 |
 |
 |
|
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997To: studio@toysatellite.org From: Don Pattenden <dpattenden@pegasus.com.au> Subject: Byron Bay Hello, I keep looking at the map and at how far I've come, even from Sydney, let alone from Melbourne. I am definitely just a few days riding away from the Queensland border and getting very excited about the idea of crossing it. To begin with Murwillumbah is 2 day's ride from here at most and then another day's ride on to Tweed Heads/Coolangatta (twin cities) the start of the "Gold Coast". Then I'm in Queensland and it's less than 100 km to Brisbane. But down to tin tacks; I've got lots and lots and lots to tell you. So much seems to have happened since I left Grafton, both highs and lows. To begin with I had the most GHASTLY introduction to Byron Bay when I arrived here a week ago on a grey, wet and windy day when everything that could go wrong did go wrong. More about that in a minnie. I'm pleased to say that things did improve after that and now I've become very fond of Byron. I could take a lot of this place and I imagine I am going to; not now (will be departing on Thursday I think) but somewhere in the future. It would be a great place to return to every year to escape the Melbourne winter, assuming that it is Melbourne where I eventually settle down, if I settle down anywhere. Even that is an open question. I've got a taste for travelling now. First a brief word about where I am right now. For once I'm not paying for my Internet connection. Andrew was good enough to provide me with a contact in Byron Bay (Pegasus Networks actually began life in Byron Bay, long before the Internet was ever heard of outside of Academia and Andrew was strongly involved from the outset) so I'm now at the home of Sean & Jennie in their front room/office overlooking Watego Beach (supposedly the only beach on the east coast with a northerly aspect) with a quite stunning view out over the entire Bay, with mountains & ocean beyond. They say they never become blase about the view and I can well believe it; I wouldn't either. But I don't understand how they ever get any work done. As it is I find myself constantly gazing out of the window instead of keeping my mind on the task. I am currently staying at my cousin's place (cousin Pam daughter of Fred Pattenden, my father's brother). When I get to Murwillumbah I'll be staying with Pam's sister Diane. But after that relatives get pretty scarce. Richard Pattenden in Nambour has kindly invited me to stay but although we must have a connection somewhere back on the family tree, we haven't found it yet. All Pattendens must be related ultimately because the name goes back to Pattenden Manor in Kent. I keep wandering; must be the environment. I'll try to work forward from Grafton so I can then lead up to my rather un-triumphant arrival in Byron Bay. I liked Grafton as I told you but I was there quite long enough waiting for the rain to stop. Finally got away from there on a fine sunny day on Tuesday Sept. 23 having a pleasant ride down to Maclean (the "Scottish town") on largely quiet roads, some of it boring -- past endless fields of sugar cane, but part of it alongside the mighty Clarence. Maclean is the place for things Scottish. You can even get a home cooked haggis in the town if you take a fancy. But with my usual knack at being in the wrong place at the wrong time (e.g. I missed the Grafton Jacaranda Festival by a matter of a week or so) I was there just too early and just too late for the much publicised Cane Harvest Festival which was on that weekend. As it happens I spent that weekend at a campsite down in Sandon, in the Yuragir National Park just south of Brooms head which is in turn on the coast just to the east of Maclean. It was a bit crazy because I didn't really have to make that detour down to Brooms Head. It turned out to be worth it because of an unexpected "fringe benefit" (my splitting tent pole problem was solved quite out the blue) but it was still a bit silly. The only way out of Brooms Head is by retracing the 23 km back to Maclean before continuing. So by the time I got back to Maclean the Harvest Festival was over. When it comes down to it my real motive for going down there was money. Ho hum. One of those times approaching the end of my pay fortnight when funds were very tight (seems to happen every fortnight). I was really hoping that the campsite at Sandon in the National Park would turn out to be a "freebie". No chance of that though. It turned out to be very different from what I was expecting. I thought it would be very quiet with perhaps only one or two other campers and a Ranger who came around to collect money only once every few days. Instead of which it was very popular, quite large and quite full. And of course "pit toilets" to contend with and no showers. What's more the Ranger was resident and made a point of going around daily to collect the $5 per night fee. So - I saved a bit of money but not a lot. And anyway, if only I'd known there was a caravan park back at Maclean on