This is the life of a backpacker with two feet and a heartbeat. There's adventures, misadventures, and everything that comes in between. Follow my stories and I'll tell it the way it is-one country at a time!
Its been a few weeks since I left Byron Bay, and I just now found these photos! My last day in Byron we headed up to the famous Byron Bay Lighthouse, which rests bare to the wide ocean on the most easterly cape of Australia. I can only imagine the sunrise here! Popular walking trails with gaping views lead up to this lighthouse at the Byron Bay look-off point.
Its definitely a beautiful place, Id love somewhere like this to go
every morning. Take a walk with a tea, spend half an hour just listening
to the ocean crash on the rocks and miss the crowds..Great place for
thinking. The view from the top is literally almost 360. Its definitely
worth going.
One day atClovely Grove, our wwoof
host, Scott decided to take me and the boys down toLennox Head Beach, just a short drive fromByron BaySince the surf was poor and the Pacifics coastal waters were still frigid, we crossed the street and headed for the huge fresh-water, Tea Tree Lake instead!
Surrounded by tea
trees, (Melaleuca alternifolia) the lake is steeped like actual tea from the fallen leaves of
this native eastern-Australian tree. This yellow oil has been known and used by the Australian aborigones for years, but the benefits are just becoming known to the rest of us.
The lake looked a little intimidating, appearing black in color, but once you get in you realize the water is actually very clear, and stained a yellow/red/brown color. You think you will enter the lake to step on squishy, slimy leaves but to your surprise will find only soft sand! Those who chance it are getting a real spa
treatment, for free.
The Benefits
Scott, Scott, and Nick jump in first!
Tea tree oil yields a world of natural benefits to us. Since the oil acts as a curative to infectious organisms (bacteria, fungi, virus) it can be useful for several ailments and for cosmetic applications. For example;
Conditioners: It can be useful as a conditioner for
your skin and hair, including treatment of: sunburns, oily skin, acne, warts, insect bites, dandruff and even cases of head lice!
Deodorant: I use a tea-tree oil deodorant, which is a healthier
alternative to the aluminum found in all standard deodorants (which
by the way have been proven to be linked to breast cancer in women.) How Does It Work? The tea tree oil helps prevent bacteria from forming, the same bacteria which
produces body odor. Essentially this oil works at the root level to
prevent the odor, (rather than using chemicals and perfumes which
stop the body from sweating, a process necessary to rid bodies of harmful toxins) or just cover up the smell!
Medical Conditions:
Tea
tree oil has been reported to help with infections ranging from a cough
and common cold, to asthma, cold sores and chicken pox. Its really quite amazing! Its also suggested
that it can be a good alternative to more common antibiotics which
decrease the strength of your immune system!(1) In North America tea-tree oil products can be hard to
find, or quite expensive, but here in eastern-Australia they are
abundant and cheap as chips! If only we had a lake like this at home!
--Who needs chemical shampoo, conditioner, or deodorant when you could just jump
in the nearest tea tree lake?-- Not this girl! More Info on Tea Tree Oil, Uses, and Recipes to Home-Made Remedies Click Here!
In order to learn more about Australians, their culture and way of life, Scott and I decided to do some "Wwoofing". W.W.O.O.F, stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. (To learn more or become a member, click here.)
How Wwoofing Works: The basic principle of WWOOF is that you volunteer to work on an organic farm in exchange for room and board. It is up to you to seek a farm particular to your interests and speak with the farmers directly. I have done a lot of wwoofing in Canada, but it was all new to Scott. We decided to give it a go, and called "Clovely Grove" just outside of Byron Bay, New South Wales. A few days later My Roaming Backpack was unpacking for a few days at a Macadamia Plantation! Clovely Grove: Clovely Grove is a beautiful oasis on a Macadamia farm. Originally
the land was over-run by invasive species, but Scott (the owner/our wwoof host)
and his friend Mark removed them and replaced them by introducing native species. Only
eight years later, the property has been transformed- the native species have flourished in their habitat. Yet, there is still
work to be done. Mark picked us up from The Arts Factory and explained to us that we would be
helping with the introduction of more new species and take part in the
regeneration process of Clovely Grove.
