You have probably seen it on surf wear, read about it in magazines or heard it in songs. “You going to Aus? Byron Bay?” A common sentence we have heard in the last few months. Let’s face it - even thousands of miles away, London’s streets are full of their influence - what with Byron Burger becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for a reliable feed.
A few hours south of Brisbane and with easy road access - Byron is everything it is cracked up to be. The center of town, albeit small, is heaving with options for caffeine addicts and foodie critics. Funky cafes serve up sumptuous brunches and perfectly roasted coffees in the morning, they give way to the bar scene in the afternoon. Pale ales and craft lagers are poured as schooners before the buskers come alive.
On every street corner and piece of road that will allow - extremely talented musicians turn the street into mini festivals. When you get bored of one - the next is a moment away - strumming their own songs or covering classics. Along our stroll - Tay Oskee was performing some of his tracks. Worth a listen if you want to support a talent. So good - the crowd spilt into the road as increasing numbers of passers by became listeners.
Not only the streets, but the beach boardwalk sways to the strumming of acoustic guitar at night. As the sun set over the peninsula - we pulled up a pew on the grass, captivated by a trio of talented gents singing fan favorites. The Beatles, Coldplay and Vance Joy all made the playlist, alongside some of their own numbers. I can’t tell you how awesome this was. Like a concert but free. Like a concert but with a far better back drop. Wow.
With the choice of cafes endless and the reviews all raving - to say you are spoilt for choice is an understatement. Having scoured the net and thoroughly researched the guidebook we opted for Bay Leaf. Outdoor seating and a handful of people waiting - surely this was the ticket. I went for a sweet potato flat bread with seasonal veg and garlic fried eggs. I cannot express how good this was. I hope the picture does it justice! Sorry. The coffee was on point too.
With so many coffee joints on offer - it would have been rude to abstain from 11ses. So we pulled up a chair at Combi Cafe for round two. Beautiful people worked behind the bar, oozing everything this cafe stood for. The coffee menu sizeable - I stuck with what I knew. You guessed it the flat white. Another awesome little spot and worth the pause from the sun!
An amble around the CBD as it is called, confronted us with a real caulker of a deal. Byron Boards had a sale on second hand boards. With the green light from the accountant and with a warm reception from Mr Gray - we eventually decided on two long boards.
Used I may add. A beautiful longboard and a bright green number - capable of all sorts of tricks of used by the right owner. Grateful to the fellow welshy working in the store - for chucking in free fins, leashes and cheaper bags - the next obstacle was the Suzuki swift. For those readers with limited knowledge of a Suzuki swift - picture a Polo and then cut off the boot. That’s what we were rocking with.
We pushed, we squeezed and we opted for the Uber style of travel. Zoe made her way into the back. Eventually - the boot was shut and the two boards were ours. With new enthusiasm for waves and the surf life we headed to the beach. Byron beach is a stunning stretch of sand, sweeping across a dune backed bay. Lifeguards keep a watchful eye on swimmers, whilst surfers of all levels play in the neighboring waters. Needless to say - having wrestled to get the boards into the Swift, the girls first outting had to wait.
Before we knew it dinner time came calling. Sticky wicket had us salivating at their happy hour prices. $1 chicken wings and $5 beers - we were caught. Some may say hook line and sinkered! A good feed and a light stroll through the buskers to work off the cals - we headed back to the Aviary for the night.
Ah, the Aviary. That hell hole just outside Byron. In all honesty we should have known it was too good to be true when the price on booking was a good $40 cheaper than anywhere else. But - the reviews were ok - so what could be so bad?
You pull in to what can only be described as a Gypsy yard. Old caravans and dusty cars with shabby tents line the perimiter of disused rugby club. In the corner, a white marquee acts as the reception for the famed Aviary residence. There are two options here - the deluxe van or the cheaper double - the tent. With funds at an all time low - we had gone for the tent. Paper work ticked off and the site rules explained - we were walked to the tent. 1E. I’ll never forget it!
On arrival - the door was unzipped. Inside - two single air beds without any bed sheets, a mouldy pillow and a sweaty used sleeping bag. Ah, how cozy!! In any case - it was cheap, it was only one night.
However, at 11 o clock after a good chat to some fellow Brits - we headed to bed. The smell of dank sweat and the musky mould repugnant. Outside, the party continued long into the early hours with no rest bite as a result of the tent fabric offering zero noise protection. As the night wore on and the fellow campers became more intoxicated - a fight kicked off between an Aussie and an Iranian gentleman. Language was being thrown about which you wouldn’t want your parents to hear as girls screamed and boys flexed their guns.
To add insult to injury - just as the bastards calmed down - the heavens opened. Thunder rumbled and lightning lit up our tent. Water poured down the sides of the tent. At this stage the fact my body was pressed against three of four sides of the tent became less than amusing. My feet, jutting out of the door completely soaked. It was at roughly this stage of the night - having had about twenty minutes of sleep - I needed the toilet but remembered the toilet block, or shall I say rugby changing room - was a good 700 meters away.
7am and we were both awake, greasy and positively miserable. We couldn’t get to the cramped Suzuki quick enough! To work off the frustration we went to the boardwalk and headed towards the lighthouse on a little Jog. On the cliff edge and in the tree tops - this boardwalk is an attraction in itself. Beautiful views sweep across the bay as early go getters paddle in the breaking waves. It says something about the place that at 0730 - the thing was heaving with walkers, joggers and families, all keeping active, healthy and enjoying the outdoors.
Despite the awful Aviary - Byron is a place I could stall for a long time. The cafe culture is what I expected from aus, the beach is superb, the boardwalk beautiful and the buskers the icing on the cake. I was gutted we had to leave - It’s all good though - we are already planning our return. Watch this space!