Day 6: Byron Bay & Gold Coast

The early morning call of a flock of red parrots gently woke us up from our dreams today. After admiring the campground in daylight, we made our plan for the day over breakfast.

First, we packed up our things and walked down to the beach to go for a swim. We were overwhelmed by the view!

Sandy beach as far as the eye can see, waves like in the last Universum documentary, the Byron Bay lighthouse watching over the beach, and hardly any people around.

Since the current was so strong and the water quite cold, we decided to only dip our feet in the water and hop in the small waves breaking on the beach.

After finally tearing ourselves away from the beach, we drove to the small town of Byron Bay. None of our guidebooks or stories could prepare us for what awaited us there. The town, located right by the sea, is the surfer and hippie Mecca par excellence! (Hannah was happy!)

The town center consists of a collection of small, brightly painted or artistically graffitied houses. Additionally, there are countless shops offering sports equipment, bathing suits, jewelry, clothing, Aboriginal art, food, and more. At several street corners, you can observe long-established men with pink beards, dreadlocks, barefoot, in batik shirts, or even naked, playing music or simply enjoying the moment. Several wildly patterned vintage VW and Toyota buses pass by us. The drivers are young people who have converted them into caravans. We were so fascinated by the atmosphere there that we sat down in the nearest café to soak in all the impressions.

After taking a stroll through the streets, we headed to the only landmark in town, the lighthouse. Our path led us past breathtaking cliffs, where we had a great view of the sea and the surfers (tanned and sun-bleached hair - simply wonderful! Hannah was even happier!). At one point, we were even able to observe a pod of dolphins hunting and playing in the water.

On our way north to the Sunshine Coast, we drove along the Gold Coast Highway. We passed through places like Miami, Surfers Paradise, Mermaid Beach, Palm Beach, and Brisbane. Only the fact that we were driving on the wrong side of the road and the Australian flag reassured us that we hadn't taken a detour through America. Skyscrapers, wide streets, nightclubs, and a casino shaped the scene.

The contrast between these two coastal towns couldn't be greater!

Arriving at our new sleeping spot, we simply set up our tent, ate our delicious canned spaghetti, took a shower, and finally went to bed.

h&h