Editor’s Note: These are the 3rd & 4th posts in a series from John “traveler, father & wit” Ryan. Somehow we forgot to publish John’s post from Bellingen, so we’re making up for lost time with today’s double-post. Have kid, will travel is John’s motto. Read his first post here.

East Coast Australia Part 4: Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay

John & Seamus at Belongil Beachouse, Byron Bay

With the weather warming and the landscape changing around us – taking on a distinctly sub-tropical feel – the drive from Bellingen to Byron Bay has been the most enjoyable of our trip so far. It was also a great opportunity to be reminded how BIG Australia is.

In 1963 the owner of a banana plantation in Coffs Harbour decided he wanted to encourage more visitors. And so Australia’s first ‘Big Thing’ – the Benny-Hill-esque Big Banana - was built. There are now more than 80 big things in Australia, ranging from cheese to earthworms to avocados. The Big Banana remains an operational – and popular - tourist attraction, featuring rides, tours and anything else banana-related that you can think of. Hilarious, really. And driving north out of Coffs, you really can’t miss it.

Two and a half hours later, on the fringe of Ballina, it’s the Big Prawn. Not nearly as fun or successful as the Banana, it’s home to a restaurant and souvenir shop. Australians have a saying for something that’s turned bad: “Gone off like a prawn in the sun.” As we drove by, it didn’t look like the faded pink crustacean was getting much shade - or many tourists - these days.

Palm trees, sugar cane, sun. It’s hard not to relax. And the mood certainly rubbed off on little Seamus, who seemed to enjoy every moment of this 3-and-a-half hour drive. We remembered to pack his favourite CD – a great kid-friendly reggae album from the fun Putuyamo label. He bopped on a back-beat all the way!

Early afternoon and we arrived in Byron Bay. Far busier and less idyllic than I’d imagined, Byron is now a bustling little city struggling to retain its old hippie-era charm. We’re staying at the Belongil Beachouse, which is a 5-minute drive from town, and just across the road from a lovely stretch of beach. With a distinct hostel feel, Belongil has all we need (except a DVD player, so no Bananas in Pyjamas for Seamus for a few days…), but is not quite as toddler-friendly as we’d imagined. No big issues - the place is clean and friendly – but next time we’ll try to find something just a shade more upmarket.

Seamus is in love with Bananas in Pyjamas. For non-Aussies, they’re a couple of TV bananas who, er, wear pyjamas. They’re good fun, but this obsession is becoming a headache. Can we wean him off the dreaded yellow fruit?

We had a fantastic walk on the beach, and really felt like the holiday was happening. Three nights in one place was going to be lovely. Having picked up a BLT for lunch and a pizza for dinner, we’re astounded by the Byron prices. The big chain supermarket here is reported to be the most expensive in Australia, and judging from the cost of fast food, I believe it. Bargain hunters beware! Today we’re off to the lighthouse and hopefully to do the walk around the bluff. It’s windy, so we’ll need to hold on to our hats…

East Coast Australia, Part 3: Bellingen to Coffs Harbour

Here we are in Bellingen, a small town about 15 minutes off the highway, inland from the popular holiday destination of Coffs Harbour. This is the third instalment of our East Coast Australia roadtrip, with the three of us (myself, my wife Elissa and our 20-month-old son Seamus) having a great time.

Seamus meets the pig at Bellingen Family Cabins

Not wanting to drive any more than 4 hours a day, we stopped off last night at the Bellingen Family Cabins, a really lovely 2-cabin property, featuring a pig, a little dog, some chickens and a slide. Just perfect for Seamus. Bellingen itself is really lovely – the town has one main street aimed both at locals and visitors. There’s not much to do but kick back with a coffee and enjoy the bucolic lifestyle. Much more our pace than the busy high-rise of Coffs Harbour.

We grabbed some nice Thai takeaway for dinner and enjoyed the evening with a bottle of wine. I also picked up a couple of Wicked Elf Pale Ales from a Bellingen bottle shop. I hadn’t seen this beer before, and can highly recommend it if you like those American-style hop beers (like Sierra Nevada from California or Melbourne’s Mountain Goat Hightail Ale).

Our last couple of days were spent with family in Forster, midway between Sydney and Coffs. It’s a really lovely area, on the coast at the entrance to the ‘Great Lakes’. Fabbo fishing, classic beaches and really lovely small-town atmosphere. We took a trip one morning to nearby Seal Rocks which was an absolutely beautiful, almost deserted beach.

Seamus is travelling well. His scorched finger – acquired on Day 1 – is looking better, but is still covered and giving him a bit of grief. He’s sleeping better each night, and seems to be enjoying the travel. Now that he’s a toddler, it’s hard work keeping things moving fast enough for him, but he’s managed to find fun everywhere we’ve taken him so far. We’re trying to keep his night-time routine the same wherever we are, with the knowledge that daytime is going to be a bit more unpredictable. So far, so good.

This morning we head up the road to famous Byron Bay – one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations – situated on the easternmost point of the Australian mainland. Can’t wait.

–John Ryan

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s things to do in Australia, Gold Coast activities, and a complete list of kid-friendly and family-friendly tours in Australia.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 12:34 am and is filed under Australia & Pacific, Destinations, Family & Kids, Travel Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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