Sunshine and Gold Coasts

Views from the Byron Bay Light House

Australia is an enormous island so naturally beaches are abundant. Let's not assume that high quantity means low quality though, this country has some of our favorite combinations of sand and surf.

Nick, Michele and Anika after a swim on Mermaid Beach, you can see the high rises of Surfer's Paradise in the background

Mermaid Beach

This little beach community is strapped on the edge of Surfer's Paradise which is one of the big names with it's wide coast and high rises. Mermaid beach is quiet and residential and more our style.

After a long day in Brisbane we crashed here and lounged around the next day. Michele and I found a local book store and got some new reading material. On the way back to the hotel we walked on the beach. Currents and riptides can be dangerous on the East Coast so manageable sections of the coast are overseen by life guards. Later in the afternoon we got the Nick and Justin to join us for a swim. There were lots of little jellyfish on the shore but we dove in and hoped for the best. Surf Clubs were originally for life guard recreation but are open to the public and one of "the Australian experiences." At Mermaid beach we had an awesome dinner at one. Justin won 50$ worth of club credits in a game and ended up becoming a member.

Byron Bay Light House

Byron Bay

Byron Bay is your typical tourist beach town. Boutiques, expensive restaurants and lot's of souvenir shops. Two of us wanted to explore the town and the other half did not so we split up. Nicholas and Justin found a nice spot to have lunch while Michele and I walked around more. The beach was relatively crowded but the water was so clear! You could see right through it!

Later we drove up the twisty roads to the lighthouse. Steep cliffs dropped off on all sides but the views of the ocean below were something else!

Enjoying the waves at Rainbow Beach

Some spectacular colors at sunset

Giving Kayaking a try

Morning Breakfast picture on Rainbow Beach

Taekwondo practice

Rainbow Beach

This sweet spot was actually north of Brisbane putting it on the Sunshine Coast. We had planned to go to Fraser Island (Largest sand island in the world) but after being eaten alive by midgies (teeny tiny bugs known on the east coast as noseeums) the last thing we wanted was sand fleas. Instead we stayed on the mainland just across the channel. The beach was nice and a friendly neighbor lent us her kayak. It was also fun to watch the skydivers that would land on the beach periodically. Rainbow Beach was actually the nearest town and the public beach there which was also very nice.  

Paradise on Yarawanga Point

Cutting up corned beef

Yarawanga Point

This is actually where we spent St. Patrick's Da y! Justin cooked up some corned beef and potatoes on the top of this breezy hill surrounded by colorful water. The tide changes were also very apparent with the bay morphing into mudflats during part of the day. Unfortunately the beauty of the spot was ruined by the thousands of midgies that crawled through the mesh of our tent and prevented us from sleeping and covered us with bites. Nick counted over 300 on him alone. And we didn't dare swim in the tantalizing blue water for all the crocodile warnings everywhere.