I’ve just spent five nights at the Holiday Village Backpackers in Byron Bay, a town full of hippies and surfers. The hostel was directly opposite the famous party bar Cheeky Monkeys, which meant it wasn’t far to stumble to bed (if you were spending the night in bed and not on the beach).
The weather was variable but the rain didn’t spoil the fun too much. I met some lovely people including someone from Sevenoaks, where I grew up – Hugo. We spent lots of time drinking goon and playing games at the hostel, both before and after going to Cheeky Monkeys. There’s a saying ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ and when more than 20 people have piled into your small, six-bed dorm after ‘quiet time’ has begun in the communal area, you know you’re not going to get any sleep and you might as well be sociable. On one night, the Cheeky Monkeys staff – including the girls – had their nation’s flags painted on their chests. On another night, the theme was Rocky Horror, and everyone was encouraged to get onto the tables and do the Time Warp. We were given free beer just for shouting loudly when asked who was thirsty. Aimee won a handful of prizes for successfully taking on the challenge of cramming more than 20 marshmallows into her mouth. We also went to Cocomangas nightclub, and a comedy night at Woody’s but it was awful so we only stayed for an hour and a half.
The Greyhound bus driver had said: “Going to Byron Bay and not going surfing is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower.” Aimee and I made use of the hostel’s free surfboard hire, but I found it hard to balance on the small, slippery board, and the current was ridiculously strong, so it wasn’t the best session I’ve had out here. It was cool to see dolphins just a little further out to sea than the surfers. I went on a pleasant walk to the lighthouse and the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, via some more beautiful beaches, and saw more dolphins and a turtle.
I went on a memorable day trip to Nimbin. I sat next to Eleanor on The Happy Coach, and she had to sit in her coat with her hood up for most of the journey because the sunroof leaked badly. We were entertained with music by the likes of Bob Marley and The Beatles. It was nice that there were familiar faces from Spot X and even Christchurch on the trip. When we got to Nimbin, we looked around the shops, which mostly sold hemp products. On several occasions, people on the street asked us if we wanted to buy some weed. As we walked into some shops, the smell of weed was totally overpowering. Before we headed back, we had a barbecue at the bowls club, and I took the opportunity to have a go at playing bowls for the first time.
I also went to a free barbecue in a park in Byron Bay, which was hosted by a Christian group (I think), and on my last night, the hostel had an all-you-can-eat barbecue for which I was literally first in line.
Everything else that happened in Byron stays in Byron!