Treve & Katrina Travel The World

Hello from Bris-Vegas to all our lovely readers! We've just hopped off the bus after another jaunt up the coast from Byron Bay.

10 days ago we arrived in the sunny seaside koala capital of Port Macquarie.

Looking across the bay at Port Macquarie

This peaceful town is situated at the mouth of the Hastings River, where it finally meets the Pacific Ocean.

Sunset on the River Hastings

The town was founded by the white colonists as a penal settlement for those convicts who had reoffended in Sydney. But little evidence of this was left as we wondered around this somewhat clinical town which reminded us of the set from The Truman Show film (oh, and Swakopmund in Namibia). Most of the properties sported white picket fences and manicured front lawns, set in streets wide enough to accomodate a british motorway.

Royal Hotel (1887)

A small town, we soon found ourselves on the seafront watching dolphins chasing fish only a few feet away, sharing the water with pelicans who expertly scooped up the fish in their floppy gullets.

Pelican meeting

We spent our days following the coastal paths alongside surfing beaches and tropical rainforests. We happened across a strange species of human on one beach, who appeared to have misplaced his clothes and, who seeing us approaching, shuffled hurriedly into the distance wearing just flip-flops and a hat!

Spectacular coastline

Along the path, we stumbled across a half-dead snake, still writhing after some hero had tried to wrestle it to it's death. Arriving finally at the lighthouse, a couple of tourists took pity on us and gave us a lift back into town - Treve's menacing demeanour obviously still needs some work!

Slow down for koalas!

Being home to Australia's oldest koala hospital, we felt it was time to administer some TLC and visit the stricken, furry friends. Gaining such little sustenance from the toxic eucalyptus leaves that they barely have enough energy to run their tiny brains, koalas often get themselves into trouble, particularly with cars and bush fires.

Cuddly koala

As humans have encroached on their natural habitat, so their feeding routes have become blocked and this is where the trouble begins. The lady volunteers seemed to love their work with the cuddly koalas.

Administering some TLC

A further 6 hours up the coast on the trusty Premier coach and we arrived at the hedonistic, once-famed hippy 70s town of Byron Bay.

A surfer's paradise?

With it's melange of tourists, buskers and ageing hippies, this tacky town was our home for the next 6 days.

A typical Byron local

A home to artists and writers

This mecca for fans of the alternative lifestyle has inevitably become a victim of it's own success. Our rainbow jumper-wearing friends now jostle for space with the bucket & spade brigade and gap-year kids alike. In the national newspapers, we read stories of mounting violence between local teenagers and tourists - the locals tiring of the constant influx of revellers. Typical seaside town stuff really.

The commercial side of Byron

Byron was a great place to people watch from beach-side views to cafes. Everyone was dressed to the nines and behaving badly on Melbourne Cup day - can't imagine the whole of Britain celebrating Ascot somehow? One evening, we went to a proper Aussie pub and watched a band playing African and reggae tunes - a couple more Carltons and we might have joined in!

Katrina lounging in the sun

We walked along the coastal path to Cape Byron (Australia's most easterly point) and watched dolphins surfing the waves and whales venting as they migrated south.

Diving spot in Byron

Treve at Cosy Corner, Byron

Scaley friend on footpath

Surf girl

Byron Bay was the town where we finally caught up with our nemisis, the gap-year kid. We'd been lucky enough to avoid so far in Australia, however here they were in abundance. After 6 nights of being woken up by the Whoo Man (who has followed us from Jolly Boys in Livingstone, Zambia) it was definitely time to escape north to Brisbane!

Hope you're all well and enjoying the English autumn?! Brrr!

Lots of love,
Treve & Katrina