Goodbye Byron Bay

When you visit a new country and you stay in one place for quite a while shortly after arrival that place becomes the ‘standard’ for the country you are in. Even though you know it’s a big country and other towns and cities will be completely different. It is a case of a first lasting impression. For me Byron Bay is now the ‘standard’ for Australia, my first impression of the land down under and it is a lasting one.

I find Byron a very mellow and pretty little town. The lush green cape sticking out into the Pacific Ocean, the milk white lighthouse standing out against the green hills and blue sky. Long golden beaches lining the bay, surfers having a field day at The Pass, ocean kayaks seeking out the dolphins, sun seekers strolling down the beach or working on their tan. The marine reserve ‘Julian Rocks’, dead smack in the middle where the bay meets the vastness of the ocean. All this framed by the peaks and rolling hills of the Great Dividing Range.

It seems that the beauty of the surroundings has its influence on the people. In general there is a very relaxed and respectful atmosphere in town. This sometimes changes over the weekend when people feel the urge to show their disability to hold their drink, but all in all it is a friendly place. Friends or even just random strangers chill in the park. Sharing drink, food and stories, making music and dance. The high hippie value of Byron Bay fuels this of course, but that is also what creates ‘the Byron Vibe’.

Live music is also a big part of creating that vibe and in Byron there is live music everywhere. And I mean absolutely everywhere. At the bar, on every corner of the street, when you enter the supermarket, when chilling at the beach. Some performers are definitely better than others, but they offer live music and a smile on your face none the less.

All this sounds amazing and it definitely aided in me having a great time in Byron Bay. But it’s always about the people. A pretty place with shitty people will still be a shitty place. Luckily I was fortunate enough to meet some amazing people that made this already beautiful place even a better one.

Maya, my friend from Holland, who helped me get settled into Byron and turned out to be one of my best buddies I could wish for. My adventure would never have started out this well if not for her.

Her flat mate Hannah, who likes to make me think I offended her, just for the fun of it. (In a good way)

Pierre, who turned out to have a very similar taste in and appreciation of music. And his girlfriend Emily, who speaks sarcasm like no other. And we usually end up in a weird conversation. Both of then made me laugh until I cried on several occasions, which are moments I’m always grateful for.

Juan and Catalina, who I’d met in Sydney for the first time and shared lots of good food (Juan is a chef) and laughs with.

Living at the dive shop for a few weeks was also great. The dynamics of the crew living upstairs was very interesting. Working, living and partying together. I picked up on some new drinking games and Aussie slang. I met some cool new people and will definitely be back there.

There are of course more people and interesting characters that contributed to an amazing stay in Byron Bay, but they are too many to list them all. If you are reading this, you know who you are.

The only downside was the season I’d arrived in, winter. During the day it was quite comfortable but at night it could be cold. The last week the temperature even dropped into the single digits. I’ll will definitely return to Byron Bay before I leave Australia. Like with so many people I have spoken to over the past 2 months, Byron did something to me. It has a certain attraction, a certain energy which conquered a place in my heart. I’ll just name it ‘the Byron Vibe’ and I dig it.

The Arts Factory Byron Bay

The arts factory is a kind of hostel in Byron Bay. I say a kind of hostel because it is different from any other hostel I’ve ever seen. The standard hostels I’ve encountered so far are simple concrete buildings. The space is used for a kitchen, a reception, TV-room and lots of dorm rooms where as many backpackers as possible can be accommodated.

The Arts Factory has this type of accommodation, but also a lot more. They have bungalow tents and even teepee tents where you can stay.

I had heard about this place quite a lot since I arrived in Byron Bay, but never got round to actually visiting the place. The reason being that it a little bit out of town. Well, last Saturday the day finally came. The Arts Factory had its 20 year anniversary and everyone in town was invited. They would have activities and live music but no bar, so it was BYO (Bring Your Own). Armed with a bottle of whisky in my backpack I headed out to see what this place was all about.

As walked up to the entrance it looked just like another hostel. They had a reception manned with staff armed with friendly smiles. Just beyond that there was a swimming pool lined by a 2 story U-shaped building. It looked very much like a cheap holiday apartment complex or motel. Nothing fancy and nothing out of the ordinary so far.

