CORAL CAYS AND SUNLIT SEAS

A little while ago, (OK a couple of months ago,) I wrote a blog about Byron Bay, explaining how, as you travel there are special places which just resonate with you. Places where you immediately feel  happy and at home.  I called these places Spiritual Homes. And I said there may be one or a few of these for everyone. Well Byron is still at the top of my list, but to my surprise I’ve found another one. Agnes Waters!

Maybe it’s because this place has the same laid back, easy going, surfie feeling as Byron but on a much quieter scale. In fact, Agnes waters is tiny by comparison, even when you add the town/area of 1770, just up the road, to it. Actually I’m still a bit confused about where Agnes Waters and 1770 begin or end, or if they are actually one and the same! Whatever.. this whole small area is awesome. And packs a fair bit into its circumference.

There’s all types of accommodation here from beautiful hotels on the main beach to backpacker shacks (love just the name of ‘the cool banana’, don’t you?) to caravan parks, sanctuary resort and… the BEST camping grounds you could wish for. Workman's Beach Camping Ground. Which, of course, was where I went to stay. This place backs off of a lovely secluded beach and nestles in natural bushland yet is only a few hundred meters from the town Centre and Main Beach. It is only $6 per night for a numbered site with toilets, outdoor showers, drinking water and definitely the nicest rangers I have ever met. It became an absolute pleasure to pay them every morning! Always a lovely greeting, good humour and helpful as could be. No wonder everyone I met at this camp loved being there and were equally friendly.

You can, and I did ,walk into the shopping mall easily from here. And it is such a nice place to go, with everything you need. Two supermarkets, one post office, a few cafes and take always, newsagent, laundramat, off licence, several tour shops,swimwear  shop and soulvenir places. Plus the petrol station. But it is the ambiance here which makes it. Really beachy and friendly. A place you want to go to whether you need anything or not, lol. I went just to sit and watch the world go by. Oh and maybe buy a beer or two! From there you simply walk down through the park and picnic area to the Main Beach, a long 7km horseshoe of white sand and surf. You can swim her but it is not as calm as the other side at 1770.

But on this side of the headland there are some really great walks, through lovely rainforests and along beaches where rocks protect the delicate sands and shelter miriads of sea creatures. I went to one in particular which is called the Paperbark Forest, maybe 2km up the road from my camp. I have to show you pictures here as I find it so difficult to describe how magical this place is. It was designed by and starts at Reddy Creek Reserve, a marshy wetland forest. Wooden planks form paths to man made stepping stones which meander through this amazing scenery. I honestly could not get over this place! It deserves to be in a fairytale.

Afterwards, I just had to go to the “Getaway Café Garden’, on the way back. Set in the grounds of the Getaway Sanctuary (a resort which encapsulates tranquility and calm) the café is just as serene and soothing. It prides itself on the best quality products and utilizing local fresh produce where possible. It is a gorgeous open decked area which looks onto a lily pond and fountain, then out to the beautiful gardens beyond. It was morning when I went so I enjoyed a breakfast of Paleo Museli and a cup of Chai Latte. Enjoyed? This was the best museli I have ever tasted! Enjoyed does not do it justice. I savoured every mouthful in my bowl. And this from someone who is not really interested in food! They sell it for $29 a small bag, but it is packed with macademia and almond nuts, coconut, gluten free grains and fruit. That day was a day to remember.

Now this sounds as if 1770 up the road could not possibly compete. But guess what, it can, and did. Only a short 5min drive from Agnes Waters 1770 offers you Tours to the most beautiful of the Coral Cay Islands. Lady Musgrave Island. After a 75min cruise trip you laze on pure white sand or swim and snorkel in turquoise seas. Lady Musgrave Island and Lagoon is the only Island and lagoon combined in the outer Great Barrier Reef where the big vessels enter the Lagoon.

 It's a true coral cay on the Outer Southern Great Barrier Reef.  A tropical paradise abundant in Pisonia forests and bird life. The island is set on 3000 acres of living reef with a deepwater coral lagoon which is unique to the entire Great Barrier Reef region. One big big swimming pool.

Or How about the 1770 LARC! Tours  withtwo pink amphibious crafts to access and explore the National Parks, restored lightstation and pristine waterways. Or Learning to surf with the Reef 2 Beach School? No still? OK. How about  Stand Up Paddleboarding? Australian and World Champion Chris D’Aboitiz runs lessons and tours at 1770. Oh Yeah he also includes your pet pooch if you like. His company,  which he launched in 2006,Natural Balance Dog, is about learning to read, understand and act on your dogs behaviour, creating harmony between you and your dog. Chris has a natural affinity for dogs and a passion for teaching, he is an expert in canine body language and believes the central key to a dog's mental well-being is through the education and training of the owner in the fundamentals of dog pack behavior. Aaah. My Hero.

And then there’s 1770 Liquid Adventures which is the only tour company on Australias East Coast where you can watch an ocean sunset from a kayak. You can spot dolphi​ns, turtles, stingrays, marine birds and more. You can explore in Captain Cooks own footsteps the natural beauty this area is famous for. Paddle past ‘Monument Point’, cruise along mangroves, explore sandbars and beaches. Not for you? Really?

Still NO? You gotta be kidding me. All right, a little further along is a small but perfectly formed beach, across from which is a great little café and beachy accommodation.  Fill up here and then go up to the 1770 Head land and lookout, a short walk takes to a fantastic ocean views. And if that doesn’t do it… I give up! Me I’m headed to Agnes Waters and a cold Asahi beer.

Just BE. Live the moment not the hour nor the day
The Grey Chihuahua