“Aaaaaahhhh… Now THIS is what I came for.”
(James, traveler from London, England, as we discovered Byron Bay’s beach on the first sunny day of our stay)

Because, yes, to be honest, I did not really come to Australia in summer to see floods. Especially on the East Coast, goddammit. It was supposed to be an endless stretch of white sand, bathed by a generous sun, covered with people with so much sunscreen that they would shine while humongous waves would crash with an incredible strength on the coast, sometimes with blond surfers on top of them.

And, finally, that was it.

One of the last buses to leave Brisbane before the city was paralyzed dropped me in Byron Bay, at something like 1am. I was studying the map of the small town under the dim light of the bus stop when a local came and offered me a lift to the YHA (Youth Hostel Association). I accepted, quite thankful.

Byron Bay is a very, very touristic place in Australia and as such, it is highly advised to book accommodation in advance before getting there during summer. Needless to say, I do not follow that kind of advices. The YHA was unsurprisingly full but two minutes later, I found a bed in the nearby Aquarius, thanks to cancellations. See, I did not need to book anything.

The first day was still rainy, though – I was not far enough from the huge clouds now covering Brisbane. Not quite the best weather to enjoy the beach. But the high winds are, on the other hand, a joy for kite-surfers.

And at last, the sky cleared up and I could, for the first time, admire Australia under a shiny blue sky. I had a few days of real, total holidays, enjoying an Australian beach as it was supposed to be, i.e. lying down on the sand and not doing anything for hours. Except go swimming in the ocean from time to time when you are too hot.

Byron Bay is an expensive place, this I can confirm. And even though the beaches were wonderful, and the atmosphere of the town really chilled out, I knew I could not stay there for long. Thus, when Tim, a Swedish traveler, announced he was heading south in his car, I immediately decided to ride with him.

But before leaving, we had to visit the famous Cape Byron, the most easterly point of the Australian mainland…