Byron to Brisbane - a belated blog!

Having arrived late the previous day and only had little chance to see the beach as well as the local nightlife, we decided to test out the waves with a couple of body boards – rented free from the hostel of course. The waves were probably the highest and strongest I’d seen in my life - surprising considering Bondi is meant to be a surf haven – and towered over those from childhood trips to Wales! Whilst some of the surfers managed to get through to the furthest waves, me and Soph were content with those hitting about 25 metres from shore and riding them in on our body boards.

Me body boarding back into shore

Having spent a number of hours at the beach we head back in preparation for the evenings antics – a trip to Cheeky Monkeys! Pre-drinking the remainder of our goon, again with Phil and Jude, we took the shuttle to the bar come club for dinner and the nights entertainment. 

With the four of us seated, we were accompanied by a chap we called ‘Big Big Dave’ – me obviously being ‘Big Dave’. Following dinner, free drinks and a few games - including a male strip show, which we elected Big Big Dave to take part in of course, we were ready to dance on the tables – the done thing at Cheeky Monkeys.

Me and Soph with the group of people from our hostel at Cheeky Monkeys

The next morning and I felt incredibly hung over – probably the pre-drink goon. Meanwhile Soph was up and doing the washing amongst other things. Following a brief reflection of the night before having looked at a number of horrendous photos it was time to head to the beach again. In the afternoon, we opted to take the 5km scenic walk up to Cape Byron – the most Easterly point in Australia; however I was met with one of my greatest fears…a snake! Now, most may not know how much I fear snakes, however, Soph certainly does. So, as we’re walking along through the bush, there it was, a red bellied black snake – one of Australia’s most deadly varieties, and there Soph was…”take a picture…take a picture.” Myself, obviously slightly more erratic than usual, took a quick photo then walked promptly in the opposite direction whilst Soph studied in more detail. Eventually however we did reach Cape Byron, and following a few photos, we set off back on the 60 minute walk home.

The red-bellied black snake

Cape Byron snapshot

Setting off the next morning to Surfers Paradise via Currumbin Wildlife Park (chosen since it was cheaper than Australia Zoo – the Steve Irwin one) we thought our bus was a 5 minute journey, however being mocked for not realising Queensland did not opt for daylight saving (i.e. an hour behind) we arrived an hour and five minutes later. Upon our arrival we had a quick photo holding a baby croc before heading to the reptile show… “yippee, more snakes!” Following the reptile show Soph chose to hold a snake and I obviously stood back… just to make sure she was ok of course! The rest of the day was spent looking at Koala’s and hand-feeding lots of kangaroos.

Soph feeding Kangaroo mummy

After the wildlife park we head on the bus to Surfer’s Paradise where only myself and Soph were on the bus, so were duly given a commentated tour by our driver. The evening was spent with a $7 steak and chips – a deal put on by our hostel where we met up with Jude and Phil again,  as well as a Canadian couple – Mark and Steph.

The next day was spent lazing around the beach and body boarding, although since the area is known as Surfer’s Paradise we expected spectacular waves, however, instead, they were rather weak and ineffective compared to Byron Bay. In the evening we had a BBQ, again arranged by our hostel and afterwards we played a game called “in the pan” with a couple of guys from the British Armed Forces.

As Wednesday arrived we decided to venture into the main town. However unfortunately there was both little to do and see so instead we went to play crazy golf. Following a close encounter (much to my overly generous rules) we spent a couple of hours on the beach and eventually we journeyed back to the hostel. Since the hostel had not put on anything for dinner we instead chose to cook for ourselves, however the entertainment was not cut short. A rather strange Australian chap decided to attempt to tell every single person how wrong they were cooking their dinner and how instead it should be done; although this may not seem overly strange, it was the way in which he delivered his opinions as well as the way he dressed…jeans and workman’s boots in 30 degree heat, 90% humidity. The best bit of all was when he burnt his own dinner as he was too busy telling others how to cook – the personification of justice!

High and dirty looking Brisbane River

Thursday, and it was time to head to the flood affected Brisbane, where we were treated to the most modern and plush YHA yet! With most avenues for entertainment shut off due to the floods the previous week, there was little option but to roam the main CBD and shopping districts. Southbank, an area south of the river, newly opened to the public the previous year, was completely devastated. With all of the museums closed, as well as the artificial beach, we decided to stay in and cook steak and mini roast potatoes whilst overlooking the serene night scene of Brisbane.

Night scene over Brisbane from our hostel

Following a rather average nights sleep, wholly due to the rather odd smell of garlic which we suspected was due to the French couple sharing the room with us (and I know I haven’t given the greatest testament to the French within these blogs, however, garlic and French people, it’s the only reasonable explanation). Since Brisbane had so little to offer the previous day we headed out to Mount Coot-tha on Friday – a lookout over the city as well as surrounding areas. It does sound rather boring…and yes, it was – even the aboriginal art walk was unfortunately rather drab. Following the overly interesting day, we planned to have a feast of beans on toast. However, something was shining down on us as on the free shelf, there it was, bacon and eggs – a great way to end the day!

Fisheye view over Brisbane from Mount Coot-tha