Lots of people where wandering around, drinking, laughing and chatting with each other. It was after I passed the reception and little restaurant (which is not typical for hostel) that I saw what made this place so famous.

Behind the building was a big open space. There was a square filled with picnic tables. Normally it would be used by the guest to have their breakfast, lunch and dinner, but now it was packed with people checking out the live music played on the stage.

There was a little area that doubled as dance floor right on front of it and behind it a big pond. For this occasion they had put up a giant floating ball which they projected artsy pictures on. It looked great, especially since the pond was lined with vegetation found in any tropical rain forest.

To the left of the stage was a big elevated area filled with sand. Some teepee tents sat on either side of it. Fire dancers using burning hula-hoops, flaming rods and chains where practicing around a big metal tub with a raging fire inside of it. There was hardly any artificial lighting and the big fire in combination with the fire dancers gave everything a warm orange glow.

As I was wandering around, chatting with random people and sipping my whisky I followed a boardwalk to the back of the grounds. I led to a circle of big bungalow tents in the middle of the jungle. As I crossed a little creek there was a small abandoned row boat tied of on a tree. I all fit perfectly. The jungle, the little details, the types of accommodation, the people, the music. I asked myself, if you’re staying in a hostel, why stay anywhere else. The Arts Factory has a very high hippie value. Normally that is not really my style, but the laid back atmosphere and surroundings made it all belong. There were some interesting characters around and I won’t deny that the whisky had also something to do with my increased acceptance of long haired, long bearded, often smelly, dreadlock wearing, weed smoking bums.

I had lost the people I had come with about 30 minutes after arriving. They had left and apparently weren’t as much impressed by the whole thing as I was. Luckily I make friends easily. I found it quite surprising that I met quite a few people I knew. I’ve only been in Byron Bay for a little over 2 months. Apparently doing tax returns for most of them creates a connection.

The party ended a lot earlier than expected. At around 9.30 pm we were asked to move to the Buddha Bar next door. That was a bit of a bummer, but in the end it turned out perfectly. My whisky was finished and I suddenly remembered that my alarm was set for 6.30 am the next day to work at the dive shop. I said goodbye to some of my new found friends and headed home. During the 15 minute walk back to the dive shop I joked and chatted with loads of people going the other way. All under the impression the party was still in full swing. I didn’t want to be the party pooper so I didn’t say anything, pointed them in the right direction and wished them a good night.

I definitely had one and was glad I visited this cool and interesting place which The Arts Factory is without a doubt.

Whale Watching Byron Bay

There was hardly any wind and the ocean was flat like a mirror. It felt like we were about to launch the boat in a lake. The water was crystal clear and you could easily see to the bottom. I was deckhand one of the two boats of the http://www.byronbaydivecentre.com.au/ going out for a whale watching trip.
Normally we cruise around the bay first to check for dolphins and talk about what to expect on this trip, but not this day.

As soon as we were clear of the surf I spotted the first whale. The distinctive arched back and short stubby dorsal fin of a Humpback whale. Two of them right in the middle of the bay. In between the beach and a Julian Rocks, a rock formation where sea birds nest and Grey Nurse sharks come to mate during winter.

We drove the boat a bit closer to get a better look. The whales weren’t as much into us as we were in them and they dove down deep only to appear a couple of hundred meters away from us. This went on for about an hour. We would spot whales and head over to get a better view them, but they all seemed to keep eluding us.

About 2 hours into the trip the whales became more active. Until that time they were probably taking it easy like us as the clear blue sky and the calm dark blue waters of the ocean had a soothing and relaxing effect on everything and everyone.

The sound of the slapping of the pectoral fins on the surface could be heard clearly, but no one seemed to be able to pin point where it was coming from. Another thud closer by this time and then we saw it. A tall almost 5 meter long white fin sticking up out of the water and coming down with incredible force. Right next to it a smaller fin ding the same. A calf copying her mom and practicing this form of communication that the Humpbacks use.

