There's gold in them thar dunes

DAY 12
Location: Byron Bay
Temp: 10 C (Brr!)
Weather: Overcast with patches of sun. Would have been much warmer without the breeze.
Activities: Walk to the lighthouse, surfing!
Accommodation: Backpackers Inn

The view opened up on the path to the lighthouse and I was just blown away by the sight. Byron Bay, you should belong to Gold Coast because you are golden.

Well, I technically passed the Gold Coast last night, but there is certainly something magical about Byron Bay.

Maybe it's the perpetual orange and pink blaze over the rugged purple coast of New South Wales, or the seemingly endless rights crumbling in a surfer's dream over the shore, or the easy, relaxed demeanor of its residents, but Byron Bay is a beauty on all counts. I think I can grasp why Australians swear on the cool sands and warm waves of this bay over Brisbane. Having been here for a full day, I really wish I could have stayed longer even as my schedule pushes me farther down the coast.

I had a bit of a rough night last night. I was in a 4-bed dorm and quickly made friends with  Tasha, my only roommate for the night and a vegan surfer girl. We both agreed on the merits of going to bed early to get up early and we did just that. But the room we're in is freakin' cold. I actually couldn't fall asleep until I unwound my sleeping bag and lay under it, my sheet, and my blanket to get warm. It was just that cold. (I think our sliding door doesn't seal properly, so all the cold just leaks in. It was terrible, but the fleece sleeping bag saved me.)

I studied this map awhile trying to choose the best route to the lighthouse and ended up taking the longest way around. It was a workout but worth it.

Sleeping in longer than I'd meant, I finally rolled out of bed around 9 a.m. and decided to walk the 3 miles or so to the famous lighthouse over Byron from the hostel. Happily, I had a gone shopping the day before and had a fruit bar, Snickers, and half a baguette left to my name. I ate the fruit bar and packed the rest for the hike because it was going to be a long one!

I came across this sign on the walk and was surprised to see it in two languages:  English and one I assumed to be aboriginal. The declaration above is in fact from the Bundjulung Jugun peoples that populated the space between Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay.

I set out around 10 a.m. and I checked out the little corner mom and pop stores bursting with character all along the way before turning off on the beach path and heading to the hike around the eastern-most point of Australia. I stopped several times because I was caught watching this diagonal surf crumbling in these beautiful, clean cut, perfect rights and the surfers just slicing along the crystal faces. The place was called the Pass. A-freakin-mazing. I wanted to go in right then it looked like so much fun! But I continued on the hilly, roundabout path to the lighthouse.

Behold the easternmost point in Australia. I was a bit too tired to walk the trail down the finger, but it was still neat to see.

The estimated hour it was supposed to take took me about double that as I paused to watch this huge pod of dolphins catching the surf on the eastern side of the horn. There had to be 30+ individuals just hanging out, having fun. I spoke with some locals as I wheezed hello on the crest of a hill and they knew I was American right away. They commended me for walking and I told them they were smart to drive.

Success! The Cape Byron Lighthouse at last!  This is a picture of the lighthouse from the Wategos Beach trail.

But I finally made it to the modest white lighthouse and took in all the surrounding panoramic views of the coast. Marveling at the perpetual sunset on the horizon and the dolphin pod on the other end. I wandered into the lighthouse museum and made fast friends with one of the volunteers there who took it upon himself to educate me on some of the more interesting bits of the tower.

I didn't see any whales this time around, there was a massive pod of dolphins playing in the surf. I found this board informative.

He took good care of me and gave me the last ticket for the 12:15 p.m. tour of the lighthouse light. So, 25 minutes later, I was standing at the top of the lighthouse and snapping more pictures of the fantastic view at a new vantage. It was gorgeous! I chatted a bit with my tour guide also, who nailed that I was American from the start, I keep wondering what gives it away, my "accent" or my dress. We talked about the dolphins and he enquired where I was from, always a fun exchange.

If you watch very carefully, you can see dolphins jumping out the backs of these waves.

I headed back down the winding path and paused at one overlook to eat my leftover baguette, but really didn't need to as I stopped at the Pass Cafe for some lunch around 1:45 p.m. I decided to indulge for this lunch because one, I was hungry, and two, this place was just neat! The laid back atmosphere, wooden deck overlook, I'd seen it on the way out and already knew I wanted to stop there for a bite.

I'd guzzled most of my moccha waiting for my cheeseburger-without-cheese-please to come out. It was delicious treat after I'd starved myself for so long. Budget be damned, I'm at the Pass!

I ordered a cheeseburger without cheese, simply because it was the cheapest meat item on the menu, and got weird looks for it. "You want a cheeseburger...without the cheese? So...you just want...the meat...and the bun?" Even the cook teased me about it. But whatever, I had chips and ketchup (er, tomato sauce...) so it was all good! I also ordered a moccha (correct spelling) which was delicious and just the pick-me-up I needed. It still made for an expensive lunch though. To my surprise, everyone I'd spoken to at the lighthouse, the volunteer, guide, and another guy, all showed up to eat there for lunch! I waved hello and they grinned and waved back. 

