(2015/03/23) … in the morning i was waked up by the sun ray, a good sign for maybe a good day. I have heard already from several people that you have to visit Nimbi, a small hippie town located inlands. The drive through the Nightcap National Park to get to Nimbi was awesome. A small and curvy road through rainforest, a motorbike would really love it (with an XT, not a GSXeR). Arrived before noon, the village looked idyllic and quiet. Older and middle aged hippies sitting in cafes or in front of their houses and some were already preparing their shops for the upcoming tourist busses. The funniest hostel name was “Bringabong” based on “Billabong”. It didn’t took long and at 12:30 the first tour bus arrived and flooded the village with backpacker teens/twens and other vey touristy who hijacked all the shops immediately. This was the signal for me to leave and head on to Byron Bay.
Like the way on arrival, the way leaving to Byron Bay was awesome as before. The good thing was, the way leaded through Bangalow and later via a small hill with an nice view down to Byron Bay. It was exactly the opposite of Surfers Paradise. The drive up to the lighthouse gave some good views above the bay. One annoying point in Byron Bay was the continuously traffic congestion. Finally i rewarded myself with laying on the beach, enjoying the sun and having a swim in the waves. Funny fact about the sandy beach. The sand makes squeaky noises while walking above it or rub with your hand or feet on it. The time between 5pm and 7pm was filled with uploading pictures on the Telstra Wifi Hotspot. This day had totally compensated yesterday. Less interesting was the spot to stay for the night, a big truck rest area in Ballina, but if you are arriving late, had all the sights at day and just want to stay there for the night, you don’t care about that.
Most important thing for sleeping on these rest stops near main streets is sleeping with ear plugs. Heavy trucks which are using compression breaking really wakes you up or don’t let you fall asleep. Combined with the loud sounds of wildlife in the morning, you will be totally wrecked…