We both woke up very early this morning for some reason, so we decided to get going and have breakfast somewhere enroute as we need to cover a good distance today. First stop was to return into town and snap the beautiful beaches this town has to offer.
It was just 07.30 and there were already people on the beach and surfing in the sea. Within a couple of clicks we were on our way towards Nambucca Heads about 50Kms up the coast. Upon arrival, just after 08.30, we decided to stop at a cafe for breakfast. Egg and Bacon roll and cinnamon toast were the order of the day, washed down with a couple of cups of English breakfast tea. Refuelled we headed for the beaches, but not before walking up the road past the most incredible pottery and mosaic marine sculpture that had been built along the side of the pavement.
Nambucca Heads sits at the estuary of – strangely enough – the Nambucca River and the sand banks and beaches are absolutely stunning. Along the side of the breakwater all the granite blocks have been decorated with messages either by individuals or families, some of which are colourful and witty and some are not.
Either way, the overall effect is quite pleasing, but equally it’s dangerous. Whilst your busy reading the messages or admiring the artwork, you can easily bump into someone or catch a passing skateborder and send them flying.
Next stop Coffs Harbour around 50Kms north of Nambucca Heads and as its name implies, there is a harbour which is home to a small fishing fleet as well as loads of yachts and motor cruisers.
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It also has some stunning long beaches that seem to be very popular with surfers, like so many in this area. After a tour of the harbour we strolled along some of the other beaches, snapping away.
From Coffs Harbour we headed some 150kms along the coast to Yamba, but not before a lunch stop at a small village called Ulmarra, which was just like some of the small towns we had seen in New Zealand. Little seems to have changed for best part of 100 years and many of the old buildings look original. In the case of one shop, we think the goods on sale must have been about the same age!!
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Lunch was a no brainer – home made chunky steak pie. One thing that the Kiwis and Australians have learnt to do really well is to make fabulous pies with all sorts of traditional fillings. We couldn’t resist walking along the main road and looking into the various different shops. Unfortunately most of them were closed for lunch!!
Topped up with food & drink, we continued our journey to Yamba, which also boasts golden sandy beaches and rolling surf. No wonder so many holiday makers and surfers flock to this stretch of coastline.
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Yamba also has the obligatory lighthouse, which when viewed against the azure blue skies looks just like a picture postcard. Time was drawing on and we still had around 150kms to go before reaching Byron Bay, our final destination for the day. Despite a significant number of roadworks and a few Sunday drivers we made Byron Bay just before dusk and booked into a decent motel, just outside of the town centre. This turned out to be a good move as it seems that Byron Bay is just like St Ives in Cornwall, in that it is full of young people who don’t seem to worry too much as long as they enjoy themselves. We saw no real signs of the hippy culture that was supposed to be present in Byron, but there were lots of guitar playing, booze blighted young people floating above the ground. Wasn’t like that in my day – couldn’t play a note. Lodging out of town was definitely a good move as the motel was clean, tidy and very quiet. As we had been introduced to the services clubs by John and Bev in Sydney, we called into the one in Byron Bay and enjoyed a hearty meal at sensible prices. Most people seem to eat very early out here as the restaurant was almost empty by 8.00pm.
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