Leaving Byron Bay: Surfers To Brisbane

The time finally came for us to leave Byron Bay. We were doing what many had not yet managed, breaking away from the clutches of the beautiful beaches, laid-back vibe and it's small-town charm.

We had to keep moving on up North, in the quest for farm work, and to keep with our desire to see new things and experience different sights. The people living in Byron seemed in a permanent ground-hog day, albeit a pleasant one, entrenched in routine, one which was no longer working for us.

Off to Brisbane via Surfers Paradise we went. Hitch-hiking our way out of town, we spent a good hour, the warmest of the day, holding our weary arms out. We instinctively knew it would only be a matter of time, but that doesn't stop you sweating in the midday sun.

Finally a big 4-by-4 pulled up, full to the brim with passengers and baggage. Surely we wouldn't fit too?

But we squeezed ourselves in, to be greeted with three young guys with varied accents, telling us of how they had just acquired a ton of free bread from some supermarket bins. We envy their freegan ways! We haven't yet got to dumpster-dive, but it's on our to-do list!

An Irish man, a Canadian, an American, and us, plus a whole load of rescued bread, on our way along the breezy highway.

We got to know them a little bit, sharing our tales of past hitching successes and even got onto to discussing what we'd want to be if we were famous. I said I'd want to be something people respected, as opposed to someone who was endlessly chased by the paparazzi, he who asked the question wanted to be a comedian. But the funniest thing we found was how the Irish guy was taking the term nomad to the extreme, with nothing but 20-cents to his name!

Dropped on the dusty side of a busy roundabout, we had a little way to go before reaching Surfer's.

Waddling along a dual carriageway for 10 minutes, we then saw a car pull over, and beckon us over. A young guy introduced himself as Sascha,who took pity on our tired, hunched frames and he loaded our things into his little vehicle. He didn't just drive in some of the way though, he took us on a tour of Surfers, then dropping us at our hostel. 

Down Under Hostel on Appel street would be our first proper bed in a month, and it was so welcome! Free wifi, imac's, laundry and a modern hostel, made this a really luxurious break from tent-life.

We explored the beach and the local shopping area, marvelling at the sky-line dotted with tall glinting structures, right next to a beautiful beach.

Walking to a local shopping centre the next day, Sascha got hold of us again, and took us even further afield to his home area of Currumbin, stopping at Burleigh Heads, an awesome place to see the imposing glamour of the Surfers coast-line.

Taking us around until sunset then off to view an amazing panorama of the whole coast-line after dark, he went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, and wanted us to witness the best and most beautiful parts of his home-town, meaning we got to see more than what many just passing through will ever see. 

The next night was a really special one for me.

I got to meet family who I had only ever seen in photos or on facebook. A night of chatting about anything and everything, the odd tear, some excited little boys and really kind, generous people, it was so worth the visit to this affluent (sometimes described as tacky) place.

With some help from my new-found family, we began our next step the following morning, of heading to Brisbane, which was supposed to be a short stay... We got our hitch-hike within 10 minutes, from a local Brisbanite Rachel, who helped us get to the city (and is currently hosting us in her home). Yet more super friendly and helpful Australians making our nomadic life just that much easier!

1 week later and we remain ensconced in the relatively interesting and bustling Brisbane, seeking work further north, but in the mean-time just living day-to-day, taking in as much as we can, soaking up all that this varied country is throwing our way!

Top 5 Things to Do in and around Surfers: 

1. Theme parks: sea-world (avoid, cause, it's sea-world) Wet'n'Wild, Dream-world and Movie-World.
2. Hanlan Street: Food, shops, a general buzz near the beach, people playing volleyball and chilling out!
3. Burleigh Heads: A bit further out, but worth a visit for the view of the Surfer's sky-line.
4. Currumbin: Home to a beautiful and safe cordoned lake, rock-pools and more amazing views.
5. The Q1 Building: One of the world's tallest residential buildings, this thing dominates the Surfer's coast-line.

Thanks for reading!

Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at Nomad'erHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!

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