It is hard to find reasons, why not to live here….
We stayed on a campground on a spot with a stunning ocean view and a 2 minute walk to our favorite surf break at the point. When we first got into the water, the current was pulling almost our feet away….After watching the locals for a while, we understood the spot well enough to love it. We spent our days riding the endless days on a Mark Richards 6’6’’ fish, our 7’6’’ minimal, and a 9’1’’ longboard. Robinson rode hundreds of inside break waves on his 6’ foam board, while Sienna bodysurfed or danced at the beach.

Some people say, it is too touristy now, but the tourists help the locals to focus on their passions and still to earn some money to live here. We meet recent immigrants from Italy, Brazil, the Netherlands, they all have chosen to live here and are grateful for the wonderful lifestyle and community. Those, who like it calmer, shift towards the mountains to e.g. Bangalow.

Only 45 minutes away at Coolangata is the Quicksilver and Roxy Pro Surf Contest with the best women and men surfers of the world. I was already a believer in Kelly Slater, but when I saw him in person, I could feel his magnetic aura, got caught in his compelling energy.

THE KELLY SLATER

Surfers are just fascinating with their healthy and grounded look. We arrived just in time to watch the men’s semis and finals and Taj Burrow from Western Australia beat Jordy Smith in the final, while Stephanie Gilmore dominated the quarter finals in the girls at her home break.

Taj Burrow – THE WINNER

Thousands watched on the beach and reef rocks and cheered the best surfers of the world on as they effortlessly took off on the largest and steepest waves and played in them forever.

After 10 days it was time to head back in order to catch the plane in Sydney for our next mission.
In the afternoon we checked into a Hotel in Sydney right at the airport in order to catch our early flight to Perth the next morning. We spent the afternoon just around the corner in Cogee, one of Sydney’s great beaches, with some amazing rock pools. It was hard to leave, I truely enjoy the feeling here at the Eastcoast, but this is part of travelling: opening up for the unexpected and letting go…

We spent one night right at the ocean front at Seal Rocks near Foster, where we met Colin, one of the 25 locals. He came to Seal Rock 20 years ago and has found no reason to leave. He showed us the best surf spots in town and how it feels to be in peace and balance…

While I spent my time in the water, sharing the beautiful point break only with one other person and a few dolphins, the kids played with the pelicans at the beach.

see ya later Pelican!

At Crescent Head we found surfer’s paradise: it is one of Australia’s “Natural surfing reserves” with a long wave rolling from the tip into the bay.

It is a wonderful spot with a campground just next to it and a cool crowd of people, who call surfing their religion.

The wave is mellow and continues for hundreds of meters, just peels off to the right along the rocky shore.

Here in Crescent Head, I saw the best Corporate Identity of a post office…Look at the sign….

and just hope that the postman rings twice ;).

Yamba is a sleepy town with some unspectacular shops. But looking at the beaches, you find a beach for every taste: we saw some guys out kiting in heavy waves, others surfing with dolphins next to them.

GOING WILD

Watching the waves

More important, everybody we met, was friendly and relaxed. People came here, who felt Byron Bay became too touristy or the big cities of Sydney etc. are too much of a hassle. In 2009 Yamba earned the award of most beautiful city in Australia, and that brought some popularity and of course increase in property prices. Just South of Yamba is Angourie, a small little community with no shops but one of the most famous waves in the world, at Angourie Point. One reason people here are content is that they live in the perfect climate, always sort of spring / summer weather, it never gets cold or too hot.

We spoiled ourselves with Champagne and cheese on the veranda, overlooking a wild beautiful garden.

fluffies for the kids

Kids relaxing in the spa …

The Blue Mountains offer a lot of absolutely spectacular nature impressions. We went down into the valley on a steep train, coming up again with a Doppelmayr gondola, made in Austria.

The next day we took a 3 hour loop hike from Echo Point to the Three Sisters, landmark rock formations just off the edge of the cliffs, which according to Aboriginal legend are the three daughters of a magic man who turned his daughters into stone to protect them from the war between two tribes just about to start – the problem was that he was killed and so the spell could not be reversed.
The trail lead us down the cliffs into the valley and along steep mountains and great waterfalls.

here they are, kept in stone for thousands of years

the magic man and one of his daughters

The town of Leura offers all I wish for with great organic food stores
and natural cosmetic shops, cool clothing lines besides some great bookstores. Check out ikou.com.au for wonderful cosmetics….

Cille and Sienna enjoying breakfast

They start their day with a run along the endless golden beaches or they grab the surfboard and take a 5 minute walk to a wonderful beach to catch some morning waves.

playtime…

Then it is time to bring Cille to school and to drive to the office. Of course, the surfboard is next to the laptop with them in the car. The office impresses by its location right at the beach in Narrabeen. After some hours of work, most of the employees go for a surf at lunchtime.

a big smile after a great surf session

What a perfect combination. We love the atmosphere in Bungan Bay, Avalon, Palm Beach and of cause Long Reef Beach.

Palm Beach

There are plenty of bays and beaches, with something for everyone, and surfable waves every day of the year.

For swimming most beaches feature a natural rock pool, which is fed at high tide by fresh ocean water. It is calm and remote and each little place has the feel of a little community, but it is close enough to the bustling city of Sydney which seems to grow out of its seems with over 4 million people in the area. Björn and Agnes are very lucky that they can live and work up here, and do not need to commute each day for an hour each way.

The running tracks are truly spectacular, along the coast, leading high up on the cliffs and down along the surf breaks on the beach. Björn and Agnes clearly run in a different league, at a good pace, and they keep going for an hour or two. After about half their distance, just having completed some steep uphill stairs, we decide that our bodies are ready to return to the home base, while Björn and Agnes still have a big smile on their face and have no plans to turn around yet. We eat very healthy, organic and fresh, a real pleasure for our taste sensations and bodies.
One day we visited the Aquabumps Bondi Beach photo gallery and its owner Uge, who took the pictures, that turn our living room at home into a beach underwater world. When he started, he was taking pictures of Bondi beach every morning and sending them to friends for a great morning wake-up greeting. Some years later he has this great photo gallery and has moved towards professional photography with shots from helicopters here and on various remote islands.

Bondi photographer Uge with one of his biggest fans…

So beautiful, that I would love to buy some more pics. Uge is very peaceful and inspiring, bringing a smile to those who meet him.