Bye Bye Byron

And just like that, our time in Byron Bay was over. We never did bump into any Hemsworths or Zac Effron but we did have a great time! We savoured our very last hotel included breakfast and farewelled the Ongs, who were going to overnight at Port Macquarie. Our destination would be the city of Newcastle.

Over breakfast, we celebrated Elliot's HSC results, sufficient to get into his first choice of studying Data Science at the University of NSW. There was otherwise very little to report today as most of the day was spent driving other than the fact that the blue skies of course showed its face as we left Byron...

Our arrival and check in into our apartment rentals in Newcastle went smoothly enough. We were put into two 1-bedroom apartments side by side instead of our booked 2 bedroom but were given free parking as compensation. We took it as parking was going to cost us $20 per night! The apartments were good enough. It was well located, clean, spacious and had a full kitchen and laundry. The photos online however looked better than the actual apartments.

Goodbye Byron Bay!

Ramen home delievery for dinner

The living area

The unbelievably blue sky came just as we left. Hmmph!

Byron Bay Day 4

This blog post will be extremely short. In essence, we wanted to relax and enjoy our villa and it was our last full day here. There were baths to be taken, drinks vouchers to be redeemed, a test cricket match to watch and streaming movies and series to catch up on...

Lunch was only sandwiches but it was a surprise hit! Unfortunately Malcolm could not remember where he got it from...other than it was a bakery and it was close to Munch. The servings were generous, the flavours amazing and the price point excellent!

Dinner was at the one hatted Pipit near Tweed Heads. Fiona had managed to get us a spot after calling and accidentally speaking to the chef...yay Fiona! It was worth the drive and the 5pm early dinner time. The food was superb and the best of our meals here whilst at Byron. The ingredients were fresh and combined well each other. They didn't try to be too fancy and we were grateful we didn't have to google any ingredients...The end result was amazing flavours! This is a place we would definitely go back to!

And so endeth our time here at Byron Bay. So many things to be grateful for...in no particular order:

• It was busy but nowhere near the crowded mayhem that we feared (that may have been due to the weather!)
• Whilst it has certainly developed a lot since we were last year, it was still a relaxing trip and Byron Bay hasn't become a major tourist trap (yet)
• Although there was cyclone like weather, we were really only affected for a few days. There were enough breaks in the rain, and sunshine moments for us to see what we wanted to see. We still had wonderful time here.
• It was great to travel with friends! The children got along well and I'm still perplexed as to how UNO can hold so much appeal after so many rounds...
• The resort was awesome and a great place to get "stuck"

Cheers to an excellent last dinner at Byron Bay!

Refreshing lycheet sorbet, almond ice-cream and green mango. Amazing flavour!

Main was grilled mahi mahi

Starter of yellowfin tuna with macadamia miso and stonefruit

Sourdough with smoked macadamia and kefir butters. So nice!

Home made lemonade

Open kitchen

The signs of the times. As we dined, we discovered that NSW had a new corovirus cluster...

Byron Bay Day 3

Today we had a seven am breakfast booked so didn't tackle any "wellness" activities. We decided that retail therapy may be just as effective. The local crop of outlets at Habitat came with the Ming Loh seal of approval so we decided to check them out. Just about every item at every store had its origins fully documented. You could shop here and know more about the history of your lip balm than your family tree. Some things were a little wacky and way overpriced (like a $300 camoflague jumpsuit) and some were actually quite nice and even good value. Jonah and Cameron scored two pairs of shoes each and I scored a pair of "plant based" vegan scratchproof completely biodegradable sunglasses. Just what every girl needs. Fortunately, the rain stayed away and I was given an opportunity to use them. We dashed back to grab the kids and made use of our complementary solar train ticket into town. The train ride is actually a much nicer way to into town as it avoids the increasing busy single lane road and the need to find a parking spot. They might need to find an extra carriage come January!