Out of nowhere about a hundred meters behind our boat a beautiful big whale decided to show off. It was a full breach with only her tail still submerged. The rest of her almost 15 meter long, 40 ton heavy body was completely out of the water. She came down with a big splash as we watched in awe of this amazing spectacle. She showed off her jumping skills a few more time before she decide it was time to move on. This was already an exceptionally good whale watching trip, but the best was yet to come.

After about 2,5 hours when we were almost ready to head back to shore two of these friendly giants showed up right next to the boat. We turned off the engines and bobbed around on the waves while we were treated to a truly once in a lifetime experience.
One was just hanging around and staying close to his friend and maybe potential mate. The other was turning on her back, showing her white belly, hanging upside down right next to boat. With the weather and water conditions being perfect we could easily see her underwater acrobatics.

Once every few minutes she would come up to check us out. She would swim straight up and stick her mouth out of the water almost to her eyes. This is called ‘spy hopping’. Humpback whales have incredible good eye sight and can see just as well under water as at the surface.

She would flap her tail so close to the boat that could feel could feel the splash on our faces. And it resulted in ear to ear smiles with everyone on board. The spectacle lasted for about twenty minutes. The whales were done playing with us or just lost interest in these weird looking small animals floating around in little red boats.
The captain, who has done hundreds of these whale watching trips, said it was the best one he had ever done and I felt extremely lucky and fortunate to have experienced it. Seeing these enormous, gentle and intelligent animals up close and personal was fantastic. It gave me a smile that lasted the rest of the day and comes back every time I think of this wonder of an encounter.

Dress code

In every city or town you visit you’ll find weird people. Of course you don’t know that they are weird until you actually meet them or engage in conversation with them. But there are a few little tell-tales that give them away

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The hair do is one of them. Long dreads, baby dreads, hair does that look like the clippers failed half way, single extensions with beads and feathers attached and other weird stuff. I’m not saying that every person with crazy hair is a weird person. Actually I've met some really cool people with weird hair, but my conclusion is that if your hair is weird you are more likely or even more prone to be weird.

Facial hair is another one. For some reason the ’70 porn star mustache is in full swing here. Even the guys who can’t really grow one are part of the club. I sometimes feel like the door will swing open and a German speaking hairy woman called Tina walks in dressed in just stockings looking for the plumber or pool boy called Ludwig.

The nose is also a good tool to literally sniff out them out. As a backpacker I understand that money can be an issue. Apparently there is money for surf boards and weed and cheap alcohol. But a bar of soap is not that expensive and there are public bathrooms and showers all around town. Being alternative is fine, being a wannabe hippie, suit yourself. But I feel there is a minimum standard of personal hygiene to be upheld. And everyone knows that the nose knows and can’t deceived.

Tattoos are not necessarily an indication of weirdness. I mean I have a few myself, but there are some over the top, flat out ugly, weird ass tattoos around here. And everyone has at least one tattoo. They are everywhere! I’m especially discombobulated by the people, mostly guys, who have a range of random tattoos on their legs. 4 or 5 per leg. Do you remember the fake sticky tattoos that you would get with a pack of gum when you were a kid? And you had a bunch of them on your arm and you felt real bad ass? That’s what it looks like. Perhaps they are reliving their childhood. For some reason these are also the guys who are rocking that ’70 porn star mustache.

But the biggest tell-tale would be how people dress. The dress code in Australia is definitely different then form that in Europe or the USA. Leggings are immensely popular and short cut off jeans so the lining of the pockets stick out the bottom are a common site. Which isn’t that bad since 80% of the women here have a gorgeous body.

BUT and it can be a big but. In my almost two month stay in Byron Bay I’ve seen the weirdest creations come by. Some are just a bit unusual. You can still tell there went some thought into it. Colors match, it looks like an outfit or it is a new designer who sowed a dress on acid. I can live with that.

It are the absolutely out of this word outfits that just blow my mind. I have a lot of trouble wrapping my head around the fact that there are people who go out in public in the stuff they have on. The argument that they don’t care about how they look or what other people think of them doesn’t fly since they do wear a lot of make-up. Sometimes it seems like the make-up needs to compensate for the inability to put some proper clothes on.