the highway that charged $5 per night (no cooking facilities, but everything else and they were very kind & helpful.) Never mind, if I hadn't gone down there I wouldn't have solved my tent pole problem and anyway it WAS very nice. I was able to swim in the surf every day (though I got eaten alive by sandflies - again!) - great beach, hot sunny weather. The people camping nearby were nice; they lent me table to do my cooking on and also gave me bits and pieces of advice including a brilliant suggestion about my tent pole. It had split on me yet again, and there it was looking really stupid -- in a triangle shape instead of a parabolic curve. It was driving me crazy. I would have palpitations every time I put the tent up bracing myself waiting for that awful crunching sound. "Why not use fencing wire?" they said. "You know, tension wire, high tensile stuff." I didn't know. I'm hopeless at things like that. No mechanical aptitude whatever and no knowledge of things like building materials, bush craft or whatever. But it is truly wonderful stuff: you can bend it into any shape and then bend it back straight again, or any way you like. I mentioned it to the Ranger and he told me he had some in the shed. He was happy to cut me a piece the exact length of my tent pole - the one I had all the trouble with. It solved my problem overnight. Worked perfectly. It was plastic coated so there was no problem about threading it through the tent fly. I just bend it into the right shape when I'm erecting the tent and then bend it into a tight coil when I'm unpacking -- relatively easy to carry. Back to Brooms Head on Sunday September 28 & ended up camping there at the caravan park for 2 nights, once again because of the weather. There was some wet stuff overnight - just enought to wet my tent. It dried out by lunchtime but by then it was really too late to think of packing up. So instead I got some washing done and it dried easily in the wind. Brooms Head was the WINDIEST place I've ever camped in. It just didn't stop the whole time I was there. What's more the barbecue area where I did my cooking was very exposed - not only to the wind but to view. It felt like I was on a stage because it was on a slope with the road (the main one through the camp) below it, with a constat stream of cars, and the amenities block and a row of campsites above it. I felt to be constantly under gaze, even at night. Or perhaps especially at night. It was school holidays and some kids decided (for some mischevous reason) to chuck rocks on the roof of the barbecue. Charming. One of those places I was glad to get away from. So - back to Maclean on Tuesday with just enough time to do my banking (payday at last) some shopping & get to the caravan park on the Highway (the friendly one I told you about that charged only $5) before dark. Next day (Wednesday) I rode from Maclean across Chatsworth Island (one of the many islands near the mouth of the Clarence) past the Harwood sugar mill (wonderful smell, really groovy!) to Woombah which is just near the turnoff from the Highway that goes down to Illuka. I went to Woombah for one reason and one reason only, because of the coffee plantation I'd read about, supposedly the southernmost coffee plantation in Australia. So glad I did too, one of the highlights of my trip. I'm a bit of a coffee junkie: I only have two per day (one when I get up and one mid morning) but I miss it very much if it's not there. And I'm VERY fussy about quality. I won't have a bar of instant coffee. I've told you about the tiny espresso coffee machine I carry with me -- one of my most prized possessions -- and one of the very LAST things I'd sacrifice when it comes to "cutting down". Anway I wasted no time on the Thursday morning (October 2) in going down to the plantation to visit the shop attached to it where they sell both freshly brewed coffee (espresso naturally) and freshly ground coffee to take away. I bought 200 gm and now wish I'd bought more; it's lovely stuff. All grown and processed there at Woombah -- all lovingly by hand with a minimum of mechanisation. A small family business. The woman in the shop was wonderful. She was happy to tell me ALL about the process of growing and producing coffee, with the help of photos in a book she had on hand there. Told me heaps about her very intersting life too -- especially the bit where she travelled overseas back in the 50s as so many Australians did in those days, by ship (as I myself did in the 60s). All very interesting. For once I wished I had my tape recorder with me. I've been carrying it with me all this time and have never once used it. The original idea of "oral history" had to go by the boards - no time or energy available. But this would have been a golden opportunity. I lingered there for a couple of hours, drinking 2 cups of espresso coffee and 2 yummy (very fresh) muffins. So the result was that I was VERY late departing from Woombah and so it was getting dark by the time I arrived at Evans Head [had to take a rain check on going down to Iluka and Yamba; will