Byron Bay to Brisbane

Due to restrictions on our schedule and availability of flights out of Sydney post New Year, our flight out of Australia had to be from Brisbane. We therefore decided to try and see a little bit of the coast on the way. We flew early morning from Sydney to Ballina airport and made the half hour drive to Byron Bay.

Byron Bay is a backpackers’ haven and a great place to cut loose for a few days… if you’re 18 or like crowds! Its stunning white sand beach was very beautiful but it was difficult to see it with the number of people there wedged onto the beach. Granted, we did visit on a national holiday but I got the impression that it is always busy.

Accommodation is expensive. Restaurants are overpriced. To be honest, I didn’t get what all the fuss is about. Still, our visit to the lighthouse at the end of the bay was lovely. The view from the top is spectacular.

After a night in an air bnb in Byron Bay, we made our way up the coast, via the Gold Coast, to Brisbane. Unfortunately the weather was pretty rubbish that day so we didn’t see much of the coast. However, we got a taste of its resort feel as we passed by.

Brisbane intrigued me. It seems like another interesting Australian City set along the river with a cosmopolitan feel. It’s whetted the appetite for a return visit when we will hopefully pick up where we left off on our next trip to Australia. We did enjoy another meet up with a travel friend, Brett, and his lovely girlfriend in a great bar serving great Aussie fare in Brisbane.

We left Australia with a heavy heart. We’ve had a great visit there visiting friends and are really falling in love with the place.