Despite having just spent three and a bit weeks on holiday, I still found it necessary to break up my trip back to Sydney from Brisbane with a weekend stopover in Hawks Nest. Some friends were all staying there and had offered to put me up (again!). When I get a job will definitely have to pay them all back for their never ending generosity! It was great to see Amanda and Kirk again - having seen them everyday for months, it felt like a long time apart (well, for me... probably not quite long enough for them yet...)
Having told the bus driver a sob story about having to hitchhike in order to get him to drop me before my specified dropoff point - I was slightly embarrassed to get caught out by Kirk arriving to pick me up just as the bus drew in. Busted. Ah well, no more greyhounds for me for a while! It had not been the best overnight journey. At every stop all the lights came on, and we stopped for 45 minute meal breaks at 2 and then 6 in the morning. Everyone else got off the bus at Bryon Bay, leaving me and one other guy as the sole passengers. To my horror, the guy came and sat directly behind me. Creepy. I put my seat right back, and after about 10 minutes of feigning a horrendous twitch (combined with snorty noises in the back of the throat) he got the message and moved away.
Entered the house to cries of 'get Beth in a shower, quick!' Great, my reputation as a backpacker had proceeded me... or had the heady aroma of feet, cocoa butter and bug spray crept into the house that quickly? Instead, I opted to head to the beach and throw myself into the ocean. It was beautifully cold and refreshing. More and more familiar faces appeared. Unfortunately, having said hello, most of them immediately looked disappointed and said "what? is Harri not with you?" Great for the ego. Note to self: never introduce your most awesome friends to anyone, as they will always be disappointed by your solo presence in the future.
Hawks Nest was all I remembered. Within a couple of hours had seen dolphins, pelicans, and these amazing white parrots with blue eyes that picked up pine kernels and threw them at me when I came too close with my camera. Headed to the pub in the evening to celebrate two peoples birthdays, but had to beat an early retreat when the live music started... The less said the better. We all converged on one of the many dwellings for rounds of the hat game and lots of wine (and aeroguard... not a great mix). To my delight, a possum came to see what all the fuss was about. I'd never seen one outside a zoo. No-one else could understand my excitement at seeing vermin close up...
The next morning, got up early to go to the surf beach for a rousing morning dip. The wind had got up, and the surf was pretty good. I was promptly submerged and dragged down the beach by an errant wave, managing to flash an elderly gentleman in the process. I wondered why he was waving and smiling at me...! Emerged bedraggled but thoroughly awake, covered in sand, and with enough water up my nose to provide hours of entertainment when it would suddenly spontaneously pour like a tap.
Moved on to the estuary after breakfast, before settling on Winda Woppa. Noticing activity amongst the boats we looked up to see a huge pod of dolphins right near the beach. Without a seconds thought, we plunged into the water and swam out to them. From about 25 metres away, we trod water and gazed at them as they glided past, the water parting over their shiny grey backs. It was an incredible moment, so peaceful, yet for us so charged with excitement! When they passed, we turned to head for the shore. Only to realise how far out we had come. Hawks Nest is unfortunately not only known for dolphins and whales, it is also a shark breeding ground. Great Whites come here throughout the year, while bull sharks and tiger sharks also treat the lagoon (which we were now floating in the middle of) as a nursery. The swim back was not relaxing. Every second I expected to see the tip of a fin. Every shadow under the water was coming to kill me. All in all, we got back to the shore feeling pretty stupid! Ah well, at least I had the tourist excuse - the Aussie's should definitely have known better!
Having told the bus driver a sob story about having to hitchhike in order to get him to drop me before my specified dropoff point - I was slightly embarrassed to get caught out by Kirk arriving to pick me up just as the bus drew in. Busted. Ah well, no more greyhounds for me for a while! It had not been the best overnight journey. At every stop all the lights came on, and we stopped for 45 minute meal breaks at 2 and then 6 in the morning. Everyone else got off the bus at Bryon Bay, leaving me and one other guy as the sole passengers. To my horror, the guy came and sat directly behind me. Creepy. I put my seat right back, and after about 10 minutes of feigning a horrendous twitch (combined with snorty noises in the back of the throat) he got the message and moved away.
Entered the house to cries of 'get Beth in a shower, quick!' Great, my reputation as a backpacker had proceeded me... or had the heady aroma of feet, cocoa butter and bug spray crept into the house that quickly? Instead, I opted to head to the beach and throw myself into the ocean. It was beautifully cold and refreshing. More and more familiar faces appeared. Unfortunately, having said hello, most of them immediately looked disappointed and said "what? is Harri not with you?" Great for the ego. Note to self: never introduce your most awesome friends to anyone, as they will always be disappointed by your solo presence in the future.
Hawks Nest was all I remembered. Within a couple of hours had seen dolphins, pelicans, and these amazing white parrots with blue eyes that picked up pine kernels and threw them at me when I came too close with my camera. Headed to the pub in the evening to celebrate two peoples birthdays, but had to beat an early retreat when the live music started... The less said the better. We all converged on one of the many dwellings for rounds of the hat game and lots of wine (and aeroguard... not a great mix). To my delight, a possum came to see what all the fuss was about. I'd never seen one outside a zoo. No-one else could understand my excitement at seeing vermin close up...
Moved on to the estuary after breakfast, before settling on Winda Woppa. Noticing activity amongst the boats we looked up to see a huge pod of dolphins right near the beach. Without a seconds thought, we plunged into the water and swam out to them. From about 25 metres away, we trod water and gazed at them as they glided past, the water parting over their shiny grey backs. It was an incredible moment, so peaceful, yet for us so charged with excitement! When they passed, we turned to head for the shore. Only to realise how far out we had come. Hawks Nest is unfortunately not only known for dolphins and whales, it is also a shark breeding ground. Great Whites come here throughout the year, while bull sharks and tiger sharks also treat the lagoon (which we were now floating in the middle of) as a nursery. The swim back was not relaxing. Every second I expected to see the tip of a fin. Every shadow under the water was coming to kill me. All in all, we got back to the shore feeling pretty stupid! Ah well, at least I had the tourist excuse - the Aussie's should definitely have known better!
Buoys put to a less functional use! Looked like something out of a childrens book!
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