I learned how to identify a fruitless grapefruit tree! ( See the leaves in my hand in above picture.) and I saw the tallest Bird of Paradise Ive seen yet- must have been atleast 20 ft. tall! But to top it all off, I watched a cow jump over a fence, LITERALLY. (Sorry, no pic!)
In the meantime, our host, Scott was great. He welcomed us
into his home immediately and went out of his way to make sure he showed us all the
attractions in the area. Just to name a few we checked out Tea Tree Lake
in Lennox Head, Boulder Beach, Sharpe BeachBelongil Beach, and the famous Lighthouse.
Our wwoof host releasing a python after rehabilitating it/ Me cleaning the deck/ Scott dipping the chooks feet in Linseed oil to prevent parasites- this was pretty amusing to watch considering they had to catch the chooks first!
Breakfast at Clovely Grove was always a highlight: fresh free-range
eggs from the chooks, fried tomatoes and mushrooms soaked in butter, and
freshly-squeezed juice, hells ya! Dinners were always fun too, and
Scott's friend, Mark was an amazing cook! After dinner we would watch footie, or have some good laughs watching ridiculous Aussie reality shows like "The X-Factor" or something-rather, "The Farmer Picks A Wife"? One night we spent
hours on end watching Australian music videos on youtube, and the
following night Canadian music. It was great to show each other some of
our favs, except I think we may have scared Scott a little with "Oh Canada" by Classified and "Rock
you" by Helix. Oops! :P
Australian Band, Goanna, Singing "Solid Rock" a song about the aboriginal conflict
Goodbye New South Wales Only a few days into our stay I was surprised with a call from an employment agency I had contacted a few weeks prior. I was being offered a position with a good salary in Queensland, about 3 hours away. Accepting the job would mean cutting my wwoofing experience short, and not being able to help restore the land at Clovely Grove.
However, it also meant being able to potentially extend the overall reach of my travels. My flight to South Africa in 2013 has already been purchased, but I would also like to visit New Zealand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, possibly India, and lately Ive been dreaming of Mongolia and Russia. Keeping my final goals in mind, I decided it was best to accept the job and carry on to Queensland. Scott (my travel-mate) and Scott (my wwoof host) were both very understanding. We enjoyed the relaxing weekend together before they both dropped me off at the bus station in Lismore. We went our separate ways, them back to Byron, me, Queensland bound.
Thank you Scott (and Mark) for making me feel welcome and sharing your life :)
My Roaming Backpackfinally reached Byron Bay, and..Im in love! Yep, that
pretty much sums it up! Ive been thinking about how to describe Byron
to all of you, but its really difficult. Much like The Arts Factory,
we are speaking of such a high level of awesomeness here, that words
just don’t, and wont do it justice. Nevertheless, Ill give it a
shot, but please keep in mind that this really only scratches the
surface of the true vibe of Byron.
Byron Bay marks the most easterly point
of Australia, and is famous for being one of the best surf spots in the entire world! one of the, if not the most popular tourist town
of this country. It is a clean, relaxed, colorful, positive, hip,
chic, earthy, organics, local/fresh-produce kinda town.Everyone
loves it; the locals, the beach bums, surfers, party-people,
tourists, grand-parents, children, nature-lovers, wild-life
enthusiasts, farmers, merchants, backpackers, hippies, musicians-
everyone. At the risk of sounding like a cliche
tourist advertisement, its true, there is something here for everybody. So far, in the 6 weeks Ive spent
in Australia, it is my favorite place to be, and I can see myself
going back there, again and again.. and again! Since Ive left Byron,
people ask “So, where'd you last come from?”, when I say Byron,
they reply “Lucky!”, or “Im so jealous!” If you're not there,
you want to be, even if you don't know it yet!
The town is a precious gem of calm,
situated in between other average, chaotic, "box-store" commercialized
towns. However the Shire of Byron Bay is committed to keeping its
wholesomeness in tact. You will not find a Target, or McDonald's here,
and probably never will! The town boasts its commitment to small
businesses, and local products and the residents voice
their opinions strongly about changes in the community. They
have a large pull, and fight to keep Byron from becoming
commercialized like surrounding towns, and to maintain their identity
as a small, ethical, artistic haven (as I read in the local paper, The Echo) There
are strict town laws about littering, and even throwing a cigarette
butt on the ground will lead to a $200 fine. It is refreshing to see
a group take such pride in their community and work to protect it's image, history and message to the world- GO TEAM BYRON!
