Day 185 Dunoon Sunday 9th December 2012

Evening folks,

After the usual mucking around we departed around 10 for our day off.

First stop was The Channon markets. These were basically the same stalls we visited last market, different location. Our arrival was the cue to light rain to start falling. It didn't last long but the humidity became a bit uncomfortable. The stalls were of minor interest apart from the coffee stand and the wood oven pizza place. I partook of both.

Looking south from the lighthouse

The most easterly point

The house of light

Windswept at not quite the most easterly point

Video panorama

We drove to Byron Bay. The place was a backpackers ghetto but we did get some respite at the lighthouse although there were still plenty of tourists. We have now added the most easterly point of Australia to our resume although some of us went further than others. Time had ticked away and we needed lunch so Byron it was. We ate plates of chicken and beef/lamb kebab meat with fresh salad. After a short street walk we headed southwards to Lennox Head. A coffee break in the main street at a restaurant/cafe was surprisingly cheap.We viewed the views from the headland and also the hang glider and a paraglider on our return trip.

Paragliding at Lennox Head

Richards Pipit.. I think

Hang gliding

Ballina Courthouse

A short distance up the road was Ballina, which seemed a god's waiting room type of town. A new Bunnings store was under construction. The town is adjacent the Richmond River which by any standard is wide. From Ballina we returned to Dunoon and to the Sports club since it was the monthly poets and pluckers session. We managed to catch the last 15 minutes since it finished at 630 due to the noise abatement laws here. Apparently these don't extend to macadamia nut drying plants which are every bit as annoying as a bit of distant  "Bash bash thump thump tuneless flamin' jungle music"

A pasta and mince tea prepared by Susan to the patter of light rain which only lasted an hour or two. The tent was a bit musty inside when we returned today since we shut it up in case it rained. I can only assume the odours are coming from the grass dying under the floor.

Anyway that's it night folks

cheers Simon