Byron Bay

Tuesday 30th August

Today, we have taken the opportunity of having a day of rest and some organisation, our first so far. We rose late and then it was breakfast for three - we had a pack of three croissants, and took two out of the packet, which we then left on the breakfast table. A passing bird opened the packet and helped itself to the third!

Since it was cool and a bit drizzly, we took the opportunity to do laundry and sort out some accommodation for later in the trip. There is an Internet connection here, but it isn't particularly cheap, and each device has to pay for its own connection, so Paul has the connection on the PC and is also trying to sort out a flight change so we have a few more days in Sydney when we get back there in October after visiting Tasmania.

In the afternoon we went out to the lighthouse which is on the most easterly point in Australia.

There are beautiful views all over Byron Bay, and it is also the spot from which to watch whales.

Humpback whales come past here on their migration, and we saw what looked like a mother and calf appearing from time to time. We needed my binoculars to see them clearly. Paul attempted to take a picture, but it is mostly sea with a tiny speck in the middle. We did get pictures of a little wallaby though, which was quietly browsing on the hillside just below us.

Our tour leader laid on a barbecue for us in the evening, and in tribute to the English, a violent thunderstorm started and is still rumbling on. Fortunately, the barbecue area is under cover so we were still able to cook and then eat, albeit surrounded by a wall of water outside and accompanied by very loud thunder and cracks of very bright lightening.

Although I have managed to post some pictures here, they aren't very good - it was a very dull day. And the current internet connection is agonisingly slow