Lennox Head, Byron Bay and Bulli

After the Hunter we stayed at Josh's Aunt's (Annie) place in Lennox head. We hadn't slept in a bed in a long time and it was definitely appreciated. Annie showed us around their beaches, which are well known for surfing. We went swimming at one of them, even though it was overcast the water was warm and the waves were perfect for dunking your head in. There's a lake across the street from the beach. It's a tee tree body of water and pretty spectacular. It sorta looks like your swimming in pool of coffee and afterward your skin feels nice and fresh.

The tea tree lake

We had come a long way by then, traveling across Australia and up the east coast took over a week in the car. Clare and I were excited to get out and spend a few days in one location. So we said goodbye to our friend/driver as he continued to travel north and we settled down in Byron Bay. Quite the typical beach holiday spot, especially for the young bronzed surfer types, we enjoyed the coastal sites and partied like the rest of the town. It was a great scene for live music at night... We joined our neighbors at the hostel and went to The Beach to see Benjalu. The next day Clare and I rode the coast with our shot-ty rental bikes to Broken heads. I experienced the aforementioned jumping ant bite which stung like a bee (right in the bum).

So random, wild turkeys roam the trees along the beach

Broken Heads

The next morning we linked up with our neighbors again and road tripped with them south to Newcastle. An 8 hour drive thru the rain and we made it to Simon's brother/cousin's place (The two roommates are serious soccer players, Ruben plays for the Newcastle jets and Tobin was in training). We opened a few bottles of wine and the guys got down with their guitars and harmonicas. All talented musicians, Aiden has just begun recording his own stuff and also plays in Sex Panthers.
His brother Cal and Simon weren't bad either ;)

Giant banana on the way to Newcastle

Clare and I continued on to Bulli to see the guys' hometown. Simon toured us around and introduced us to his wonderful friends, Claire and Nat. Probably one of my favorite nights so far, we made dinner at their house, drank some good wine (a common theme of our travels) from NZ, Oz, & Spain...and a couple different ciders. Lots of music was shared and we finished the night off with mango and dark chocolate. Yummmm

We said goodbye and took the train up to Sydney. Drenched as soon as we walked outside central station we arrived to the backpackers and made new friends. These guys were POMs, and great to share the room with. We watched the Inbetweeners, I highly recommend this movie if your into brash humor and want to know a little more about English life.

The next day was Australia Day! I can compare it to the 4th of July, everyone fills the pubs and the streets covered in Aussie flags. We walked around the city, found a classic car show on the way to The Rocks, historic part of Sydney next to circular quay (the main harbor where you can catch a ferry). We caught some great musical acts, it was amazing and everything was gratis! Highlights were Busby Marou and Blue King Brown (a Melbourne-based, Australian urban roots band). Clare met the main lady, Natalie Pa'apa'a, after the show and thanked her.