Coffs Harbour

Monday 6th December - Wednesday 8th December 2010

Hiya! (I'm trying to mix up the welcomes!)

The bus to Coffs was right in the heat of the day and it didn't stop once. When we eventually got there we were so happy to have some sun! It was a beautiful day and very hot! The hostel provided a free bus which picked us up from the Greyhound stop and showed us the sights on the way. I love getting picked up from the bus stop, if only all hostels would do this! We stayed at "Aussitel" which was a standard hostel but our room was like a prison cell! It had pained brick walls, one small window and bunk beds (with a double on the bottom), however, it was very cool (temperature wise) and the comfiest bed I've ever slept in! We went exploring when we'd dropped our bags off and decided that it was pretty little town, with not that much going on but a really nice beach, pier and view of Mutton Bird Island. It also has a slightly rough feel to the town, I don't think either of us will be getting lairy in any of the locals put it that way! That evening we Skyped Josey for her birthday and got her a cake and a candle. We sang to her (much to the annoyance of the other people on the computers at the hostel) and when she blew her candle out, we blew it out for her and apparently she really thinks she blew it out! Bless!

The next we walked past the harbour and over to Mutton Bird Island. When we reached the top of the hill on the island the views were incredible. You could see Main Beach (the surfer's beach!) over the headland and the coastline strung out for miles! I felt like I could see Byron! The hinterlands were just as pretty as those at Byron but looked much better in the sun! In the distance it looked as if the mountains dropped right into the ocean, but you just know there's a beach in between.We sun bathed on the beach next to the pier in the afternoon and had a dip. I can't believe the difference in water temperature down here! It feels like the North Sea! But it's refreshing on a hot day. We had a 'sun downer' in the local yacht club which had views of the bay and pier from one side of the glass building and a view of another beach in the other direction. A very nice location to say the least! We could see families out surfing and walking their dogs and playing beach cricket. It made us think, what are families in the UK doing after school these days? Once again, we notice the amazing lifestyle out here.

We went back to the hostel and forced our way through cooking ourselves pasta for dinner. The kitchen was very busy and it's not a pleasant experience! Then we went across the road to a restaurant and had one drink. The view was looking over the creek and you could still see the fish in the water and huge lizards were wandering around the restaurant!

Coffs is a very quiet, pretty town but with not much going on so not sure if we would go back, definitely worth a visit though!

Love you all lots!

Elle and Joe x x x