Pinch me, I'm dreaming...

We drove around and explored a lot of Northern New South Wales and I have to say so far it was my favorite region of Australia that I have seen so far. I have seen very little so far so I expect that to eventually change but if it does, it would have to be really good to surpass Northern New South Wales. If given the chance to live here, I would not say no.

Northern New South Wales reminded me of a sub-tropical version of Northern California. The beaches were rugged, littered with headlands and points with balmy temperatures and warm water. The beaches are a combination of sand stretched with lava formed points. It is also a surfers paradise as it is some of the best in the country with fewer people than most regions.
The interior is made up of cattle and horse ranches speckled with coffee plantations and macadamia groves on low, rolling hills, jagged rock formations, and the extinct volcano, Mt. Warning dominating the horizon. It is hot and rainy and bugs the size of small cars but wildly interesting.

We drove down the coast to Lennox Head, then made a turn inland and drove to Lismore which was about 40km inland, then turned north and drove to Nimbin. The small town of Nimbin was quite a spectacle. It is a hippie town in the truest sense of the word. The history of the town is quite short. It was the site of The Aquarius festival in the early seventies at a small shire. Some of the people that came for the music fell in love with land and set up a town that has grown to a population of about 1500. It is the only part of NSW or Queensland for that matter that Cannibus while illegal is openly consumed and distributed. It is a real throwback and I wish i had gotten pictures to show, there were allot of hippies about and some interesting characters to say the least.

After Nimbin we headed back towards the coast and ended up at Tweed Heads, then back down south to Byron. It was a fantastic drive and I can't wait to get back.

I am already planning my return. This winter I plan on renting a small camper for ten days and exploring in detail Northern and Central New South Wale's surfing potential.