent and some necessities for camping right outside town, and trekked up the coast the next morning for a very long 12 hour ride.  The water is a bit warmer, the people are a bit more down to earth, it's the first spot to get the sunrise in Australia, and there's plenty of things to do that make Byron an awesome place to be.  We set up shop at our campground, checked out the scenery, and sampled a couple necessary beachfront beverages following our long drive.  There is also Nimbin, which is a super eccentric and really interesting town situated about an hour or two west of the coast, depending on which way you take.  It's really unique to Australia, and has a similar vibe to Byron.  The backroads and green rolling hills are a beautiful sight to see, and should be the only way anyone looking to experience the town of Nimbin should drive there.  Unfortunately we found some intense rain during the day and at night (good thing the matresses we used in our tent were just pool rafts)... but as you can see from the photos, we found our fair share of sunshine and blue skies.  We even braved another lengthly drive and made it to the Queensland border, which is home to a couple famous surf breaks like Snapper Rocks and Kirra.

I won't be doing any more blog posts until February, as we will be traveling through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for a month.  But I am sure I'll have enough photos when I get back to keep myself glued to the computer for at least a few days (if not weeks).

from our last morning before heading home, finally got up for a sunrise.  this one is a blurred shot of a surfer headed out to catch some early am waves

as you can see, the water is pretty clear, extra thanks to my sweet new polarizing filter.  even when there's no waves it's a good day.  snapper rocks

tweed heads

old man fisherman still kickin it, with the high rises of surfers paradise in the background

the road up to byron bay's lighthouse

swimming at tea tree lake, you can't see your hand after it's 3 inches under the surface... like swimming into the abyss.  but apparently it's really good for you

our camp spot.  neighbor's spot on the left, mads in our tent on the right. 

the water was pretty amazing.