The town is composed of only a few
small streets that back-up Byrons beautiful Main Beach. I hope it
stays this way, and I hope in the future they will be turned into
walking streets. Walking down the streets is such a huge part of the
experience. You see buskers on just about every corner,
playing just about every instrument, and singing -you name it, they're
there.
My favorite was hearing a man sing “Imagine” by John
Lennon, and a girl who was playing the harp beautifully. It makes you
stop for a moment, and listen- and that is when you are truly alive,
when you are in the moment.
I think it is great what the Byron
community does, and I'm sure a lot people are grateful like me. I hope
they never stop. During my visit, I heard that Byron has the
highest population of artists per capita, and is home to one of
my favorite musicians, Ben Harper. It is also the birth place of The
Arts Factory, The Blues Fest and so many other music festivals.
Check out this Ben Harper music video-
it was filmed in Byron Bay, Lennox Head
and surrounding areas. I was just there!
Taking a tour of the town you will
seemingly go back in time. You will see 70's muscle cars,
rainbow-painted hippie vans, hippie chicks and dudes, drum circles,
local markets, vegetarian restaurants, heaps of local, hand-made
jewellery, natural-material clothing, natural cosmeticsand health
products, organic hair salons, hand-rolled incense, legal smoking
herbs, didgery-doos and djembe drums! Then theres the handful of
beaches and hiking trails, the magnificent view from the famous
lighthouse, the beautiful beach houses, fresh-sea food restaurants,
beach pubs selling the local brews and wine, boutique coffee shoppes
and book stores, surf schools, souvenir and travel shoppes, the list
goes on and on!
It just doesnt get much better then
this! After hitting the beach, and strolling the streets of Byron all
day, sun-kissed, in shorts and flip-flops ( or as the Aussies call
them, “thongs”) you really feel like you walked straight out of a
classic Australian movie. It doesnt take long to get used to summer
living here, thats for sure!
How can I say this? This is the coolest place on the planet! Okay, okay, so I haven't seen the whole planet- but I just don't know how else to convey the sheer awesomeness of this haven! It is by far, hands down, without a doubt the coolest hostel- if you can even call it that. It is a hostel, a.k.a. budget accommodation for backpackers, but- it is so much more!
The Arts Factory Backpacker Lodge is an eco-friendly, artistically-centered hostel, and was the
perfect introduction to Byron Bay! What a true reflection about what this "alternative lifestyles community" is all about; nature, art, healing, love. There is an energy alive here that is hard to quantify with words, that which I have found in few other places. It made me happy to know places like this can exist in today's world.It seems to attract happy, peaceful, artistic individuals and promotes an atmosphere of acceptance and love. Its not "just hippies".
TAKE A TOUR FOR YOURSELF!
{History:
"In the 70’s many hippies, local and
international artist’s created the ‘Arts Factory Village’! In the 80’s
it was an internationally recognized rock and roll venue. The
‘Birthplace’ of much of the fame and spirit of Byron Bay, as a
backpackers hostel it still maintains that original spirit today. The Arts Factory Village was also the
birthplace of the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and is now home to
a diverse range of businesses offering a unique selection of
accommodation, food, entertainment, arts, health & well-being.."-from About the Arts Factory, Byron Bay}
I slept in a gigantic tee-pee for two nights, it was such a cool experience. The Arts Factory also has cabins, garden burees, dorm rooms, private rooms, camp-sites and other funky abodes! When I woke up in the morning, I was in love! The
eco-friendly hostel was well-integrated into this "jungle oasis" which had been developing over the last 40 years! Massive, mature native trees all around, and even one huge Boddhi tree (the same tree under which Buddha meditated under and found enlightenment.)
The Arts Factory is spread over several acres of wild land and only a short walk from the town center. Everywhere you walk there is art done by backpackers from all over the world, over the years. They do not condone meaningless graffiti, but they do encourage beautiful art with a positive message. When there, you are surrounded by pictures and words of inspiration, messages of love and understanding, things like; "Be Yourself", " The earth is my church", and "Share your vision". On top of it all, its so beautiful that someone, somewhere is always playing guitar, the didge, or singing, dancing, or
hula-hooping! Creation captivates this place. There is also a in-ground pool, cinema, a restaurant and a brewery on site! The Arts Factory has everything you could ever want, you hardly need to leave! Oh and you cant
forget the volleyball courts, ping pong tables, guitars and art supplies
available for no fee! This place was sweet!! If youre in the area, check it out, I promise- You will love it!
