Byron Bay - I loves ya! That´s why Sharan and i ended up staying nearly a whole week here....a record on our journey up the coast so far. And why? Hard to put a finger on it. The place is equally laid back (see all those people who visit Nimbin) and happening too - see Cheeky Monkey´s. Spend our days, some of it watching it tip it down, chatting with some great characters - big up to the Dolecek boys from the States, Ryan and Nick, who were some of the most ge...

Here´s one of our nicer random detours that the majority of travellers don´t opt for. Read about Maclean, a little town founded by Scots immigrants, and it sounds nice enough. Add it to our schedule and we get off the bus there....the driver says he is willing to drop us off at Yamba, wherever that is. Surprise him by advising this is where we want to be, want to check out the Scots-Oz charm. Slightly surprised to find, or not find, anything of note here. A man...

Out of the frying pan....no that's an unfair analogy. There was stuff to do here, it was all very far away and we couldn't find it? Walked a looong way in to town from the YHA and everything was closed. Had a nice ice cream, though at Blue Balloons. Checked out the local urban area, they have great views of the mountains...felt a bit seedy in the part we looked, though, so made haste back to the safety of our hostel. Tried to get to Woolgoolga 20 mins up the ro...

Frome one small town to another. Only 4 hrs in the coach, easy! Stay at Ozzie Pozzie Hostel - fantastic little place. Has a pool and a cool courtyard with hammocks. Spend most of our time here walking in the blazing sun to and from the Koala hospital, see some of the cute little blighters - disturbed to find out from the charming old lady giving the guided tour that chlamydia rates highly as one of their main illnesses....dirty! 9 beaches to pick from here - go...

Wayay mon, ah'm in Noocas'l etc. etc. From big city to smallish town. More interesting than sharing a name with somewhere in the UK, Newcastle is an old coal mining town, founded by those infernal con's. Small but with some pleasant beaches and a lovely waterfront. Spent time here doing a free walking tour - tough in the heat, must have been 30 ot more....ran by a local student, he had some interesting, if not always reliable, stories to share. Highly recommend...