Brisbane: Through My Eyes

Photo Credit: Brisbanetimes.com.au

I left Chinchilla and  headed 2 hours to the east coast, where I would catch my flight from bustling Brisbane. The city was lively, musical, artsy and in bloom. Unfortunately the hostel I chose called The Tin Pan or something like that was dirty, overcrowded and stifling, with not a window in any room. I made the best of it by spending most of my visit in Brisbane exploring the outdoors and the rad art installations all around the city. 

I headed down to walk along the riverbanks of Brisbane, since the city itself is actually 9 km or so away from the ocean. It was really quite beautiful. It's where the stunning modern architecture of the city meets the natural beauty of earth, air, and water. I was giddy about all the great aarchitecture, and became even more excited about Brisbane after checking out the street buskers.  

One stands out in my memory. A slightly overweight woman with a beautiful face. I remember her like it was yesterday. She had dark hair, dark eyes and plumps lips traced in deep red. She was sitting down, proudly playing this full-bodied, enchanting song on her cello. She was dressed in this crimson red dress made of a light, lingering material, which danced in the light breeze, and draped over her body, down to the ground and across the cobblestone path. She caught my eye and as I passed my face turned to keep watching her. When I looked away I realized everyone was doing the same. She was the fire.  The city seemed to be in perfect balance.

Passing under pergolas of vines and flowers, my friend and I (who had eventually got back onto speaking terms) made our way to the outdoor markets and to the revered Spanish Restaurant, OLE.
  
The food and drinks were very good and I enjoyed the atmosphere. I started to think I should have come to Brisbane sooner. The energy in this city was so different from other Aussie cities I experienced. I had been in Sydney many times, and in honesty, it was nothing spectacular. I skipped over Melbourne, which Ive heard has an amazing nightlife (but not much else, of course depending what your interests are) and  made my way to Adelaide, which was likeable- but Brisbane, now that's my kinda place. 

If you like art, green space, local food and a community feeling in a warm, sunny place, Brisbane just might be for you.

 Fortunately my not wanting to leave was combated by the fact that I was headed for New Zealand (!), one of the greatest destinations in the world. It was looking like my wishlist was starting to come true.  

The next day I caught a direct train to the "Brissy" airport and flew over "the ditch" to Wellington, New Zealand.

The Most Eastern Cape of Australia: If Youre Not There, You Want To Be

My Roaming Backpack finally 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 cosmetics and 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!

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Destination Byron Bay: Two Days of Travel, Day 1

Adventures Are Full of Mis-Adventures Part 1