A home among the Rainbows.

B Y R O N  B A Y ! !

What can i say really, I've always wanted to experience byron, and had an amazing, awesome time away in the Rainbow Region and wanted never to  return! This trip came right at the perfect time when i was feeling pretty down about life, and whether I had made the right decision to postpone work and travel to pursue a career in midwifery (which is not playing out quite how i would like) And ThePartner has just finished his last (and very stressful) placement for his degree and is therefore about to graduate and embark on life in the 'real world.' While it was the week before my big huge A&P exam, we decided to go anyway to give me some perspective and i came out better for it. We were able to take some time out to ponder our future and even better, escape the rain, cold and thunderstorms of Adelaide and soak up some sunshine, beach and everything a little on the 'hippie' side. We really want to move somewhere where we feel more at home, and we have been planning for years to travel the country on our "Australian Odyssey" in the Kombi to find out perfect place, but seeing as we cant afford that just yet, and this opportunity came forth we went for it, keeping in mind the possibility of moving- thus constantly checking local papers and notice boards for job vacancies, rentals etc.

We flew in to Coolongata in Qld and picked up a rental car in which we had two hiccups to begin our trip; first we had to pay $45 for overweight baggage because Tiger has a limit less than the other airlines that we had forgotten about, and then our rental car was out of rego so we had to wait around to get another one. Once sorted we drove down to just outside of Byron Bay where we stayed in an amazing eco "treehouse" surrounded by greenery, palm trees and lots of wildlife.It was three levels, with the bottom level being an open spa area, the second an open wooden kitchen area, only surrounded by three walls, with a beautiful wooden table that overlooks the lush forest and beach, and the top, a bedroom enclosed by widows that give an amazing view and let in all the sunshine when you wake up.

Treehouse: three leveled, open house, surrounded by palmtrees and wildlife.

                  
Fresh: Produce in Byron
                          

                                                                                                         Our View: from the balcony

 Compost: it was great to see that everywhere had recycling and compost available, although they still use plastic bags in NSW.

 
 








  Bottom level: Open spa area

                      
  Kitchen: Open kitchen that let in all the sunlight        

                                                 

  Sunshine: soaking up the sun at the beach   

After checking out Byron we drove to Nimbin which i was very excited to be finally experiencing despite having had mixed reviews about how strange it is. Nimbin certainly was strange, but for me i felt so sad. Sad that a place with just amazing history that brought so many people together has become so run down, filled with people who are not all there (not just from weed, but clearly heavier substances), and is clearly a laughing stock for the bus loads of tourists that float in and out everyday. The fact that Nimbin is known for its Marijiuana culture didnt bother me as it does some, in fact it made it all the more interesting,  to see how people are getting on if they are that into that much weed. I really loved the place though, it was soo beautiful- a little too far from the beach for our liking, but amazing nontheless, and the people were really friendly and welcoming. However it is very run down, and it was pretty scary once it got dark and all the tourists had gone home.

We stayed at the backbackers which was a pretty funny experience- we had booked what was called a 'yurt' which to me sounds amazing, and seeing as yurts are from cold countries you would assume it would be warm enough for the weather (it was pretty cold at night even though it was around 23 degrees during the day). I had asked if it would get cold and was told "no, no, you can just have extra blankets." well when we got there we realised that the whole top part of the sides of this 'yurt' or should i say canvas tent, were actually just open mesh! This would be amazing in summer, but not so much in minus temperatures. We tried to stick it out, with layers of thermals, jackets, beanies, sleeping bag and quilt, but by 1.30am the air we were breathing was just freezing so be took everything and walked down to the car where we stayed out the night having a very uncomfortable and broken sleep. It was fun though, ThePartner rationalises the experience by stating that he's always wanted to sleep in the car (apparently the kombi doesnt count) and we are young so any experience is a good one, and i guess he's right becasue its a pretty funny story to tell! So by 6.30am we were up, heading back glazy-eyed, and hung out on the hammocks under the fig tree until the sun came out to warm up our tent so we could get a bit more sleep. We didnt want anyone to know, especially because the girl at the counter was so nice, so we just politely asked if we could get another room, with walls for the next night!!

