Grafton to Byron Bay via the Big Prawn

After a rather unsatisfactory night at the Civic Motel (not one to be recommended) we got croissants with ham and cheese from a nice cafe we discovered yesterday afternoon on the main street.

Eventually, we got underway, heading along the Pacific Highway toward Ballina. This incurred yet another crossing of the enormously long, treacherously narrow lifting bridge that crosses the Clarence River.

We had read that there was a ferry crossing about 15km out of Grafton, which allowed us to take a nice drive away from the main highway, and then cross back to the other side about 20km further on. However, it turns out that the ferry at the first location was closed, so we ended up going along the main highway instead.

En route to Ballina, we passed what appaers to be be an old sugar mill town, which contained the pictured church.

We continued on, pausing at the Victoria Park Nature Reserve. This is a remnant of the natural sub tropical rain forest that was in this area before it was cleared, mainly for the red cedar that was native to the area. The pictured butterfly was being quite difficult to capture on the camera.

This next image shows the scale of the trees.

The return trip back to the highway took us through many sugar cane plantations.

The entry into Ballina took us past the Giant Prawn. How attractive it is.

We've lucked in with the weather again; today we're expecting 27 degrees, and we have blue, cloudless skies. We made it into Byron bay after driving tourist route 30, which took us through the smaller coastal towns on the way, and avoided the main highway again. We found the information centre, and a not especially enthusiastic gent tee'd us up with a bed and breakfast on the south side of town. The place appears very comfortable so far; not sure how it will be when the pathetic drunks finally make their way past later on.

We strolled up and down most of the main street, and up to Main Beach. If you enlarge this photo, you should be able to see the Cape Byron Lighthouse, and the most easterly point in Australia.

Looking in the other direction shows Mt Warning far off in the distance, the first point in Australia to see the sun each morning.

I've nothing specific to say about this picture, other than that I rather like it so I thought I should include it.

After a mad dash back to the room to collect the car, we wizzed past the multi-million dollar homes of the rich and self-important, and parked at Watego's Beach. From there there's a boardwalk that leads past the most eastern point and around and up to the lighthouse. The image below was taken over Watego's beach.

As you could tell, the sun has now set, and we've thus walked around to the lighthouse in the fading dusk light. This is the lighthouse, built in 1901. You should be able to see that the lamp is operating.

Last but by no means least is an abstract work by Karen that she plans to sell in one of the wierder shops here at Byron for a small fortune.

I think it's this way up.

We had fish and chips at the beach, which was very nice, and inexpensive. We thought we'd treat ourselves to a nice dessert and coffee, so we had been recommended to go to "The Balcony". The coffee was OK, and one of the desserts, a banana pizza was OK, but the chocolate dipped doughnuts were a bit too weird, and not to either of our tastes.

The real put-you-off was that they allowed smoking in the restaurant, albeit on the balcony. So the desserts, which cost twice what the dinner did, were somewhat disapointing.

Tomorrow, we start our journey south.