| He demonstrates
how to jump up and place our feet accordingly on the board. The front
foot is crucial – we draw lines about a third of the way down from
the top of the board and practice landing with the front foot on the line.
The back foot goes much closer to the end of the board than I imagined.
Raz tells us to jump straight to our feet; it’s a big mistake to get to
your knees first. You might never get past that position and end up knee
boarding instead of surfing. We practice this move for fifteen minutes.
Once we’ve
mastered our sand surfboards, it’s on to the water. One of the reasons
Black Dog has such a high success rate is that the instructors take
care of some crucial elements related to the surfing process. Raz stands
in the water waist deep and we go out to him one at a time. I’m first.
I lay on my surfboard while he hangs on to it, judging the waves. He’s
experienced; he knows when to give you a push so the wave carries you perfectly.
Before I’ve
even caught my breath, he gives me a huge push and tells me to paddle hard.
Five
seconds later, I hear him yell, “Up! Up! Up!” and I jump to my feet. I
stand sideways on the board, my feet relatively straight and placed in
the general area I was aiming for. And I stay there. I don’t fall. I’m
standing. On a moving surfboard. I’m surfing!
I’m surprised
at how easy it is. Granted, we’re in gentle waves on huge boards and Raz
is doing the wave calculations for us. But that’s fine; I don’t want
to be a professional surfer, I just want to give it a try. And it’s definitely
contagious. My first ride only lasts about 5 seconds, but I’m back out
for more the second my feet hit the sand. I love it, and even though I
do fall several times, I don’t hurt myself at all.
Near the end,
I paddle away from Raz and get into position. I look back over my shoulder
and when the approaching wave is about ten feet behind me, I start
paddling hard. You need to be going at a pretty good pace when the wave
hits you – or it just washes over you. Which is exactly what happens.
But I try again
and this time I hit the wave perfectly. I jump up and glide gracefully
into the shore. It’s the best ride, because I did it all myself. Everyone
in my group gets up at least once, and we leave the beach a very happy,
but exhausted, bunch. I’ll definitely be back for more!
The Lighthouse
Besides being
the hometown of Paul Hogan, otherwise known as Crocodile Dundee, Byron
Bay is also famous for another landmark. Byron’s gleaming white lighthouse
stands at the top of a hill overlooking the water. Situated on Australia’s
most easterly point, the 104-year-old lighthouse boasts the strongest light
in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a long, hot hike to the top, but a climb
well worth the view. Just make sure you bring water with you! On
the way you’ll pass through coastal rainforest, overlook steep cliffs that
back onto the beach and likely see dolphins playing in the waves. Allow
at least two hours for the climb and time at the top to enjoy the views.
During the winter months, (June to September) you may also spot
humpback whales on their way north to warmer waters.
BellIngen
After leaving
Byron Bay, we take a slight inland detour to visit Bellingen, population
2600. Dense rainforest lines the road and when the canopy thins occasionally,
we’re rewarded with views of the Bellinger Valley. The curvy road doesn’t
do much for those with weak stomachs; so leave plenty of time to make the
short trip, stopping along the way for breaks.
As time is
running short, we only spend one night here, but we could have happily
spent more. The empty streets make me realize that Bellingen is one
of those rare towns on Australia’s East Coast that’s not overrun with tourists.
Bellingen Canoe Adventures rents out canoes and organizes eco tours, and
our main reason for stopping here is to participate in a moonlight canoe
cruise down the Bellingen River.
We climb into
the slightly wet canoe just after the sun goes down, and strap headlamps
on our heads. Their thin light doesn’t do much to pierce the blackness,
but we don’t want to scare the animals away. We paddle down the river,
the warm night breeze tickling our bare arms. We see possums in the
trees and keep an eye out for koalas, but don’t locate any. A huge
spider dangles from a web, endless stars grace the sky and our guide points
out the Southern Cross. We don’t see any platypuses as we were hoping,
but the nighttime canoe trip is definitely a novel experience.
