A Valentine's Day Surfari

What we woke up to

ROAD TRIP!

Chris and I have now been in Byron Bay for a few months, and to be honest we've rarely ventured outside town in that time. We have no car, so that makes transportation a bit more difficult. Fortunately (not so much for Chris), we were forced to visit the Gold Coast for a doctor's appointment to cure Chris of his clogged hearing. We borrowed a friend's car, a tent, threw our surf boards in the back and set out for a quickie adventure. Stop one: Coolangatta and the doctor. It feels so good to drive again. I haven't driven in 5 months and I miss it. Driving on the other side of the road takes some getting used to, but you can pick it up in an hour. This was a seriously windy night, and we hoped for better conditions for an early morning surf. We had some awesome burgers at Grill'd ("the best burgers in Australia" - and as far as we've tasted their claim is accurate), and grab a bottle of red before setting off toward the rumored awesome surf spot at Cabarita Beach. Our Italian roommate has been going on and on about how they camped on the beach, woke up to amazing surf and spent 4 hours out in the water enjoying the barrels. Awesome.

Sunrise at Cabarita Beach

We arrive at Cabarita Beach at twilight and discover there's no holiday park (camping ground). The public beaches and parking lot have signs warning of steep fines for overnight parking/camping. Although there are a few camper vans who seem to be setting up camp for the night. We alight upon a quiet street lined with empty holiday houses and the wheels start turning...it's late at night - what are the odds someone is checking into one of these houses tonight? Our cheapness claims the front seat and we decide to chance camping in one of these giant backyards near the ocean. These are nice, expensive houses and I really want to swim in their pool, but that's taking it a bit too far. We stroll to the beach for a Valentine's Day celebration with our bottle of red. We wake up early (after a not-so-restful sleep) and pack up all our gear before anyone can find us - and head to the beach to check the surf. There are already a loads of surfers out and it's only 7:00 in the morning. Beautiful waves. Medium-sized, clean and consistent. I jump into the water while Chris runs into town in search of breakfast.

Burleigh Heads National Park

Cockatoos on a wire

I scout for rocks and other discrepancies below the water, as I've never surfed here before. There are some giant fish down there, and the water is pretty deep. Yikes! I watch a few sets break and see where the other surfers are cruising before I gingerly take my own wave. I ask a local if there are any big rocks under the water and he helpfully tells me which areas to avoid. As usual, I am the only girl out there. But today it's with 40 dudes and I'm in a new spot, and feeling very intimidated. After my first ride is successful I feel a bit cockier and take a few other waves. My hunger eventually gets the best of me and I cruise to shore to meet Chris on the beach. Poor Chris can't swim or surf for a week because of his ear. But at least it's cured.

Tallebudgera Creek

We grab some coffee and eggs at a cafe in town, and plan out our day. We read in our guidebook about some natural rock slides and swimming holes near Currumbin and decide to head there. After much searching and a few bad directions, we hit nearby Burleigh Heads and hike through the National Park (a scant acre between the ocean and Tallebudgera Creek). The park is beautiful and it's nice to stretch our legs a bit. Sadly, after this we head home. Now we both have itchy legs and are planning a Wicked Camper trip through Melbourne and Victoria, where we can wake up and surf every morning and camp every night. Ahhh....freedom.