Byron Bay

Byron Bay on the north coast of NSW, is a very unique town with magnificent beaches and spectacular views to the mountains.

What I always realise after travelling overseas is that Australia has many beautiful stretches of unspoilt white sand beaches and I am lucky that I don’t have to travel far. My husband and I often take day trips to Byron Bay and always enjoy our visits. On our last visit I took alot of photos, but have just a few on show here.
Can you guess what this picture is of?

Byron Bay Art

View from The Pass Carpark

Respect the Bay

Overlooking Tallows Beach

For more of my posts about Byron Bay click here

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OUR GENERATION: Preview Screening in Byron Bay

I got the message from fellow TAFE student Dale Simone Roberts to spread the word about the preview screening of OUR GENERATION, the long awaited documentary on Aboriginal rights in Australia at the Byron Bay Community & Cultural Centre on Tuesday December 8th.

This will be followed by Q & A with the filmmakers and a special free gig by dub groove favourite Oka. To check out the sounds of Oka click here

This project started out in June 2007 and is being independently funded, so that its message can stay clear, truthful and uncompromised. There will also be special screenings across Australia (including remote Aboriginal communities), as well as educational outreach through schools and universities.

Date: Tuesday 8th December
Venue: Byron Bay Community Centre
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: $15 from venue box office (02) 6685 6807 and Planet Corroboree

For more information and to view the trailer for the film click here

 

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Mullum Music Festival kicks off!

The Mullum Music Festival kicks off with the Gala Opening Night Performance tonight at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall at 7.30pm with Vince Jones, Lucie Thorne & Hamish Stuart, Sal Kimber & The Rollin Wheel, M Jack Bee, Ange Takats, Leah Flanagan, Domini Forster & some very special surprise guests. With 50 acts over 4 days it will be unforgettable!

Music festivals are not only great for the local community to come together and have a fabulous time, but are very important for the local artists to share their talents with the community. One third of the acts are local and will be performing amongst international acts.

You never know what talents are in our midst. I enquired about the Mullum Music Festival to my TAFE teacher Tony Hogan – who is also a musician and runs the very popular Acoustic Guitarist blog – and found out a fellow IT student is playing there on the weekend.

Sal Yates is a multi talented and highly motivated guitarist and vocalist in the band Ghost Mountain. They are releasing a new album soon “Art Without Audience”, and Sal is fired up!! 
To preview one of the new tracks “Animal”, click here

This is what she had to say about her Mullum Music Festival experience.

“Last year the Festival was awesome. It is such a community event that everyone enjoys in a relaxed way. Moving from venue to venue through the streets of Mullum and running into every random you could imagine makes the experience like a home coming. Everyone is in top spirits and there is a sense of pride from the locals and their friends alike.

The music last year was amazing, artists from all over Australia and beyond. I was extremely proud to be a part of it and very impressed by the work that Glen Wright and his team from Vitamin Records put in to make it happen. For Glen the whole Festival is a labour of love. He is a true music appreciator and this especially made the whole event be the success that it was.

We play on Saturday at the RSL at 6pm and would love to see you there!”
Cheers,
Sal

To check out Ghost Mountain, click here

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Byron Events Calendar

Have you heard about the Byron Events Calendar? It’s an on-line Community Noticeboard and Directory for the Rainbow Region. If you’re into dance, music, art, meditation, yoga, martial arts, personal development, you name it – there’s always something going on, in, and around Byron Bay.

The Byron Events Calendar is a great resource of workshops, retreats and events happening around Byron Bay, plus, it includes some events at other major cities on the east coast of Australia. I have found it worthwhile to peruse the Byron Events Calendar for interesting activities as it lists some events that are not advertised in the local Byron Shire Echo newspaper and around the traps.

Late last year I was excited to find a workshop listed on Byron Events Calendar and I knew instantly that I needed to attend it. It was a 3 day workshop on voice and self expression with Maniko from America and it helped me to find my real voice through the medium of writing.

We had to write a song, which was overwhelmingly daunting to me, but after breaking through the barriers of self doubt, I gained confidence in my ability to write and explore more avenues of writing expression. I also attended her second 3 day workshop that really opened me up to freely express myself in many ways.

I was encouraged by Author Laura Shore of Dangerously Poetic Press to explore poetry, and through my web design course I was introduced to blogging which I enjoy. It has given me an outlet to express my creativity and hopefully be of service to the community.

Here’s a YouTube Video of a West African Dance Workshop held in Byron Bay

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Surfing Byron Bay

There’s not much my husband couldn’t tell you about surfing as he’s been an avid surfer for over 40 years. He has many stories of his adventures in the early 70′s driving from Sydney to Byron Bay to catch the endless tubes of the north coast.

Those were the days when there was a wharf at Belongil where a waste pipe pumped blood from the Abattoir into the ocean, and surfers had to be ever vigilant on the lookout for sharks!

Just last week we were in Byron Bay and my husband was recognised as a big wave rider from Cronulla Point – which was pretty amazing as my husband left Sydney in 1979 to enjoy the great surf on the north coast.

Here’s some YouTube video footage of cyclone swell at Byron earlier this year.

