Byron Bay - Hot Girl Summer

My alarm goes off at 5:30am this morning and I am ready for my morning swim, I roll over to get out of my top bunk and blink; the next thing I know it is 7:30am. Damn it, I have missed sunrise! The least I can do now is go for my swim, so I get on down, get my trunks and towel and head across the road to the beach. I have a lovely swim, the current is a little strong but I am out there for a good 45 minutes and it is amazing. I don’t want to swim too far from where I entered as I am alone and my stuff is on the beach, but I get a good swim in just going back and forth over about a 20 meter length near my stuff. It is a refreshingly pleasant workout, something I have been lacking in my life for the last couple months.

Once I am back at the hostel I sit myself by the pool and spend some time writing a blog. I am officially living my hot girl summer, a morning swimming and then blogging, and next is a group yoga session. It has been months since I have done a good yoga session and my body needs it. I am starting to feel the fact that I am about to hit the month I turn 27 years old for god’s sake! The yoga session is lovely although rather crowded in a yurt like structure round the back of the hostel. The yurt structure is not meant for a group of 24 which is made clear when Charlie, one of my new friends, slips and almost takes out about three of us! After yoga I continue with my hot girl summer vibes with a quick shower and then grabbing myself a breakfast of yoghurt with banana and peanuts mixed in.

Beautiful Byron Bay

The Byron Bay Team

Matt (centre) with Ola, Aaron and me

Mollie isn’t surfing but does the group a solid and uses Karoline’s camera and gets some great snaps of us all. Good thing about a static photo while surfing: you only have to be standing for the split second the photo is taken and it looks like you know what you are doing! Although, having said that, on review of the photos there are definitely more of us mid fall than mid surf. This is especially the case when it comes to Matt, a new friend who, due to his dual nationality, proposed to me and everyone else in the group, just in case any of us needed citizenship. For now, unfortunately, I am sticking with the work holiday visa, but who knows Matt is a good looking lad so we shall see.

Abby, Kerry and I complete our first day surfing

Now nice and clean and fuelled up I am ready for today’s main activity: a two hour surf lesson. The group loads onto a couple of buses, Kerry takes over the music in the bus I’m in and plays the Barbie soundtrack for pretty much the whole ride – apparently pink goes with everything, who knew? The ride goes quickly as the group slaps on waterproof suncream and zinc, a new product I have discovered, that is apparently suncream on crack’ and favoured by surfers around the world. Once on the beach we are given our rashies, a protective top to stop sunburn and chaffing when on the boards, then we pick up the boards and head to the beach. It is a good lesson, although four or five instructors for 24 people means not much one on one time, but the group still do well with most people managing to catch a wave or two.

My first surf in Australia

After the surf we are back on the bus and already badgering Charlie to send us the footage that he has got on his drone, I get the feeling it is gonna be a good few days if not weeks until we get those shots but hey it is something to look forward to. Once back at the hostel the group gets cleaned up and starts getting ready for our very fancy wine and cheese night. Luckily for me I am in the kitchen when Mollie is cooking what is, by her own admission, way too much pasta for a single person so she kindly offers to share it with me. It is a nice pasta too, so all in all an absolute score for me! After scooping up my pasta and quickly downing a few of the beers I got from the bottle shop, it is time for wine and cheese, or, to describe it more accurately, small cheddar cubes and some goon, but it is free so I will take it. After a few wines and couple more beers it is time to head out. Mollie has managed to secure us free entry into Backyard a local bar that used to be known as the secret garden. It does not disappoint: there is music, fire performers and plenty of drinks, although the queue is not fun, and if you don’t order a corona you have to join another queue to get your drink. Luckily Mollie has figured this out and told me to order a corona so it ain’t too much of a pain for me. Still, soon enough we are on to Woody’s, the next bar to dance the night away. The night ends with a group of us heading to a pie shop that Mollie insists is a must when in Byron. She backs up this claim by buying herself four separate pies and then proceeds to be the happiest person on the planet with her pies. All in all a good way to end a good day in Byron bay.

Me, Fiona and Jessica, after a few drinks with Matt and Aaron looking on

Mollie (right) relaxing with some of us after her day of guiding, photography and pie eating