have to wait for another visit; there WILL be one; I just love that entire Clarence district; this is a wonderful part of the coast here in the "Northern Rivers area"]. The caravan park at Evans Head was awful. It was school holidays of course (the bane of my life) so it was extra crowded but even so, the facilities for campers were basically non existant. Fortunately a kind woman in a Campavan next door to my tent site gave me some cold chicken & salad so I didn't have to cook. I really hate putting my tent up in the dark but I had to do it that time. Not only that, but I had to do it with LOUD MUSIC going on close by. didn't find out til later what it was. There was a skating rink (i.e. roller blades) there for the kids, open til 9 PM and they piped really loud disco type music over the PA system just for the little kids. And they were none of them over 10. Why did they need music for goodness sake. Hey, I'm going to run out of daylight soon if I'm not careful. I have to ride from here at Wategos beach back to Myocum which is a farming area (where my cousin & husband live) 8 km out of town. At least my bike is unladen, but even so - - - I'll have to truncate the rest. Pity. From Evans Head to Ballina (one night) to Lennox Head (one night) to Broken Head (near the National Park) one night. The decision to go down to Broken Head was a spontaneous one. I wasn't going to; my plan was to continue on into Byron Bay cause I was keen to get there. But I'd heard so much about Broken Head and how beautiful it was that I changed my mind. Probably a bad move. It rained the next day. Only light rain to begin with (but enough to really complicate the packing up process - and make any sightseeing all but impossible - just a token walk along the coast a way -- just enough to get the merest glimpse of the potential) but steadily increased during the day. SO I arrived in Byron Bay on a cold wet day at about 3:30 PM only to discover (among other things) that it was a public holiday in NSW (I hadn't realised & was counting on going to the bank). That's when it all fell apart. I lost my cool totally. For once I really gave way to tension and got frantic. I ws riding around from place to place and from phone box to phone box and in and out of the Information Centre with my loaded bike, in the rain trying to work out what to do. And in the process I lost my helmet. Or else it was pinched (though why would anyone want it? It was very old and wouldn't have fitted any other head) In the end my daughter Gabrielle bailed me and shouted me to a motel room on her credit card. Trouble was you see, the phone number I had for my cousin Pam was wrong -- one digit was wrong -- had been given me that way years ago and I hadn't bothered to check. Wondered why noone was answering. Thought she was out of town. Didn't find out til next day that it was wrong. Anyway a motel room all to myself was a REAL LUXURY!!!! I just loved it. I was able to do my yoga practices the next morning for the first time in weeks. So got rid of the tension and got my equilibrium back. Then things started getting better, gradually. I moved from there to a quite nice caravan park about one km out of town (the ones in town were all very crowded with not much privacy). One night in an onsite van fro $25 [just as well - it really POURED raining that night. Wow did it come down. I guess you'd call it a tropical downpour. But next day the sun came out with that wonderful fresh, washed look that comes after heavy rain. Just magic. And stayed like that for days. So I put my tent up in a nice spot in the same park ($7 per night quite reasonable) near the creek. Then moved out to Myocum on Saturday. So, as things stand I'll be departing Myocum on Thursday heading for Murwillumbah along the back roads. Looking forward to it. Through places with wonderful names like The Pocket, Middle Pocket, Main Arm, Upper Main Arm, Palm Woods, Nullum State Forest and Uki. Roads are apparently OK; unsealed in places but navigable and not too corrigated (I hope!) That's all. Really running out of time now. Another time I must tell you more about the caravan parks I've stayed out. What a story; the good and the bad. I almost forgot to tell you about the man that yelled at me Evans Head. I did my usual trick and cooked in the laundry (my morning coffee and porridge mostly before everyone was up). The cleaner came early and "sprung me". But he was really nasty about it. First time it's ever happened. I did my block and yelled back at him so it was noisy for a while. But he had authority on his side so I did a quick retreat, moving my gear out of there and very nearly leaving my precious piece of metal (i.e. the stainless steel attachment I had made in Newcastle) that I use for my coffee machine. Phew! Near thing. But I went back for it in time. That nasty man would certainly have thrown it out. More next time. Must rush. 10 km to ride home before dark and it's now 5:10 PM. What an incredible adventure. But wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Your cycling friend, |