Beach walk and flying foxes

G'day, dear home, I'm reporting to you about our next rain-free day:

Day 47: 07/10/2018 - Yamba

After our cozy, rainy day in the camper, the sun finally peeked through our curtains this morning. During breakfast, Julian and I discussed where we wanted to sleep tonight.

On the recommendation of our mechanic who had changed our battery, we had chosen the picturesque holiday town of Yamba as our destination for the day. He had not exaggerated when he spoke of the beautiful sandy beaches there: a short drive later, a path led us down to the white beach through dunes via wooden boardwalks. Like all the beaches here, it was expansive and wide. The coastline has changed towards the north. There are only a handful of palm trees left, instead dunes and cliffs line the beach. It was low tide, so we walked with bare feet in the crystal-clear water towards the south. Just like in Tweed Heads, we were amazed by the interplay of intense blue tones of water and sky. Splashing and chatting, we walked through the sand and watched the many dog owners who were walking their beloved four-legged ones on the beach. We reached the rocks that were exposed by the low tide and climbed on them towards the water. The tall waves broke frothing in front of us and splashed against the rocks. We observed the animals that the low tide had left behind on the rocks: snails, corals, and starfish could be seen in the water puddles on the rocks. In the distance, we spotted another jumping whale. Again and again, you could see the water splashing and the fountain shooting up into the air when it breathed. We sat down on one of the rocks for a few minutes, ate a cereal bar, and enjoyed the scene.

Then we returned to the car, where we ate our current favorite snack at a picnic table overlooking the ocean: fresh baguette with hummus and eggplant paste.

Satiated, we set off into the streets of Yamba, regardless of the fact that it was Sunday. Unfortunately, most stores and cafes were already closed on this early afternoon, so we drove to a camping site not far away. We had chosen a cheap pitch for just 10 AUD and therefore had no high expectations. But they were more than exceeded because we were greeted with a beautiful pitch right by the river with a view of a bridge. Julian sent a few voice messages home and I sat by the river in the evening sun and read my book. Before it got dark, we warmed up the spaghetti carbonara from the day before and ate while the sky above the river turned red and twilight set in.

When it was already dark, I got out of the car again to get the travel guide from the driver's cab. What I saw in the sky was... crazy! Excitedly, I screamed for Juli and we looked up in amazement. Hundreds (no, thousands!) of black flying foxes flew over our heads along the river, the entire sky was filled with them. This genus, which belongs to the largest bat species in Australia, leaves its resting places in colonies at twilight to go in search of food. Often, the animals cover extremely long distances during this time. From the camper, we watched as the huge flock flew over us for several minutes. After about a quarter of an hour, the sky cleared and there were fewer animals until they all disappeared.

At 8:15, Juli closed his eyes and I finished reading my book before falling asleep.

Best regards!

Juli and Nina 🐨