Port Macquarie
Our next
stop is farther down the coast at Port Macquarie, Australia’s koala capital.
As I seem to have developed an obsession for Australia’s cuddliest marsupial,
we add this small city to our list of must see destinations. Admittedly,
there is more to Port Macquarie than just koalas, but I personally didn’t
do much that wasn’t koala related. We did take a wander along the shore,
but the koalas received the majority of our attention.
Surrounded
by koala habitat, Port Macquarie boasts numerous of the koala crossing
road signs that Australia is famous for. Koalas appear in residents’
backyards and it is not uncommon to see one crossing the road in the
early hours of the morning. Unfortunately, cars hit many of the slow moving
animals as they amble along. There are many dangers to these sleepy marsupials,
and Port Macquarie is home to the Koala Hospital.
Even if you’re
not smitten with these lovely creatures, the hospital is well worth a visit.
I
always imagined that the carefree animals in the treetops were perfectly
safe, but there are a surprising number of threats to the koalas’ well
being. Besides auto accidents, habitat loss, brush fires and dog attacks,
koalas can suffer from Chlamydia, known in the marsupial world as, “wet
bottom”. Koalas also sometimes need rescuing; they’ve been known to
mistake telephone poles for eucalyptus trees and get stuck where they don’t
belong. The hospital also runs a 24-hour koala rescue service. Admission
is by donation.
The Koala
Hospital, run entirely by donations, is dedicated to treating sick
and injured koalas of all ages. For obvious reasons, visitors aren’t allowed
inside the hospital itself, but the recuperating koalas all live outside
in wire mesh enclosures, so it’s easy to get a good look at them. At several
points throughout the day, usually 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., one of the
volunteers comes out and leads you around the outside of the hospital.
They feed the koalas, and explain each animal’s history and treatment.
We saw several
koalas that had been in fires; their fur was slightly matted and one’s
eye was permanently shut, but all of the koalas seemed to be recovering
well. The volunteer explained how the koalas are nursed back to health
in the medical buildings, and then brought out to these enclosures. Once
they have proven that they can take care of themselves, they’re returned
to the wild.
I have to admit
that I considered giving up all of my worldly possessions and spending
my days nursing koalas back to health after I saw them react to their caregiver’s
presence. One female koala was sticking her tongue out at the volunteer
when she walked up to it with the eucalyptus leaves. They were playing
with each other in that familiar manner that can only be developed through
genuine caring and love for the animals.
But you
don’t have to relocate to Port Macquarie to help the Koala Hospital’s good
cause. They also offer an Adopt A Koala program where you can choose a
koala in need and receive regular updates on his or her status. Adopting
a koala cost $40 AU within Australia, and $50 AU for overseas visitors.
If you want
to spot koalas in the wild, you’ll need some luck and a lot of time on
your hands. Walking through Port Macquarie’s parks is a good start, but
koalas generally spend most of their time sleeping at the top of very tall
trees, so locating them is quite difficult – but it’s definitely fun
to search!
For more
guaranteed sightings, head to the Billabong Koala Park. It’s basically
a small zoo, but marsupials are also bred here for inclusion in zoos and
private parks. There are daily talks and petting sessions – unlike Queensland,
it’s not permitted to hold a koala in NSW, but you are allowed to pet the
animals under their caregiver’s supervision. You can get even closer to
the koalas here and there’s no mesh wire blocking your view. Daily pattings
take place at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Besides
koalas, you can expect to see wombats, cassowaries, emus, spider monkeys,
peacocks, pheasants and plenty of kangaroos and wallabies. You can
walk right into the kangaroo enclosure and even feed the furry marsupials
from your hand. Another thing you won’t want to miss is the 70-year-old
Japanese koi carp in the water lily ponds. But even with all these extraordinary
animals, birds and fish at my disposal, it was still the koala enclosure
I kept returning to. There’s just nothing like a koala – even if all it
really does is sleep in the branches of a eucalyptus tree.
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
To contact Dawnelle
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