Byron Bay and Nimbin - 10th to the 14th of June

Hi,

The next stop on my little east coast journey was to Byron Bay, a beachside town which hosts the easternmost point of mainland Australia - Cape Byron. I stayed at the Arts Factory Lodge hostel which is slightly out of town but definitely worth the walk! It's made up of dorms, teepees and a campsite. Everyone there is pretty chilled, and old school hippy vibes are much at large. The days are filled with free yoga classes, talent shows and gardening duties. Pretty much... it's my sort of place. The town is a short five minute walk and is filled with vintage clothing stores, fortune tellers and indie jewellery shops, as well as the classic Aboriginal art shops and modern clothing stores. The food avaliable in Byron is a health freaks paradise - smoothie stores, bulk food markets and organic cafes, everything is mouth watering and I will admit that I well and truly gorged myself!

Some crazy statue outside The Arts Factory 

I met some really amazing and talented people whilst staying there and although I cannot name everyone, a few who made lasting impressions were: Samson - an aspiring model and blogger, Tom - a diving instructor and enthused photographer, Alice - a nutty student and Clara - also a student but mainly she was the kindest person I have ever met. The saturday night talent shows always bring in not only the travellers but also the locals and some of the singers and writers are the best I have ever heard - it seems strange to think that most of them are anoymous in their field when they have such talent.

Alice

A couple of things stand out from my stay in Byron and one was visiting the infamous light house which stands at the most easterly point of Australia, it is still fully functioning today  but is also a museum - Samson and I took a couple of really cool photos for his blog (which can be found here: http://www.dapperzone.com/ ).

Samson

The second standout moment, or day in this case, was my daytrip to "Nimbin" or more commonly known as "The drug capital of Australia". This strange little village, about an hour north of Byron Bay, focuses on self-sufficiancy and sustainablity but is famous for it's cannabis counter culture. Whilst there I looked around the Nimbin museum which consists of a stange collection of videos explaining the history of Nimbin and the pros and cons of this escapist suburb, and what can essentially be called a load of hippy style junk. I also visited the "Rainbow Cafe" and spent far too many dollars buying bizarre organic products. It was totally alien for me, coming from a country where drugs are hushed up and spoken about in whispers, to visit a town where they are so openly used and sold. The whole experience was a bit baffling.

Overall, I loved my time in Byron Bay. The atmosphere makes the whole experience so relaxing and enjoyable. It seems to be a little pocket of peace along the crazy east-coast backpacker route and should be savoured.

I hope that everyone is well.

Lots of Love,

Clementine x