Just close your eyes (after reading this of course) and envision this: A small scrawny girl in her mid-twenties with bad skin and short pony tails on each side of her head. She is wearing a pink shirt underneath a bright blue fishnet top. Jean shorts, rainbow colored socks that come up to the knees and red Doc. Martins, while carrying a giant hoolahoop. I know it is bad to judge, but you’ve got the f-ing kidding me.

And there is a range of similar horrendous apparels around town.

I’m sure some of you are shaking your head right now and are thinking: ‘don’t be so judgmental Jelle’.

But once in a while there is nothing better than sitting outside at a bar with a tall drink and just judge the shit out of people passing by and commenting on everything and then some. If you haven’t done that before, try it sometimes it is very refreshing and funny as hell.

Hunting Migaloo the albino humpback

As a volunteer at the dive shop I obviously don´t get any money, but there are some perks to the job. I can dive for free if there is room on the boat and sometimes I am needed as deckhand on the whale watching trips the dive shop offers. As was the case last Friday.

We launched the boat of the beach at a part of the cape called The Pass. We get the people on board, push the boat out a bit further and break through the surf on the two big 100hp engines at the back. The drill is to drive the boat about half way down the bay, where it is less windy and the skipper can have his little talk.

Whilst the captain is talking about the whales, the different species and their migration route I stand on the back looking out for signs of our targets, Humpback whales.

I saw a few spouts on the horizon. When the whales exhale the warm air condensates and forms a plume of about 4 to 5 meters high, which is called a spout. As soon as the captain was don with his talk I pointed him in the direction I saw the whales and off we were.

We passed Julian Rock’s, a marine reserve where the diving in Byron Bay takes place, and headed further out to sea. By law we have to keep a distance of a 100 meters to the whales and 300 meters if there is a calf present. Luckily for us humpback whales are very inquisitive and the often come to the boat to check us out. 2 individuals surfaced just 30 meters from our boat. They just came to have a look at the humans as they were migrating to their breeding grounds in the warm waters around the Great Barrier Reef. Their distinct dorsal fins just briefly breaching the surface accompanied by the hissing noise of them ex- and inhaling.

Off course it is a very cool sight to see whales so close to the boat, but I wasn’t impressed quite yet. In the distance we saw some whales breaching (jumping out of the water) and plowed the boat through the waves in their direction in the hope to see it up close.

As you might expect as soon as we reached their location they stopped breaching, but we did get treated to some fin slapping. The whale will lie on its side at the surface and slap his or hers distinct white pectoral fin on the surface. The loud thud implies the force they use to do this and I can be heard underwater for several kilometers. The display lasted for about 15 minutes and was very impressive.
The whales decided it was time to go. That was fine with me since it is the only way to see that signature tail rise over the water and disappear into the deep blue. I’ve seen lots of documentaries on marine life and whales but none of them do justice to seeing one 30 meters away.
The captain had us keep an eye out for Migaloo. The only albino humpback whale in the world. It has been spotted in these waters before, but didn’t show his all white face this day.
As a cherry on top we lowered a hydrophone into the water to listen to the whale’s song. They are not just noises. It is an actual song with choruses and verses which lasts about 20 minutes. Only the boys do the singing in the whale world. They hang vertically in the water and take to the stage with a song that can be heard for miles.
Maybe Migaloo will sing for us the next time around.

Alien and awesome

I’ve been in Australia for almost a month now and I am getting more and more used to living down under. I especially enjoy the moments when I encounter something completely new or weird down here.

First of all the wild life. There are birds everywhere. The carry names like Magpie, black kite, kookaburra and the brush turkey. White Ibis in every park searching for food. Loorakeets, parrots, ospreys and eagles. All with their own unique weird ass sound. One sounds like an alarm clock, another sounds like a goat! I have now idea which ones make which sound, but I think it is amazing. Just walking though the Arakwal National Park I hear the birds warning their mates as I approach. It is like an orchestra that moves with you, like every tree has his own musician.

