Willabie, Wallaby, Wallace!

There are loads of fun/crazy things happening in Byron Bay. All the time. On a seemingly random Sunday night there might be a full moon party in which all the ladies get covered in paint (you know how hippies love the moon). There's a humongous hotel and restaurant next to the beach, aptly named the Beach Hotel, that has great live music every day AND every night. Just today there was yoga in the park this morning, and a protest against the use of coal in the afternoon. You never know what each day will bring, and I love that. You can walk the whole town in 30 minutes, and the beach is always close.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

Chris and I took a stroll along the boardwalk, and up a trail through the rainforest - which puts you at the Cape Byron Lighthouse. The trail is a narrow sandy thing, winding through the Cape Byron Headland Reserve, lined with palms and vines and sprinkled both with wild turkeys and a startling number of stairs. We hike up and up, Chris in front watching for snakes and me close behind trying to spot a wallaby in the bush. Once we reach the top, we're resting and catching our breath and there, right in front of me, is an adorable little Swamp Wallaby munching on some dry grass. I name him Wallace and watch with amusement as his little t-rex arms pull at the grass. Wallace looks a bit like a giant mouse, but I want to cuddle him all the same. Chris has to drag me off to continue on our journey.

Hang glider, not butterfly

A few minutes later we are running across a wide ridge with glorious views of the ocean on either side and the lighthouse rising straight in front. Suddenly, a shadow passes overhead and what, upon first impression, seems to be a large bird is actually a human hang gliding. We find ourselves next to the platform where they take off and presumably glide into happiness and freedom rather than tumble down the ravine to their death. We are already booking this experience in our heads for later. We can also see Tallow Beach from here, where all the expert surfers are cruising around like ants on a sand dune in a great expanse of desert. The ocean goes on and on and from up here the world actually does look round. Cape Byron is the Eastern-most point in Australia, which explains why there are so many whales migrating past this time of year. We literally can spot whales within ten minutes of watching the ocean, any time, any day. They frisk about and splash and blow water just off shore - it's truly amazing. You can even hear them. Once at the beach, we thought we heard cannon fire. Odd, I know, but that's what it sounded like. We looked up and realized it was the sound of the whales breaching and hitting the water on their way down.

Back to the lighthouse: it's white and beautiful. But I just hiked up a mountain and I am in dire need of refreshment. I indulge in the luxury of an ice coffee from the tiny cafe next to the lighthouse. She asks if I want cream, and I reply 'yes.' The barista fills my cup only a third of the way with coffee and then whips out an ice cream scoop. Things are about to get awesome. She scoops up some homemade Madagascar Vanilla ice cream and plops it into my cup on top of the coffee. Then she adds the cream - whipped cream - and tops it off with a hit of cocoa. Heaven, I've landed. This is a revelation in my coffee drinking experience.

On our way back down, we spot a crazy goat on a very steep and seemingly perilous cliffside. Happily dining on grass he was. We also discover a flock of lorikeets chatting away in a tree. I love days like this. I want to put Wallace in my pocket and take him home with me. Wallabies would be happy in Seattle, right?