Byron Bay then a few days with friends

After surf school we went up to Byron Bay where we stayed in a backpacker lodge called the Arts Factory. It's a really cool place, with cafes, bars, spa, heated pool, cinema etc. and the accommodation is a bit different. There are loads of different places to stay - from dorms to tents, and we stayed in a 6 bed teepee for our first night. That's literally what it was - a solid teepee with 6 beds in it. It was a bit damp after it had been raining but still good. So good, in fact, that we decided to stay another night because it didn't work out any more expensive than anywhere else in Byron. During our stay we went on a tour to Nimbin. The little town of Nimbin, an hour inland from Byron, is an interesting place. It is known for it's total disregard for the laws against drugs so this is where people go to get supplies, and to smoke openly. The tours are for people to see the crazy town and the crazy people, and to buy marijuana if they like. It was a bit strange when we got stopped on the way in and the immigration police came on board our bus to check that we all had visas. Thought it was weird, but anyway we carried on into town. It's very hippy-ish with lots of funky little shops and some mad old hippies and slightly mental aborigines roaming around. Then the police arrived. I don't see why they don't just leave the town alone, it's fine as it is. Apparently the police rarely come here - just our luck they came today! The locals screamed and shouted at them, it was all quite amusing to watch. Anyway, we left the town after a couple of hours to go and have a BBQ lunch. Now our tour guide had warned us that once before, in all his 18years of taking these tours, he has only ever been stopped once before. He said if anybody had any illegal substances on them to put them on the floor, or throw them up in the luggage rack so the dogs don't find it in case we do get stopped by the police. Well, of course we did! They bought the sniffer dog on the bus, and found everything in the luggage racks so took it all away. The dog (who was the most beautiful Labrador - though we obviously didn't want to like him!) got particularly excited about 1 bag on the bus belonging to 3 Canadians. They denied having anything on them, but when the police discovered $300 dollars worth of a wide variety of marijuana products in the bag, they were officially cautioned. So the police ruined all our fun. The next day the story of the police crackdown in Nimbin made it into the newspapers, and as it turns out they didn't find any illegal immigrants. Well thank goodness for that...And to top it all off as the bus pulled away from the police it got a flat tyre which was just excellent. BBQ lunch was great though, it was 4pm by the time we managed to have it but it was worth the wait. First BBQ in Australia would you believe! `

We loved the Arts Factory so much that we ended up staying for 3 nights! Then on Sunday we met up with a friend of Mum and Dad's, Scott Sledge, who they met when travelling about 100 years ago. He picked us up from the local airport (took us a while to find him because he doesn't have a mobile...) and took us to his apartment on the beach in Kingscliff, right next to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. There we met his wife, Danielle. They have a lovely place, with a fantastic view across the creak which leads into the sea. We went snorkeling in the beautiful turquoise creek that afternoon and saw loads of fish and crabs. We stayed there for one night, enjoying the beautiful weather by the coast, then on the Monday Sledge and Danielle were heading to their other home up in the hills in Lillian Rock, near Nimbin so they took us with them, taking us out for a lovely Thai meal on the way. They tend to split their time between Kingscliff and Lillian Rock, so it was perfect timing for us to see both places! Sledge and Danielle own 101 acres of land up there, and they built their own house to their own specification. They are active supporters of the Green political party so as you can imagine, the house is very environmentally friendly. It is all built from the wood within the huge rainforest where they live, they only use solar power and collect rainwater from the roof for a steady water supply. They also have a self composting toilet, which is new to me. What I loved about their house was the fact that they put in huge windows everywhere to make the most of the stunning landscape, so the toilet actually looks straight out into the forest! The one downfall of the place was the MONSTER spiders everywhere. These were the biggest spiders I have ever seen in my life. Sledge assured us that they are huntsman spiders and completely "harmless", but I did have to apologise later for the screams in the night as Sam and I had to go to the toilet together at 3am as we were so scared! We stayed with Sledge for 2 nights and on our last night we went up to their son Sebastian's house, where he lives with his wife Ruby and their 1 year old daughter, Amelie. Sebastian built his own house on Sledge's land, but it's much more modern with TVs and normal bathrooms etc! I do admire the way they live, having built the house of their dreams, but I couldn't do it with all the spiders! Sledge and Danielle are highly active within local politics, often organising protests against any plans to disrupt the landscape or wildlife for example, so they are very busy at the moment. Sledge has made many proud appearances in the local newspapers for his "artwork" on the roads to protest car rallies in the area, so he is quite well known! Anyway, we had great fun staying with them and Josie - they are expecting you next!

We are now back in Byron Bay, going to a big music concert tomorrow up the coast where they are holding the international surf championships. Then on Saturday we will be heading up to Noosa, then we will do our Fraser Island tour which I'm really looking forward to. Sam and I are both quite burnt today, however many times everyone warns eachother how strong the sun is everyone still gets burnt on days like today! It's really hot and has been for the last 5 days or so, but there has just been a huge storm so I think it'll cool down a bit now. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear it is forecast to be cloudy tomorrow =(. Sorry but my card reader is not working so I will have to add more photos shortly...

xxxxxx

                                         Sledge, Danielle and I in Kingscliff (more to come)