As I got my order, a cheeky magpie flew down on the deck rail, three feet from me I kid you not, and eyed my fries. Beautiful bird. We watched each other very closely, but with very different motives. My lighthouse volunteer friend leaned in and asked "Making friends with the wildlife already?" I sure was. The magpie eventually gave up, but not until my plate was clean. I wished a good lunch to my lighthouse friends and headed back along the beach where I stopped next to an Aussie man watching the surf.

LOOK! Look at those clean, even sets! There was a surfer on each rivet at one point, just gliding along. And the 'sunset' colors may not be so apparent here, but I swear, Byron Bay was this perpetual sunset place! I wanted to get out in that.

We chatted a good twenty minutes me and this surfer. He told me all about the area and how he'd surfed it for thirty years. I wanted to get out there too and he encouraged me to go! He was wondering if he should go back in himself as the waves had cleaned up that afternoon. My clock was reading 2:30 p.m. or so, still plenty of time to shred, but he said the little voice was telling him to go home and I advised him to listen to it, I always regretted it when I didn't.

I continued on along the beach, watching the cut-glass surf, the surfers, and just the people lounging about on the headland watching. The wave symphony went from the gentle applause of rain to the roar of commercial jets and back again as it ran up the beach. The soft pastels, the caress of the breeze. And the magic set in. Wow, I can't even describe it, this vibe. Peace, maybe.

Another shot of those gorgeous waves coming in from the Wategos Beach trail.

I passed my hostel on the way back but navigated to it in short order and teetered on the edge of whether or not to rent a board myself. The air was cold. The water had to be colder. But as I watched the newbies struggle and flop, my mind made up, and I raced back to the hostel to rent a board. I was back on the beach in my gear and board under my arm in a flash.

The surfing rules in Waikiki are--there are none. The constant influx of tourists who have no idea what they're doing choke the beaches and the instructors are no better. I was all too happy to be educated by this board board before starting a surfin' turf war with the locals.

It was 3:30 p.m. by this time and the sun was already setting. Studying the waves a bit, I chose a spot that was relatively free of surfers but still had a decent break and I went in. To my surprise, the water was warm. Warmer than the air anyway which really threw me, but I plunged in and hopped on my board. The first thing I noticed was the board was shorter than my longboard back home. My 8'8" supported my whole body and then some, this 7' was a shock as my feet dangled for shark bait, but I actually managed to catch and ride my first attempt, though it was short-lived. I tried for a few more and found myself either sliding off because of the poor wax job or falling out the back as the wave diminished. That, and the freakin' current was unreal! I'd be neatly lined up and 10 seconds later, I was thirty feet down the coast, I'm not even kidding.

Tired of fighting the current, I gave up early and trudged up the beach to sit in full melancholy over the less than stellar experience. And while I sat miserable, dripping in the cold, I turned my eyes to where the rest of the surfers were by the  hooked mast of The Wreck, an actual sunken boat maybe 50 yards out from shore, and hesitated. Pros mixed with newbies in two distinct sets, an inner and an outer. I paid $16 for 3 hours on this board, I'll be damned if I didn't catch a decent wave in Oz. Maybe I could try the inner set. So I set out again.

This time was MUCH better. The current was still rough and hauled me down the beach, but I could walk on the bottom here and I fought to get myself in position. Here they came. These sweeping mountains of liquid majesty. I jumped on my board and shoved through the first set because I wasn't quite in the right spot to launch, but as that set diminished and I paddled out, the next one came.

I spun my board back to shore as this monster came bearing down on me and I paddled, paddled, paddled, felt the lift, seized the rails, popped up and sliced all in once motion. It was the most beautiful, most awesome moment ever as I shredded the face of this curling wave as tall as I was like some seasoned surfer on this 7' board; cutting back, sliding down to a bottom turn again, and falling out the back when the wave closed out.

It. Was. AWESOME.

I caught a few more until  the fierce current coupled with my exhaustion and I was done. I had to have been out a good hour and a half, at least an hour in the water--I always lose track. I caught one last wave, mostly white wash, to save myself the paddle in and made it to the beach. The air was absolutely frigid coming out of the water and I hopped back to the hostel for a very hot shower, feeling accomplished and more than a bit buzzed by the experience. Might have graduated to a new level there. 

I took one last jaunt to secure some dinner because saimin just wasn't going to cut it tonight, so I hiked to Woolworth's for a bag of salad, I hovered over the chicken, but it was just too much to eat in one sitting. And I didn't plan to stay overnight, no way I was spending money on expensive food I would not eat. I settled for the salad to tide me over to tomorrow.

I can readily admit I'll be sad to leave this little paradise of Byron Bay. I hardly knew you.