Travelling North from Ballina we stopped in Lennox Head. We didn't know what to expect as people told us it's the next Byron Bay. It was a beautiful seaside town but had nothing on Byron Bay. Byron Bay is one crazy town.
Coming this far North from Sydney we have definitely noticed a climate change, it has got hotter (even though we're coming into autumn now), it's humid and the mosquitos are getting more and more uncontrollable. As well as the climate change the weird Australian wildlife is increasing. We have seen the Blue Bottle jellyfish covering beaches, and I was also stung by a jellyfish! I guess it was an experience (not one I'd like to relive though!)
I loved the Northern Beaches of Sydney, but Byron Bay is putting up a fight for being my favourite place in Australia. It's home to the best fashion that has ever walked this earth (not from the hippies!). It's home to surfing, and some of the most famous places to surf in the world (great free entertainment for hours!), and the home of Cheeky Monkey's.
As if we hadn't seen enough hippies in Byron we then decided go inland to Nimbin, a town painted in red, yellow and green. After one final blowout in Byron we headed up to Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise & Brisbane.
It was nice to see a city again for the first time after leaving Sydney. At home I wouldn't usually say that, but Australia's countryside involves long drives before you come across civilisation. Gold Coast was nice, sunny & modern, but Brisbane was my favourite. We sat out in Brisbane with Bill & Ellie drinking goon on the Southbank river (which I thought actually looked a lot like London's Southbank!). It was awesome to see them again, and can't wait for another reunion in Bristol when we get home.