Byron Bay: I've finally arrived far north enough where it is warm and where you can actually go swimming in the ocean. It hasn't been fantastic weather but since I've been eagerly awaiting beaches, I've spent a fair amount of my time in Byron Bay on the beach. I took my first surfing lesson...managed standing up by the end of it but that's about it! It was tons of fun though & I can't wait to be able to go more. While in Byron Bay, I was also able to meet a few locals which was great. I went out for dinner/drinks with Brent & his friends & they all showed me a good time....thanks guys! Here, I also got my frist glimpse of Australia's ocean wildlife. I took a bike out to the lighthouse that overlooks the most Eastern point of Australia, where all the dolphins and whales tend to hang out!! I would've never initially spotted them myself, but a local man who was there showed them to me while they were still far & we waited around until they came closer to shore where we could get a better view of the young whales jumping and playing around in the water. I loved Byron Bay & would've loved to stay longer but I'm now on a bit of a schedule to make it to Perth since I've also decided to travel down the entire west coast as well!

Nousa: I only spent a short amount of time here but it was also a nice city. I tried my skills at surfing again but was less successful since conditions weren't very good - well that's going to be my excuse for now! I almost had the opportunity of swimming with dolphins as we saw a bunch of dolphins jumping out of the water, less than 100 feet away...it was pretty amazing to see them out in their natural environment! I've always wanted to go swimming with dolphins but they were moving away quicklyr...apparently they go play with the surfers in Nousa & Byron on occasion.