We did a little more shopping with Fiona and Lara adding to the plunder before we gave up and visited the Poke bowl shop that we had spotted earlier in the week. We felt like good parents making the kids eat some green stuff and headed back as the weather changed again.

Never thought I would be one rocking vegan sunglasses

Steve and his purchases

The solar train

Apparently not that popular yet. Lots of seats

We could spread out in comfort

It was bright enough to wear sunglasess!

Let's have something green for lunch!

Very colourful poke bowls!

Service was a little dicey though...

Redeeming our discounted smoothies

Steve encouraged us to give the adult pool a go. It is amazing the difference that an extra three degrees of water temperature can make! Even with restrictions lifting we were allowed to swim up to the bar, but couldn't sit on the in-pool bar stools. Instead had to drift away to a safe distance to drink them. It wasn't a problem, of course, but was just another one of those things that just feels a little strange.

Dinner was at Bang Bang, a funky thai restaurant. The food was generally good although a touch on the sweet side and portion sizes somewhat small for the price. The service was passable, and rated as passable as no self respecting "Asian" restaurant wouldn't have white rice on the ready! We were told the dishes will just come when they are ready...umm...not white rice. They should have 4 giant rice cookers on rotation in the kitchen! The ambience was nice though and we did enjoy our meal.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of...will it rain or not in Byron Bay...

Time for the adult pool!

Sticky pork belly

Duck

Coconut sago

Malcolm's selfie attempt was so bad the waitress offered to take a photo for us

Byron Bay Day 2

The Ongs were made of stronger stuff than us today backing up for Yoga and HIITS while we (one more than the other!) licked our wounds. That didn't stop us from bouncing back in time for the unexpected arrival of some sunshine. Should we brave a quick hike to the top of the lighthouse whilst th enews reports are still warning of road flooding? Probably not, but then today's blog would be a boring report of phones and board games. As it turned out, fortune favoured the brave.

We  managed to score a couple of spots at "The Pass" carpark and began our hike. We encountered an interesting challenge at the very start of our walk. A tidal channel of 20m or so led to a vantage point with views of Clarke's Beach. The crossing required a balance of timing, bravery, leg length, attire and footwear so that diminished our potential contenders. In the end, there were just three... Malcolm - long of leg, Fiona - brave of spirit and Lara - brief of shorts. There were no spills and the obligatory photos were attained so we were able to move on without undue delay.

We climbed up and down the stairs past the glamourous Watego's Beach which somehow managed to escape much of the brutal erosion that hit the rest of the beaches in these parts. There are some very fancy houses with infinity pools, rooftop lounges and direct beach access. Hopefully their foundations stay nice and sturdy! 

We powered on past the most Easterly part of mainland Australia and on to the lighthouse where Fi rewarded us all with lollies for our efforts. If we'd known rewards were on offer we would've whinged a bit earlier!

The return walk was much shorter by the footpath parallel to the roadway according to google. Unfortunately, Malcolm took Google a little too literally and led us along the road itself which was quite narrow in parts and ended up with quite a few drivers wondering why we were all wandering along a steep, windy, narrow strip with young children. He chose...poorly. A tip for future travellers... the correct path is the one to the left! 

We returned to the resort and were able to enjoy lunch around the pool, cold drinks, ice blocks and UNO. Who could ask for anything more? Well actually we could so we ordered a pizza delivery dinner for the kids and partook in an adults only dinner at Elements' signature restaurant, Azure Dining Room. We had previously dined at the more relaxed Azure Terrace on our first night. The food at the dining was at a whole different level. We rated the food to be better than at Beach. 

The channel crossable when the waves receded

Not so easy when the waves rushed in!

Fiona going for it. Mal and Lara had already crossed

The path on the Cape Byron Walking Track

The famous Wategos Beach

Exclusive and expensive Rae's

At the most easterly point of the Australian mainland

A little more to the lighthouse...

Cape Byron Lighthouse

Is that...blue sky?!?!

