What an emotional rollercoaster it was after being locked down for over 16 weeks, hitting the road at one of the busiest times of the year – this is unusual for us to do for a variety of reasons (our business is usually busy and the crowds aren’t our thing!) but being desperate to get out and about we booked the one place we could find on the east coast… Byron Bay.
We left 3:30am on Boxing Day (even though our booking started on Christmas Day to meet the minimum night stay). We had the most amazing run ever. There was very little traffic, the weather was optimal, and the kids were a dream. We stopped a total of 3 times and took ‘the back way in’ through Bangalow Road (highly recommend avoiding Ewingsdale Road).
Check in was completely contactless which was awesome as it meant no lining up with the crowds. We stayed a Ingenia Holiday Park at Byron which was right up our alley really. It was 5 minutes out of the town hustle and bustle but a bike ride to the beach, lake, and local bakery. The park has all the usual amenities, an awesome concrete pool and area, basketball court, park, skate ramp, jumping pillow, a dump point, and a communal kitchen with BBQ area with essentials free to the park patrons.
After settling into the park, we explored the local town of Byron to see what all the fuss was about. We wandered up and down the main streets, exploring the local gem stores, independent clothing labels and a lovely indigenous store paying tribute to first nations art. There something about the main streets of Byron – call it a ‘vibe’ or the ‘buzz’ of the hustle and bustle. Even amid a pandemic, you can still feel whatever it is that calls the masses to Byron Bay.
We highly recommend lining up early for a good spot at Fish Heads on the main beach or heading into Ember for a nice dinner. We visited Ballina on a rainy day and took the kids to see a movie on one of the torrential rain days. We had the opportunity to explore the gorgeous hilltops of McLean’s Ridge when visiting some friends who live on acreage that overlook the Northern Rivers Region. What a sight that was.
My birthday is the 2nd of January, so we were attempting to avoid an 8-hour drive home on that day, however, on New Year’s Day Cyclone Seth was forecast to “possibly” hit near Byron on the 3rd. We made the call to pack up New Year’s Day and hit the road 7am on the 2nd. Not ideal but a good call considering wind gusts hit 100km on the day we were due to come home.
Sometimes caravanning is more than booking a site and rocking up…. It’s ensuring you look ahead at weather forecasts, road conditions, traffic conditions and the distribution of the weight in your van and car.
All in all, we were glad to have ticked Byron Bay at Christmas time off the bucket list, even if it meant putting up with the young party animals coming and going from the van park. When heading that way again we will be staying at Pottsville, a little closer to the amusement parks in Queensland and out of Byron Bay’s Party Central…. Might leave that area for the ‘young ones’.
Travelling House of Hardy – Chris, Alana, Pippa & Quinn.
Jayco Journey Outback 22.68-1
Park: Ingenia Holiday Park Byron Bay
Dates: 25/12/21 – 3/2/22
Site: 203 – Power and water with a 26ft Van
Price: $1683
Destinations