Some of my favourite things at The Arts Factory were:
-"Talent
Night"( I heard someone play a French jazz version of songs from
The Jungle Book, very cool!) -The painted bus! -The localproduce: jewellery, and natural foods and teas for
sale (my fav was the freshly squeezed lemon/ginger/honey tea!) -Cockatoo Paul (the
entertainer, he does live music shows, and does bush-walks with guests
to educate them about local plants and animals. He is famous for his pet
cockatoo which is always on his shoulder!)
Homepage --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heres my overall review:
Overall Experience:POSITIVEStayed:2 days/nights
Cleanliness -Teepee, kitchen and lounge areas were all relatively clean 4/5
Staff-Staff were extremely friendly people who went over and beyond 4.5/5 for customer service. Reception went beyond, and the fire in the teepee was well-tended.
Location -Walking distance from town, but far away enough to feel the "oasis' jungle feeling 5/5
Security-Small lockers under beds in teepee, but dont seem that secure, however it is relatively 4/5 safe because of the type of people that are drawn to this hostel. -Huge computerized lockers available, 3$/12 hours -Reception tries to monitor people entering
Facilities-Kitchen, on top deck, opens onto a patio overlooking the oasis, spacious 5/5-Deposit required on cutlery -Large in-ground pool , and small pond (not for swimming) -Several lounge areas, no tv -Restrooms: Spacious, clean 4 toilet stalls, 4 showers -Laundry: did not use
Environment-Plenty of backpackers, all ages, many artists, hippies, people leading alternative lifestyles 4.5/5-Happy, positive environment
-Beds are comfortable -Can be loud late at night, usually guitar or singing
Price-25$/night for one bed in big tee pee 4/5 -4$/hour
After
an over-night rest stop in a comfy bed, I woke up in Sydney refreshed and ready for Part 2! I met Scott in the lobby of the hostel and we raced down
to Central Station, grabbing some Solo's on the way down (my new
favorite drink in Australia). Oh,
Central Station. It feels like I have been there a
million times! Its probably more like 10, but as the Thai would say,
"same same". During the next 12 hours we rode up the eastern coast experiencing all sorts of landscapes. There was a lot of what we have
already seen so much of: dried up flat fields stretching for what seems
like an eternity. And ofcourse theres the fields of green wheat and gold canola. Luck would have it that we happened to have been assigned seats in front of the most dysfunctional family in New South Wales, apparently. This single mother was a psycho and her and her
3 spawn children terrorized the entire train for 11hours and 59 minutes of a 12 hour train ride. By
the end of the line, all of the passengers had changed seats to sit as
far away from this family as possible. I spent most of the ride trying
to block them out using my earplugs. Originally, I brought the plugs to block out snoring
people at hostels, but they have turned out to be useful for all sorts
of situations!
I did manage to sneak in a few naps despite the chaos. The
children, probably between ages 2 and 6, whined, screamed and kicked the back of my seat pretty much the entire ride. The mother screamed, swore and threatened to hit them or take away their I-pods. It was so annoying. I felt like turning to her and saying "FAIL." Im pretty sure she knew she was getting a lot of stink eye from the other passengers. Anyways, enough about that! On
the positive side there was falafels on the train, and tea bags containing coffee. Also a nice stretch of rainforest when we passed
through the Blue Mountains! Some of these beautiful mountains met the
Pacific Ocean. We met a really friendly Outback Jack who told us what
gave the Blue Mountains their name. Apparently it is because of the blue
haze that hangs above the eucalyptus trees during mid-day!
My favorite part of the trip was when we were getting really close to
Byron Bay and there were valleys of banana trees everywhere! Banana trees as far as the eye can see. From a
distance you could see bags hanging from all of the trees and it was like little cloud puffs suspended in rows in the air. Farmers hang
the bags over the bundles of bananas and wait for them to ripen. Once
they are ready, all harvesters have to do is chop the bags down because theyre already packaged. I never
knew that!
