Golden Dog to Hippy Magnet

So far on our trip, we’ve been cycling along a narrow band between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Dividing Range. This week geographical structures and a lack of roads have forced us to turn left; (inland).
Our first overnight stop was The Golden Dog Hotel, a basic ‘locals’ pub. We tried a little interaction but ended up hiding in our room for the evening. Still, it was a break from the unrelenting hills we enjoyed over the two days and allowed us to sample the world famous ‘Bobcat’, a pie which contains all the ingredients of all other pies.

Next stop was the city of Grafton and after a night in a tasteful 1970s Caravan (mmm… brown and orange) we headed back east towards the coast, cycling over 70km in one day on blissfully flat roads. We spent the night at Woody Head a tiny camping ground in a national park. We cooked our dinner over a campfire and watched the sun set behind the hills on the opposite side of the bay.

From inland mountains to Australia’s most easterly point - a couple of days travel through sugar cane fields and rainforest, we find ourselves in Byrons Bay. Honestly, we’ve been looking forward to arriving here more than Brisbane. A Hippy haven and must see for any respectable backpacker (what’s that?). It was populated by surfers in the 60s, Hippies in the 70s and backpackers ever since. Despite that it’s not been over commercialised and the theme is still incense, tie-dye and health food shops. We discovered that you have to be very lucky to find good accommodation, Hostels charge what they like and apartments are at almost Sydney prices. That said, if you’re as lucky as us; you may accidentally come across a modern luxury apartment situated between the city centre and the beach, with pool and enough room for all three of us and still cheaper than the caravan park. Yay.