Spring Break Installment 6

September 28-30th

After listening to the strangest animals I've ever heard from inside the tent all night, we got up early to head over to Tin Can Bay, a short drive from Rainbow Beach. Every morning, a couple of volunteers feed two local dolphins, which return almost every morning to the boat ramp for a few kilos of fish before starting their daily feeding out in the ocean. We arrived just in time to catch a glimpse for a few minutes, and I got just this one picture before they left.

We loaded up and drove back over to Rainbow Beach to hang for a few hours, where we found bigger waves than anywhere before. After bodysurfing for awhile, we packed up and headed south towards Byron Bay.
We stopped in a town called Nimbin in the hills, a place everyone had told us to see. Turns out it is a tiny town but a huge hippie spot. The buildings were almost all painted like the magic bus or something, most stores sold rasta apparel and Che shirts, and the following business hours sign probably gives you an idea.

Anyway, the town was in a beautiful location in the hills that reminded me a lot of the farmlands of coastal Oregon. Feeling like I was at home somehow (the furthest I've ever been from home) was a great feeling.
When we got to Byron Bay, it was nearly impossible to find a place to stay. Apparently during school holidays, this was to place to go. We ended up in a caravan park down the road a few miles hanging with this guy:
He must've followed us all the way down from Crystal Cascades where we saw him in the rainforest. Anyway, Byron Bay proved to be a great spot. Except that someone stole my towel and board shorts (which were hidden inside the rolled towel) from in front of a coffee shop. Who steals a towel? Nice one ass hole. Good thing I had a backup pair. We got in some surfing on rental boards, although the waves were above and beyond what we could handle. It was a battle to run the gauntlet of waves just to get out and try to catch one. We also learned that there was a shark out past where we were surfing for most of the time, which was a spectacle for the people on the shore but apparently not really a concern for everyone surfing...?
Later on we drove up a small, winding road to the lighthouse to do something touristy. It was a good decision and provided a great lookout point to the surrounding area and the perfect spot for a group photo before heading back to Brisbane the next day.




The van got dropped off in Brisbane, Sam went his way into the city and the four of us remaining hopped on the train and went right back down to Surfer's Paradise, a seaside city complete with highrises, Starbucks and a looooooong beach.

The next blog will detail our time in Surfer's, but there was one thing I wanted to mention about Brisbane. The main motorway/highway is a toll road, but rather than using simple tollbooths or EZ passes like in the states (where we know how to do tolls, apparently), you have to call a hotline, give them your credit card information, and a complete, thorough description of your vehicle. In our case, that included where we had rented the campervan, where we were going, etc. The whole process must have taken ten minutes on the phone. Worst system ever.