We flew from central Australia to Brisbane on the east coast. Our destination was Byron Bay, about 120 miles to the south of Brisbane. We had met some folks from Byron Bay, and were told it was a bit of a “New Age” area like Sedona, with great energy. It actually proved much bigger and less intimate than our small home town. Our drive to Byron Bay took us down the well traveled Gold Coast of Queensland. After the remoteness of Uluru, I was a bit shocked by the endless development of the east coast. High rises lined the beach like concrete sand castles.
Our first night in Eastern Australia was spent in a town called Tugun, not too far from the airport. We were a bit too tired to continue the drive down to Byron Bay, and found a hotel just before nightfall. The energy in Tugun was a bit like any of the eastern US coastal towns. When we reached Byron Bay the next day, we found it difficult to feel comfortable there.
Despite the fact that Byron Bay was quite beautiful, we were expecting a smaller town atmosphere, but found ourselves feeling quite anonymous. It was difficult to even find a restaurant that felt good. I ended up eating sweet French toast with ice cream for my first sugary breakfast. We felt a bit sad that we weren’t feeling too connected to the area, and after checking in to our hotel, went off to explore a bit.
We drove a high series of roads to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, the most easterly tip of the country. From a lookout point we witnessed immense, crashing waves, and again were blessed to see distant surfing dolphins, as well as a shark and a huge manta ray. Eagles crested waves of wind above us and blue butterflies flittered around us, delighting us as they stayed nearby. We were finally feeling at peace. We realized we were called to this part of Australia to connect with nature and the land probably more than with the local people.
In Byron Bay we did find a healing Center that was exactly what I needed. Osho’s House had a most fantastic massage therapist, and she gave me a wonderful spirit, mind and body session. Her hands were gifted, and I found myself avoiding going too deep a few times during the session because I was making notes about what she did! Good therapists learn from experiencing each other. Daniel truly enjoyed his session also, so we each made a return trip before we left the area.
We went for dinner to an area a bit north of the city and witnessed the local people in drunken stupors, picking fights with each other. We had to exit an otherwise romantic gazebo as the group made its way over toward us. They weren’t so interested in us, but carried a sort of gang-like energy that we chose to avoid. We made a hasty retreat back to our car.
The next day we drove off and explored Nightcap National Park. The Park has vast sub-tropical rainforests and also features a most glorious waterfall; Minyon Falls. We performed a Water Ritual just above the falls, and hiked the verdant and lush trails for many hours. We were told that Mount Warning, the great nearby volcano, held strong energy. Unfortunately several different roads that led to it were closed for construction, so after a lengthy drive, several detours and no volcano, we resigned ourselves that we weren’t supposed to connect with it for some certainly good but unknown reason. Mount Warning seemed to be warning us away!
AUSTRALIA: MINYON FALLS WATER RITUAL
We continued on to a New Age store we had read about that shared the same name as a great shop in Sedona; Crystal Castle. It was more than just a store, and had grounds and trails that felt quite sacred, as well as some amazing crystals. Daniel stood next to an amethyst geode that was almost six feet tall, and loved its energy. The shopkeepers were not so talkative, and we found this disappointing. We were interested in their experiences as well as their crystals. When we went to eat in the sweet little café on the grounds we better understood the aloofness. We had somehow missed an hour’s time change in our travels, and had actually arrived right at closing time.
That evening we were in a joyous state, as Nature bestowed upon us great gifts. As we drove a high road leading us back to the lighthouse, a blood orange moon rose that was more deeply colored, and much larger, than any moon we had every seen. It was amazing and mesmerizing. We pulled over to fully appreciate it. We saw a gigantic snake on the road, as well as a rare marsupial a little farther along the way. When we reached the lighthouse, we climbed upon huge, black, jagged rocks that lined the shore as the orange orb-moon rose fully.
We drove past a resort where the ocean and the Brunswick River meet in the Mullumbimby area, and decided to spend a couple nights there instead of in nearby Byron Bay. We later found out that we were in a locale noted for its alternative, “hippie” community. The property had beautiful lily ponds, and huge numbers of cane toads underfoot.
By the water’s edge we hiked in the trees on the resort’s property. We enjoyed seeing huge pelicans, as they soared above the frothy dark water of the river that flowed in fits into the ocean waves. The river's sandy banks were constantly being absorbed into the ocean's swift currents. Ghost crabs decorated the entrances of their burrows with tell-tale balls of sand and the beach was covered with them. We were not amused by the swarms of mosquitoes that harassed us incessantly, though nature's rich beauty did greatly compensate us for our troubles.
We were surprised and momentarily shocked to encounter an unusually attired biker in the mosquito laden woods. He was off the bike and pushing it over some tree roots, and was completely naked! No prudes, we wished him a very good day. He appeared more interested in making a statement than taking care of his body. We could not fathom how he was handling the hungry, biting bugs. Maybe the Naturalist had covered every nook and cranny with unnatural products? Either way, a hearty soul indeed.
We celebrated our last full day in Australia with a horseback ride on the beach. We wanted the tame version, not the gallop and swim and bareback riding finale that the horses normally did. Daniel had not been on a horse since he was three. The experience had left deep fear in him, as his father had led him along the edge of a trail that went straight down, so far down he couldn’t see the bottom. He felt he was about to fall off the entire time, and it left him with a very vivid and terrifying memory. He could remember gripping the saddle horn with all his might with both his little hands. He was quite courageous to ride again with me, and the experience was very healing for him. During the ride I felt a bit nervous too, as I hadn’t ridden in years.
AUSTRALIA: RIDING ON THE BEACH
The horses were quite good in spite of a tremendous wind on the beach. We learned that they were once racehorses, which did not instill much confidence in us. They walked gently during our time on them, and we appreciated their acceptance of the routine change. I was quite pleased to actually ride in an Australian outback saddle on an actual Australian beach. Dolphins made the riding experience magical for us. They appeared in the shallow water just off the beach from where we rode, playing and jumping, and we felt so very blessed by their presence. The horses seemed quite comfortable with them so close. They were familiar with the dolphin energy. We both felt ready to dismount at the end of our great adventure. We thanked our trusty steeds.
We drove to Brisbane and spent our last night there before having to awaken at 4 am for an early flight to Sydney. Our flight did not get off the ground in time for us to make our next plane to Honolulu. We boarded the plane, had to get off the plane, then another plane came in for those of us with connecting flights and we finally began to board it just as the rest of the passengers were allowed to board the original plane.
We waited in Sydney for 5 hours while they tried to find our bags, and a flight for us. We found ourselves getting quite upset when we were finally told that we would have to go to Hawaii the next day. This did not at all please us, so we chose the other alternative that they offered us. After they found our bags, we flew all the way to Los Angeles and then back to Honolulu. At least we got to Kona late on the originally planned day. Our anticipation to swim with the dolphins was so great that it made the arduous journey worthwhile. Hawaii was a dream come true.
AUSTRALIA: KOALA CROSSING
