From Naughty Nimbin (to Sydney), we returned to Byron Bay for a swim in the calm sea, still not quite able to fathom why this place was again overcrowded with major traffic problems. Yes, it had beautiful beaches but so did most of Sydney’s north coast.

Evans Head

At Evans Head, a one-horse town compared to Byron Bay, we spent the night on an island overlooking the quaint harbour, in between where the boats docked. The stunning sunset, silhouetting the moorings, added to the tranquil feel of the place.

Nambucca Heads

Waking to heavy rain and wind that rocked the van, we set off early-ish the following morning and enjoyed a lunch over looking the river at Nambucca Heads, where the weather had cleared. Inspecting the 500 meters of rock gallery, we strolled along The Vee Wall to the pristine and uncrowded beaches beyond at Shelly Beach. Surprisingly, I spotted another two aboriginal people!

Hat Head National Park

Our next night’s rest landed us at Hat Head National Park. With only three other cars around in the park, and a few wallabies, we almost had the place to ourselves. The heavens opened again which prevented us from enjoying a braai, instead we had to resort to the gas barbeque for our fish and sweet corn.

Seal Rocks 

The never-ending rain followed us all the way to Seal Rocks, its exceptional beauty attracting us, forcing us to visit a second time and for two nights instead of the one as per the first visit at the start of our trip.

Eventually in the afternoon the rain ceased and the sun appeared. We hurried up with lunch at Bluey’s and raced back to Seal Rocks to surf and swim, swimming more than we surfed, as the waves were too choppy.

Back to Sydney

The deluge of rain disturbed us early hours of the morning, the last morning of our road trip. Packing everything away, restoring the van back to normal as much as possible, we headed back to Sydney where we spent our last night in luxurious comfort at the Park Hyatt Sydney, with arresting views overlooking the Sydney Harbour.

Two weeks to explore Sydney’s coast was nowhere near long enough, but it provided a pleasant taster, enticing me to return in the near future. Oh how I must!

Over all I felt safe in Australia. It’s a beautiful country: full of open space, greenery, mountains, immaculate beaches, clean, nothing out of place, a well run country – a First World country through and through; however, it lacks something. It’s too sterile, almost soulless. It’s not Africa, where the people give Africa its soul. Just before I’d left Durban to travel to Australia, en route to the airport, I couldn’t stop laughing at an African man sitting in a wire shopping trolley, limbs dangling out from all sides. Perched on the corner of a busy intersection, he had a dilapidated boombox blasting some tribal music in to the air, heard brilliantly through closed car door windows. Shaking his head, my father said, “Only in Africa!”

Nothing beats home…