Stop number one on my east cost trip was Bryon Bay. Hands down, one of my favorite places on this trip. It is such a small, close knit town I was just amazed. With Byron being the first stop after Sydney, I was happy to get away from the hustle and bustle. This tiny hippie town brought me so much joy with surfing lessons, an amazing hostel, local restaurants and a far smaller beach than Bondi.

Although it is expensive just like every single place in Australia it was cheaper than Sydney. I ate at an amazing Mexican restaurant called Miss Margarita that really hit the spot. After starting to finally feel home sick, missing my taco Tuesdays at Tijuana Flats, Miss Margarita filled me with nostalgia. I got a $12 margarita that I shouldn’t have and a chicken quesadilla. Although I should not have spent that much on lunch, I had zero regrets. 

I stayed at Wake Up! in Byron and had the most amazing experience. For those of you that read my Sydney post, you know that I stayed in Wake Up! in Sydney CBD. well.. let me tell you what, the Byron location exceeded my expectations. They have free bikes for hire, plugs at each bunk, a super nice kitchen, events every night, and an amazing coffee shop called The Tree House that felt like a scene out of Friends. This only fueled my coffee addiction. The atmosphere was amazing with so many couches to pick from. Safe to say I spent far too much money on almond milk cappuccinos.. again with zero regrets.

One thing on my bucket list while being in AU is to learn how to surf. So, I took a surf lesson at Kool Kats and our instructor was hilarious. There are a ton of options for surf lessons. This one just happened to be most appealing to me. You can’t really go wrong in picking a surf lesson in Byron aside from the price. I found this one to have the most bang for my buck with only 8 people and a 4 hour lesson. We were right next to Mojo Surf lessons which had far more people and not as much water time. They did however have more instructors. Either way, my main goal was to stand up on a few waves and I definitely accomplished it. Can I go jump in the ocean and shred the gnar? Not quite, but hey… I’m one step closer. 

Another day excursion I did was a day trip to Nimbin via Grasshoppers. Nimbin even more of a hippie town located about an hour from Byron. Weed isn’t legal but its very accessible in Nimbin. It was a tiny town with adorable shops and bakeries. We then had a lovely free lunch in Nightcap National Park and got to see Minyon Falls. 

The nightlife in Byron was so fun. It clearly had far less options than Sydney but there were actual locals and faces you’d see more than once. There are a few bars located on the beach and  a ton of live music. Safe to say ill be back again.