Arriving in Casino we transferred to another bus which took us on a one hour bus ride into Byron. We finally showed up around 9:30 pm and found a hippie-van taxi to drive us to The Arts Factory, a really famous backpacker hostel built by hippies in the 70's. We would be spending the night in a teepee....New story and pics coming soon!
After talking to one of my bestfriends
from home, Jess, she convinced me to get to Byron Bay as soon as
possible. It didnt take much for her to twist my arm, and actually I think her
exact words were “I would have been there yesterday”. Jeanie, my
friend Scott and I decided to go out for Chinese food and drinks to
celebrate. We spent the night discussing religion, sex and politics
over a few too many glasses of “celebratory” bubbly.
@ a Truck-stop in the middle of nowhere
I woke up to
“Somebody that I used to know” pulsing from the alarm clock at
3:00 a.m. That was my cue to grab My Roaming Backpack and catch the
3:40 a.m. bus from Mildura, Victoria to Cootamundra, New South Wales, aka, the middle of nowhere.
To top it all off I had one of the worst migraines Ive had in
forever, and a ghastly 9 hour bus ride in my immediate future! Everything
hurt; smells, light, sound. Really regretting those last few glasses of wine, I wished I could block the world out and go back to bed, but the train ticket was already paid for. "Buy the ticket, take the ride!"
Fields of Cano
Instead I blocked out as much as I could using earplugs and sunglasses. Then I popped a
super-strong form of Aspirin, and asked Scott to work on my pressure points using a technique he learned in Thailand. All I
could do was carry on and hope for the best. It was 5 hours until I was relieved on my agony, but I guess it could have been worse. I could have got stranded in Cootamundra! (Jokes, well, not really)
After reaching Cootamundra and waiting
2 hours for the next train into Sydney, I spent the next 6 hours on a
train. It was all so boring its really not worth mentioning. It goes a little something like this: Nothingness, nothingness, canola fields, nothingness, more canola fields, old saloon town, dried up river bed, and so on. After a long day we reached Sydney once again, where we grabbed some greasy pizza and falafel wraps and took advantage of the dry sauna and pool at our hostel. I went to bed early and prepared myself for the next morning. In the cards?: a 12 hour train ride to
Byron Bay at the crack of dawn.
Since
Jeanie rescued us from our farm fate, we have had two relatively
peaceful weeks to look for a job without incurring any
expenses. Hallelujah! This has balanced the books a
bit and also gave us time to re-group. Although our time has been
mostly consumed with boring job applications, writing cover letters,
and updating resumes, we've had a good time in Jeanie’s
company.
Out the car window, on the way to Adelaide
Last
weekend we drove to Adelaide,
South Australia, “the city of churches” (and strip clubs) and
also "
Australia's Most Livable City"-
is that because of the churches or the strip clubs? Kidding...
During
the 4 hour ride Jeanie taught us all of the 101 Australian ways to
flip someone off on the road. Quite amusing, really! We also checked
out a rather entertaining Agricultural
Fair in Wentworth,
where I tried pavlova for
the first time, and saw a man carrying a salami stick almost as tall
as him. Jeanie suspects he is trying to make up for something.
Mildura
is by no means a happening place for young travelers but I
must admit there are some highlights. They've got a great Backpackers
store, called Aussie
Disposals,
that’s where I bought my newest tent- quality stuff! If you’re
passing on through anyways,its
worth a stop. There's also some great wine around and some good
ethnic restaurants, like Thai-riffic,
a classy restaurant with a modern twist on Thai classics -they make a
beautiful red curry on a bed of coconut rice!
I
can't say I will miss good ol' Mildura, but I will miss Jeanie, her
English/Irish vocabulary, our "DnM's" (Deep 'n' meaningfuls) and her collection of “Grumpy Old Women” DVDs. Its
time to load up My
Roaming Backpackfor
the next adventure. The destination? An alternative, “hippy”
community on the east coast, otherwise known as Byron
Bay.
Its been a few weeks since I left Byron Bay, and I just now found these photos! My last day in Byron we headed up to the famous Byron Bay Lighthouse, which rests bare to the wide ocean on the most easterly cape of Australia. I can only imagine the sunrise here! Popular walking trails with gaping views lead up to this lighthouse at the Byron Bay look-off point.