In the morning when I go to work I see these white birds with grey wings, long legs and a short yellow beak. No one I’ve asked so far seems to know what they are called. When another bird of the same kind approaches a standoff takes place. They size each other up, flap their wings and slowly walk in a circle around each other. I don’t know how they decide who the king of the lawn is, but it looks awesome.

What freaks me out the most I guess would be driving on the left side of the road. I’m really struggling with that. I look the wrong way when crossing a street, when there is no other traffic I tend to keep right and the roundabouts are just mind boggling to me. I hope I get the hang of it soon, because I feel I’m an accident waiting to happen.

Also a good thing to know is they don’t have regular coffee here in Oz. It took me about 5 minutes arguing with this lady to figure out what a ‘regular coffee’ is. To me regular would be just coffee. No milk or foam or any other additive. Just coffee. Sounds logical right? But no, normal would be a cappuccino or a Latte with soy milk. If you just want coffee order a Long Black. It is not really a ‘regular’ coffee, but an espresso which they add water to. Don’t get me wrong it taste great, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Aussies like to abbreviate everything. Woolworths becomes woolies, sunglasses become sunnies, afternoon is abbreviated: arvo. I is so funny to whenever I end up not understanding someone because of slang or abbreviations. I thought I understood English, but I’m learning every day here and I love it.

Apparently there is quite an alcohol problem in Oz and one of the laws in Byron Bay is that they can not serve shots after midnight. It turns out that a nice glass of whisky is considered a shot. I was flabbergasted when the bartender told me. I guess I just have to resort to a nice bottle at home instead of enjoying some scotch on a night out.

Busking (street performing) is a legit way to make some extra cash in Byron Bay. So on every corner there is live music. Some are more talented then others, but live music everywhere nonetheless. Usually they are weird and colorful characters. It makes the entire town so much more alive and it I joy just strolling down the street.

I can go on and on about all the stuff that seems weird to me. I don’t recognize the night sky for example and yes the water does swirl down the drain in the opposite direction. Every day I learn something new, see something new and meet new weird people. Everything is very alien to me and I think it’s awesome.  

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Cape Byron Light

Byron Bay happens to have the most powerful lighthouse in the country. Built in 1901, the beautiful white structure sits at the top of Cape Byron marking the most easterly point of mainland Australia. From one of the smaller beaches surrounding the cape, Watego’s Beach, a beautiful trail/stairs lead up to the lighthouse. It is not just the lighthouse and the view from the top that make it worth working up a sweat getting there.

At Watego’s beach among other places there are public barbecues  Just hold the button until the light comes on and you have a hot plate for the next 20 minutes. Ideal to serve as home base when you chill at the beach or venture out into the park.

The Cape is part of the Cape Byron Marine Park and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. When walking up the trail towards the top you really feel you’re in the jungle. Palms, ferns, tea trees and much more line hill side while on the other side stunning views of the bay, beaches and ocean can be seen.

After every minute walking or so the vegetation opens up to reveal beautiful sneak peeks of the surroundings.  I had to stop every time to take in the view and try to capture it on camera. With my used and abused point and shoot camera that is very hard to do, so I would recommend to just come visit and experience the beauty for yourself.

About half way up, the trail splits. To the right the trail leads on to the top. To the left it leads to a lookout point which is probably the best place to be if you want to spot some whales and dolphins which are passing by close to shore on their way to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef in the north to mate. It is literally the easternmost point of mainland Australia. Except for the cape behind you there is only ocean so be seen in every direction. The waves crash onto the rocks with great force. It definitely gives you that salty ocean spray experience.

The lighthouse itself is a small sturdy looking building as bright as the light it emits. Completely white it definitely stands out among the green vegetation and black and brown rock faces. Sunset is the time you want to be there. It is a beautiful sight to see the sun disappear behind the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. It bathes the bay and its golden beaches in a warm orange light. The last sun rays bounce off of the water transforming it from blue into silver. The best view however is not to the east, but to the west. The light of the setting sun illuminates the clouds over the Pacific Ocean. It looks like they are on fire. All ranges of red, orange and yellow projected on virgin white clouds hovering over a dark blue ocean.

The way down is easy and effortless. Especially since your mind is still wondering off, remembering the clouds ablaze.