Australia
Surfers Paradise. Known for…. surfing! On our way there we stopped at Byron Bay, a very interesting town. Whatever you do, though, don’t believe anyone when they tell you it only takes 20 minutes to wander down from the lighthouse to the town below. It takes about that long to drive down.
Once at surfers we headed out to Gilhooleys for some drinks, where some locals came in dressed up in super hero costumes - everything from Superman to Lara Croft. As we remember it, Colleen really seemed to like the Shrek costume... After that we headed over to Melba's Nightclub to celebrate a birthday and spend a little time dancing.
When in Surfers Paradise, what else is there to do besides learn to surf? The next morning a group of us were picked up by the surfing instructors to try a little bit of surfing. We got all set up in the wet suits and were each given a board, and then after warming up a bit we were taught how to paddle, and eventually how to stand. I have to say that it was actually almost harder to stand with the board in the sand than when you
were in the water. Too bad the rip was strong that day and we were only given limited time in the water, but it was still a lot of fun. I would definitely try it again.
Along with everything else, there's a huge shopping mall just a short walk from the hotel. In fact, it's one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It reminded me of going to Disney World, with little water wheels and cute houses posing as shops everywhere. The beach also isn't very far, although it was pretty cool and windy. At night we headed out to Dracula's, the cabaret/dinner show in town, which was pretty good.
Coffs Harbour