Stunning view from the lighthouse

Bad choice Daddy

Poolside ice-blocks. Fancy ones too...but taste is no better than ordinary supermarket ones

Kids love the pool

Cocktail time

The Green Goddess salad. Actually very nice!

Sourdough on warm stones

Octopus

Snapper with shiitake

A very tasty cheesecake with miso caramel

Newrybar, Bangalow & Byron Bay

Harvest Deli

We departed Coffs Harbour earlier than planned, eager to get to our final destination. More importantly we were hopeful that an earlier arrival at Newrybar would give us a better chance of eating at the much hyped Harvest restaurant. It was not meant to be. We were there too early! We would have got a seat for all 10 of us had we been prepared to wait until the opening time of noon but we settled with coffee and munchies from the Harvest deli instead. The rain had given us a reprieve and we wanted to push on. 

With good coffee in hand, we can do anything!

Harvest had its own local garden for produce

Christmas time means mince pies! Yum!

Our lunch selection from the Harvest deli. Delicious freshly made and toasted sandwiches and Spanish omelette

A very nice banana bread

A special treat to take away

The tiny quaint town had 2 very upmarket shops!

Rustic playground

Next up was Bangalow,a small pretty town known for its historical federation architecture. We wandered around and stocked up on snacks (on account of the predicted 5 days of rain...boo) before making tracks. We had an important appointment to keep...gin tasting at Cape Byron Distillery! By the time we arrived, the skies had opened up again. We were fortunate to be under the management of Fiona's organisation, who had the foresight to make the appointment. The distillery was only open on the weekends and this was going to be our only change to visit! We left the children in the car with food and water...and strolled in, prepared for some gin goodness. We walked out with a few bottles of gin goodies including a Cumquat gin aptly called Shirl the Pearl! That she is!

Pretty & historic shopfronts of Bangalow

Of course we all know of the CWA (Country Women's Association) but I had never actually seen a building!

Matching handbags!

Yeah we didn't see no superman coming out of that phonebooth...

A very fancy schmancy "old-fashioned" pharmacy!

It is gin time!

The distillery with a backdrop of the family macadamia farm

The G&T made with their dry gin and garnished with aniseed myrtle and finger lime. Yum!

We had to share this so one of us could still legally drive...

Cheers! We walked away with some cumquat gin called Shirl the Pearl!

We timed our arrival at Elements of Byron to perfection. Because of Covid-19, guests are not allowed to check in earlier than 3pm and not allowed to use facilities prior to check in. We rolled up to reception right on 3pm. Unfortunately our villas were not remotely close to each other, but the mild disappointment soon dissipated when we saw the interiors of the 2 bedroom deluxe villas. We definitely hit the jackpot! If we were going to have be stuck indoors anywhere this would be the perfect place for it.  This trip was booked on the back of a deal on the wellness package on offer earlier in the year which saw the price of the villa slashed dramatically. We were so glad we booked it! The villas were luxurious and well appointed with a complete kitchen, laundry, outdoor fully netted sitting area as well as an outdoor bath. I will add more photos of the resort facilities over the next few days. 

Ming and Jean (uni friends) were also here! It was last evening at the resort and we took the opportunity to dine together. The children fortunately were able to look after themselve and the adults could enjoy their meal with no distractions. The food was tasty and the serving size EXTREMELY generous. A bonus saving from the Accor membership added to the joy of the day! All in all, despite the gloomy and rainy weather, we still had an incredibly enjoyable day! We shall see how the predicted cyclone like conditions thanks to La Nina will affect our time here...

Sprawling resort with standalone villas. Simple on the outside

Awesome on the inside! The living room. You can see the outline of the outdoor sitting area beyond it.

Kitchen

Laundry

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bathroom 1

The "outdoor" bath

Bathbombs included

Outdoor sitting area

A rare opportunity to dine with adults only

Gnocchi, one of the blackboards specials. Looks simple but packs a punch in flavour! It is also massive...

The yummy waffles with pecan praline

The oldest, entertaining the youngest. They seemed to be conversing endlessly

The children, minus a shy Ari