Byron Bay!

From February 21st to the 23rd I got the chance to travel to Byron Bay, NSW with Extreme Adventures and international students from all over the world who were also attending Griffith University on Monday. Byron Bay was about an hour away taking the tram and the bus and was in a different time zone so I had to push my clock one hour ahead. When we got there we were dropped off at Backpackers Inn, a local hostel. This was my first ever staying in a hostel. it was definitely interesting to say the least. There were four people per room and the bathrooms, showers, and common eating area were outside. We were less than one minute from the beach and about two minutes away from town. Byron Bay is very different from Surfers Paradise. It's a lot less touristy and way more laid back. Most people would describe Byron Bay as a hippie town and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. Everyone I met was super friendly, laid back, and didn't seem to have a carry in the world. The funniest thing about the people there is that they seldomly wore shoes. While I was at Byron Bay my three days consisted of learning to surf on the first day, going kayaking and going on a two and a half hour hike to the most eastern point of Australia, and my third day I went skydiving and got to go to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Learning to surf was probably one of the most fun and challenging activities I've ever done in my life. In the span of two hours I caught about 10 to 15 waves give or take. Kayaking was really cool even though I was super exhausted during and after. While kayaking I got to see about 400 dolphins and a turtle (Pro Tip Kayaking give you gains). The toughest part of kayaking was surfing back onto shore about almost everyone had their kayak flip over. I was very lucky and I didn't have that happen to me. Hiking to the Byron Bay lighthouse was the toughest hike I've ever been on, but the view made it worth it. The next day I went skydiving which is definitely the craziest thing I've ever done but I would recommend it to anyone who's considering doing it. It was so much fun and it's really hard to describe, but it's the biggest natural rush of adrenalin you will ever experience. If you ever have the chance to skydive do it! The highlight of my day was going to the wildlife sanctuary and being able to hold a Koala and feed a Kangaroo! They are so cute and soft!!! Overall, great trip, but very exhausting! Surfing, kayaking, hiking, and skydiving in the span of 72 hours will make your body feel like mush.