After a flight back to Brisbane from Cairns we rejoined the Oz bus. We arrived in Byron Bay on Sunday evening and took a stroll into town. The beach town was very laid back with hippies and Thai style shops. Eating a yummy fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce (mmmmm) on the beach front was a fab way to spend our first evening. On our second day in Byron we went on an overpriced and over-rated tour of Nimbin. The retro bus stopped off at a bottleshop nice and early for us to stock up. We soon arrived in Nimbin - a little town known mainly for the alternative lifestyle of the local hippies who settled after a festival many years ago. Many of the locals walking round in their baggy pants and dreadlocks looked like they'd enjoyed one too many spliffs! Everything in the town was tacky-weed themed and a bit strange. We munched on a random egg, bacon, cheese and beef pie that had a entire egg in it...tasted slightly odd. We hopped back on the bus and headed to a random pub before driving to a waterfall. After a trek through the very muddy walk path we arrived at the top of a rock where we could jump in. Neither of us chose to jump as it was a pretty cold day! That evening we made our way to Cheeky Monkeys for drinks - the Woolshed of Byron Bay. The rain was still falling on the Tuesday but we ventured out on some hired bikes. Si wanted to go to the lighthouse - the most eastern point of mainland Australia. Going up hill in less than sensible shoes in the rain was no fun! Every time Si looked back laughing in my direction I gave my best evil look!! Before we got to the lighthouse we found a small beach full of surfers. There was a large rock with stairs and a viewing platform where we watched them. The rock we stood on was surrounded by water with waves crashing on one side. Lovely spot but we didn't stay long due to the rain. We then took a random walk thinking it led to the lighthouse, but we soon found out that it didn't. Si spotted some dolphins jumping about at sea before we walked back to get our bikes. The road to the lighthouse was knackering - especially in the rain on a bike with no gears but we made it! I ended up walking. Walking and scowling. And laughing! The rain clouds made the visibility pretty poor but what we could see looked good. We took photos near the 'most eastern point' sign before grabbing a coffee in the cafe. Thankfully the ride home was much easier! Down hill all the way! We grabbed some lunch and returned the bikes before spending another night in Cheeky Monkeys. On our last day in Byron we went for a mooch around the shops. We treated our hangovers with a posh brekkie (poached eggs, bacon, wilted spinach, mushrooms and sourdough bread). Heading up to the beach we found a spot on the rocks and watched the surfers. They make it look so easy! Sadly the rain returned so we darted in and out of shops for a while. In the afternoon we got the body boards out. Si was giving me some tips for catching the waves in preparation for our surf lesson. The waves were crazy and Si managed to surf over my head as I drowned! He'll never make a lifeguard! The current was really strong and kept sweeping us down the beach. Our last evening was spent in our hostel having a communal BBQ and unlimited 'Sangria' (wine and rose wine with tango). Although we aimed to get an early night we made some friends and partied on the beach. Si made friends with someone in the music business who offered to get us in to gigs etc back in the UK.