From Bundaberg Bel and I headed south down the coast. Travel was slow with lots of holiday traffic and road works (always on the holidays!). We stopped off at Burleigh Heads for a flying lunch with Bel’s aunty Colleen – we had to park in a 15min zone so it was a very quick visit 😳. We managed to squeeze out half an hour without a ticket so all good.
We arrived in Byron at about 2.30 and it was so nice to be back. We were very keen to get back to Byron and had been lucky enough to book a site for 4 nights in the same caravan park that we stayed in last time, right on the beach in the centre of town.
After a tricky setup on a very slopy site we headed over to the the pub to grab dinner and watch the Footy finals (NRL and AFL). Great atmosphere and exciting games made for a late night..
… And a very slow start the next day, especially for me – Bel’s a machine! After bacon and eggs, two cups of tea, and a cup of coffee, I started to get back to normal. And by late morning I was ready for a walk around town. It had its usual Byron buzz of activity, with such a broad spectrum of people – very infectious. We grabbed some lunch and then headed to the beach for the remainder of the day.
Monday morning we were up early and on our bikes riding out to the lighthouse. It’s half ride half walk to get there – we had done it last time we were here. The walk to the top certainly gets the heart started and well worth it as the views are spectacular. This time there were whales everywhere, a steady stream of spouts and splashes, but unfortunately I didn’t have my SLR with me and it was too far for the iPhone – so no photos. Still, Bel was a happy girl – she loves her whales.
While we were up top we saw a kayak tour group paddling out to the whales so we tried to book on our way down but they were full.
On the way back to camp we grabbed a coffee and sat in the park overlooking the beach, and watched the hive of activity in the park, the shops and on the beach.
We headed back to camp for bbq pork ribs for lunch before heading down to the beach for the afternoon. The temperature was perfect at 28C and clear, but the water was still cold.
In the evening we went across to the pub for a drink before walking back along the beach front. Along the way we came across a group of bongo drummers entertaining the crowd.
The next day we took the kayak down to the beach and launched. There was a bit of a swell, only small, but not something we’re used to and enough to make it interesting. Once out the back we paddled around the bay and headed out towards the area off the point that the whales usually passed. We couldn’t see any whales and the wind was coming up so didn’t hang around long – the combination of swell, wind, and shark attack the previous day had me worried we were in over our heads. So we paddled back and drifted a little looking for dolphins but didn’t find them either! Once we’d had enough we paddled back to shore and were able to catch two small waves in without capsizing – a first for us😀
It was a great paddle, so enjoyable to be out on the bay and in the kayak again.
That afternoon we headed out for a seafood feast at Fishheads. The food was beautiful. I had the Barramundi which was good but had major food envy when I saw Bel’s Seafood mixed grill – Grilled lobster, squid, prawns, Barra and Salmon!
After a walk along the beach to help down lunch we headed back to camp, grabbed a bottle of wine, cheese and biscuits and set up in the campground park overlooking the beach. It was our last night in Byron and we wanted to watch the whales go by.
There were a lot around and this time I had the SLR. Still a long way away, but very playful. Would have been great to be on the kayak.