 

 

                          

 ThePartner's mum and sister who came up to meet us a couple of days later stayed at Blacksheep Farm in Nimbin and cant stop raving about it. We had heard it was good there, but we decided not to stay there becasue we figured we'd stay somewhere fun this trip and stay at BSF when we get older and actually have money. Blacksheep farm make handmade pottery and essential oils, and do various classes there. The buildings are all handmade and eco friendly and the property, which has been reforested is lush and green.

Our other fav place in Nimbin was the Candle factory. I learnt alot about what candles to buy- and so i bought up big. Its a family owned buisiness run from and old dairy factory. I was told that they are the most eco friendly candles on the market, with no toxic fumes released from burning, and are more sustainable for the environment than beeswax and even soy, and they are the main providers of light for many Pagan and Wiccan groups and families. Their candles look and smell amazing- but its great that they are also ethically and sustainably made.

After Nimbin we headed to Mt Warning in the hinterland. It is so amazingly beautiful there, I just cant even try to give it justice by describing it. The greenery that surrounds this part of NSW is like nothing ive experiened, especially not living in SA, and i just want to be able to open my window and look out and see this everyday! We stayed at a beautiful place called Mavis' Kitchen, a restaurant, big orchard/veggie patch that grows alot of what they cook with, and three dwellings that are rented are on the property. We visited Mt Warning and walked about an hour up excitedly through the forest with our necks strained trying to see above the trees. It was such a refreshing experience! And then we visited Uki where i got to meet the amazing Majikfaerie who gave me lots of great tips for not giving up on midwifery! Would have liked a bit more time to chat with her, but im sure there will be another time.

We travelled through Mullimbimby which we loved and were told that there or somewhere like Fingal might suit us more because it was close to both the beach and the hills, and we want some where not particularly touristy but with more of a community feel. All the people we met in Mullimbimy were really nice, its just a shame about the price of rent.

We went back to Byron for out last night and stayed at another Backpackers (a little scared that we might be in for another night in the car), called the Arts Factory Lodge which is a really 'happening' and vibrant place. There is always something happening- didjeridoo making, bongo lessons, talent nights, massages, dread making. I would have loved to stay in the Tipee, but we had already booked the island retreat which wasnt too bad, and warm at least. Its really a place you'd need to be for a week or more because there is just so much to see and do, and so many people that you could meet, but we hadnt really wanted to spend much time in Byron itself because of the 'party' culture and the fact that it seems to always be overflowing with tourists and we had wanted to meet locals and get to know the culture of the place more than party, particularly because we wanted to see if it fit us as a place to live and settle down.

I had an amazing Crystal-Reiki massage at the Arts factory, which was something id wanted to do the whole trip. The lady who did it was so lovely, and I finally got to chat with a local about the place. She was so warm and friendly and was even able to tell me about some of the local news about Midwifery. I have also recently become quite interested in Crystal healing, despite always thinking it was a load of nonesense, but she said that she had thought the same- coming from a scientific background, but now swears by them and was able to give me alot of information about both Crystal healing, and Reiki (which is something else that has been on my mind to possibly learn), raising my interest in the area significantly and offering to teach me if i were in the area again- although i think I'll have to find someone a little closer to home.

On our last day we got to immerse ourselves in true Byron culture at the amazing Channon markets where you could barely see past the flowing dreadlocks, long indian skirts and rainbow flags and Chai tent. It was awesome and i felt so at home. I bought lots of wooley things, and even met a lady who used to live in Adelaide- she was the third person I had spoken to on the trip who had moved from Adelaide and never looked back, so i took it as a bit of a sign. We wandered around until it started to rain, and couldnt really find any room to snuggle in under the Chai tent, so after one last purchase for ThePartner of a Bear Grylls style survival tool we headed to the airport.

I was so sad to be going home, not only because of the stress that lay ahead but it hit me that you never really realise how much you dont fit in somewhere until you find a place where you do, so im scheming ways to get back before I forget how much i loved it and felt at home.