Byron Bay

We had a good couple of days. We spent Wednesday in and around Byron Bay. Had a wonderful breakfast on the beach. Spent the "hot hours" of the day at the pool and then headed to the beach in the later afternoon. The waves here are big and beautiful. We had a great time walking along the beach and jumping waves. Took several short hikes up to some terrific lookouts. The scenery is just gorgeous-- the water has so many shades of blue and green. The wind and waves are very powerful. Spent some time watching hand gliders.

We went into the town of Byron Bay to do some window shopping. The highlight of the day was on the drive home. We pulled into one of the overlooks to view the night sky. There had to be millions of stars in the sky. Away from all the city lights the stars are so incredibly bright..

Then it was off to the Gold Coast where we are staying at Surfer's Paradise. This is a major vacation spot with tons of people. Caitlin and Connor have found that surfing clothes are their style-- so they are now properly attired in Australia surf wear! We have been to the beach several times and the waves are enormous. Both Connor and Sean get knocked around quite a bit. While no one really goes out too far, the girls and I stay a bit closer to shore.

The beaches here are very safe with whole life saving teams on the lookout, flags that signal where it is safe to be in the water, and designated areas for swimming and separate areas for surfing. In the evening we head down for movies on the beach. Tonight was XXX2. The big folks watched while Shannon built sand castles. It was great fun.

Not sure what we will do tomorrow-- so many choices and we have only one day left in Surfer's Paradise. Then it is off to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Our love to all. Deb, Sean, Caitlin, Connor and Shannon