The other day, before said printer shambles, we had our international student orientation. After this assembly, we have no real obligations until classes start this coming week, so a few other Americans and I decided to head south to Byron Bay for a few days. The easternmost spot in Australia, Cape Byron was named after the poet Lord Byron’s grandfather. Apparently someone thought the area was named after Lord Byron himself, so the town (Byron Bay) and its streets (Keats, Dryden, Jonson, Marvell, etc.) are named after poets…needless to say, I was obsessed from the start. We hopped off the bus (it’s only a two hour drive from Brisbane) and walked past dozens of shops, cafés, and spas. Byron is a classic beach town that reminded me specifically of Martha’s Vineyard, complete with eclectic storefronts, pedestrian-friendly streets, and the ocean within 200m of our hostel. Glorious.
Once we dropped our bags we started booking plans for our stay; sea kayaking was on top of the list. In order to take all five of us together, the company basically needed to pick us up right then and there, an “inconvenience” for which we received a $10 discount! The experience was worth every penny though. After suiting up in wet suits:
(I know, what a joke) we practiced some rowing, dragged the unthinkably heavy double kayaks to the edge of the Pacific Ocean (it was the first time I’d been in it!!), and set off on our adventure. The goal of the trip was to see some marine life: turtles, dolphins, whales, whatever we could find. It was slow going at first, though I was absolutely fine with letting myself be mesmerized by the perfectly clear aqua water underneath our boat. We soon took a break for afternoon tea, featuring Tim Tam explosions.
I need to explain this, because it is literally the best thing I have ever tasted. Tim Tams are Australian cookies, or “biscuits” as they would say, and it is a crime that we don’t have them in the States. They come in different variations, but the basic ones are two chocolate cookies with chocolate in the middle, all dipped in chocolate. Per.fec.tion. For a Tim Tam explosion, you bite off opposite corners, suck coffee or hot chocolate through the cookie, then let it implode in your mouth. Everyone should try this at some point in their life.
So, after our beachy picnic, we walked up to a lookout point, where we got to watch some whales splashing and spraying in the distance. I also picked up my first souvenir at this point: a broken toe. No but really. Perhaps braving the rocky, uneven path down the side of the large hill instead of taking the stairs was not the best idea. I haven’t had it x-rayed or anything, but my toe is all sorts of purple. The best part is, for those of you who remember my freshman year stress fracture incident, it’s the same toe. What a joke. But no worries, like any fearless adventurer I was able to carry on, and good thing I did because on the way back we were treated to quite a performance by playful dolphins jumping in front of and swimming around our kayaks. It was pretty unreal, steering our little boats in the hugeness that is the Pacific in pursuit of some dolphins that call it home. A great way to start off our trip.
The following day we took a bus to Nimbin, a teeny town about an hour and a half inland that is known for one thing: marijuana. The people here, who can justifiably be called hippies, are all for marijuana use and ending prohibition. Though drugs, including weed, are illegal in Nimbin (as they are in the rest of Australia), it seems the authorities are not cracking down here too much. The locals we encountered seemed extremely proud of their little town, and it was definitely an interesting place to see:
That’s part of one room inside the town’s museum; it was almost overwhelming to walk through! Speaking of overwhelming, when I say we took a “bus,” I mean this:
Too funny. After spending some time in Nimbin, the tour carried on to a rainforest café where we ate lunch, then to a swimming hole in the woods where we roasted marshmallows. Our last stop was in a tiny village called Uki (lumber shipped to the UK from this village was stamped “UK1,” but people read it as Uki, hence the town’s name), where we saw bats hanging from the trees and took a break in a local pub. This tour was especially cool because it allowed us to see rural Australia and to get a glimpse of a way of life we can’t see from the uni and city settings we’re usually in.
Today, our last day in Byron, was a rainy one. Luckily, we were able to sit on the beach and enjoy views of the Cape Byron lighthouse, the beautiful blue water, and the surrounding boulders and mountains before the drops started coming down.
The rest of the day was spent shopping and sampling Byron Bay-made ice cream, which was some of the most delicious I’ve tasted in a long time!
After the two hour bus ride home, plus another bus from the city out to campus, I entered my flat to be whisked away by my flatmate to my other flatmate’s birthday dinner. She turns 21 tomorrow, and although the drinking age here is 18, it seems that 21st birthdays are still a big deal. The dinner, attended by friends and family of the birthday girl, was a delicious whirlwind of entrees (called “mains” here – for the Aussies, an appetizer is called an entrée!), cheese and crackers, desserts, coffee, and cake. I’m pretty sure I won’t need to eat for the rest of the weekend! It was such a treat to be able to attend this dinner, to meet my flatmate’s friends and family, and to do it without other American study abroad students. It’s been my goal from the beginning to really immerse myself in the Australian way of life, and tonight I felt that I was able to do just that.
This weekend I plan to venture into the city and enjoy my last few days before classes begin. As excited as I am to travel and see as much of this country as I possibly can, I’m equally as excited to get to know Brisbane and make it my own. I will keep you posted. Love y’all!
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