Our week in Byron Bay is over, it’s really a great place. I did another dive on Friday at Julian Rocks, this time at The Needles. The visibility wasn’t as good as Tuesday’s dive due to strong currents so I didn’t see as much, although I saw a Moral Eel this time, a couple of turtles again and about a dozen Wobbegong sharks all together.
Foley got back from a couple of days in Brisbane on Saturday, and we went out to a club called Cheeky Monkeys. After midnight - and a few beers - it started hammering down outside. We couldn’t hear the rain because of the music but the whole club started flooding! It was up to three inches in some places. And they kept the place open! We walked a kilometre home that night in the pouring rain.
Over the weekend we finalised our plans for the next few weeks and did a bit of celeb spotting: we saw Tasha from Home and Away! She was signing a petition to save the whales or something. Very, very pretty - she looks even better in person. Stop day-dreaming Stephen. Right.
On Monday we checked out and took a bus south to Maclean, a small riverside town with low-built saloon-style buildings reminiscent of a John Wayne film. We were only here to wait for another bus to take us 12km east to the quaint coastal town of Yamba. We’re off the beaten track here and it’s all because Foley’s cousin has a flat here, an unoccupied one, which we are gratefully taking full advantage of. The place is mint, we’ve got TV/DVD, comfy sofas, all kitchen and washing facilities and a balcony with a sunset-over-the-river view. Opposite the flat is the town’s only pub. Beside the pub is the path down onto the beach. We’re located at the top of a Hovis-advert-style hill leading down to the few shops and cafes. It’s a nice town, friendly and close-knit. The locals are eager to ask you where you’re from and if you’re enjoying your stay.
So we’ve decided to have a few days chilling out here and saving some cash, playing frisbee on the beach and watching DVDs, as we have a busy few weeks ahead of us as we work our way up the east coast - more on that later.