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Cape Byron Walking Track

Our gorgeous 13 year old son went to Sydney to sing in the Schools Choral Festival at The Opera House, so my husband and I decided to go to the beach at Byron Bay and enjoy the early morning sunshine.

Unfortunately the northerly winds beat us to it, and even though there was a very strong wind blowing there was still a lot of activity going on: people paddling kayaks furiously against the wind, scuba dive boats going to Julian Rocks, sunbathers, people enjoying a morning walk, desperate surfers – but it was perfect weather for the kite flyer’s!

View of Mt Warning and Border Ranges from Cape Byron Walking Track - Kayaks in foreground

We decided to park at Wategoes Beach at the bottom of The Cape, and take the Cape Byron Walking Track and climb uphill to the lighthouse. It’s always nice to be reminded how friendly people are when sharing a beautiful walk and fantastic scenery. It’s like being on holidays for the day – I’d recommend it to anyone!

Sometimes when you are lucky there may be a pod of dolphins frolicking near by, or in the Whale Watching Season you may spot a whale. My legs were in a bit of shock at first, but it was worth the fantastic views and seeing how they’ve improved the track since I last traversed it years ago. The walking track is part of the Cape Byron Headland Reserve. Click here for more information

It used to be a goat track – which reminds me – there are no mountain goats on the headland anymore. Does anyone remember seeing the mountain goats on the steep cliffs years ago. I think they were taken away because they were not environmentally friendly!

For more information about Cape Byron Walking Track click here

Cape Byron Lighthouse

Byron Bay is always a fabulous day out, and take the tip about parking at Wateoges Beach if you prefer to save yourself the $7 fee to park at the lighthouse – and have a good workout too!

To view a travel site about Byron Bay with lovely photos click here

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Julian Rocks Marine Reserve, Byron Bay

I have often been entranced by the ostensible beauty of Julian Rocks, sitting there majestically while scuba divers explore it’s surrounds. I’ve had no urge to go Scuba Diving, but after looking at videos of the underwater life at Julian Rocks, and reading about the thrill people get from experiencing the beauty and power of the underwater world – I’ve put it on my must-do list.

Julian Rocks

A story from the Bundjalung people is that a jealous husband threw his spear at the canoe of his wife and her lover. The canoe broke in two and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Only the back and the front of the boat stuck out of the water, creating a rock formation just 2.5 km off shore.

Named by Captain Cook in 1776, Julian Rocks became part of Cape Byron Marine Park in November 2002

Here’s a YouTube video showing the beauty of the underwater world at Julian Rocks Marine Reserve

For more information about Julian Rocks and the marine life click here

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Byron Bay Community Markets

The next Byron Bay Community Market is on this Sunday 4th October and is a fabulous day out for all the family.

For anyone who has lived on the North Coast for a long time knows, that the 1st Sunday of the month heralds a glorious day trip to beautiful Byron Bay and the Byron Bay Community Markets. It’s certainly a ‘must have’ experience for visitors and globetrotters too.

The Byron Bay markets have evolved into a showcase for the many talents of the region. People flock from near and far to enjoy the festive atmosphere, fabulous food, entertainment and the many handmade and unique items for sale.

Byron Bay Markets are run by the Byron Community & Cultural Centre and is an important event on the social calendar, and a great boost for local charities. Two charities at each market benefit from the Charity of the Day fundraising.

For more information about the Byron Community & Cultural Centre, and Byron Bay Market click here

Does anyone remember the busker in the 80’s that wore a hessian bag and a shower cap? He couldn’t sing or do anything, but he certainly kept the crowds mesmerized by his ludicrous acts!

A new site with listings of Byron Bay Market stallholders will be launched soon, and I will keep you posted about when it comes on-line.

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Cape Byron Steiner School Spring Fair

The Famous Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School Spring Fair is on this Saturday 26th September from 10am to 3.30pm and there is a free shuttle bus to and from Byron Bay township.

I have fond memories of our time living in the Byron Shire in the early 90′s, and the Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School Spring Fair was an annual gala event that everyone looked forward to as it’s a great day out for all the family.

Our oldest child was lucky to have attended the Periwinkle Steiner Pre-School and Susan Perrow was his teacher. Periwinkle Children’s Centre was founded by Susan Perrow and she worked tirelessly to establish a Steiner based pre-school in the Bryon area, and through her dedication and hard work, obtained a permanent site at Sunrise Beach, Byron Bay where the Periwinkle Children’s Centre was built and has flourished ever since.
For more information click here

The Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School grew out of the need for parents to be able to continue with a Steiner education for their children, and began in 1988 with a Kindergarten class of 16 graduating from Periwinkle, which now has classes up to Year 12. To view their website for list of activities at the fair and more information click here

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Beautiful Byron Bay

Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia and has the most magnificent beaches and scenery. It’s a very cosmopolitan town comprising a mixture of globetrotters, sophisticates, artistans and very colourful people.

Belongil Beach Byron Bay

Wategoes Beach

Here’s an interesting video about Byron Bay and includes an interview with environmental artist, John Dahlsen.

For those interested in blogging, I created and uploaded a tutorial to Scribd on Inserting YouTube Video into a WordPress Blog.

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