Why I Didn’t Marry Heath Ledger

Based on great native advice, we decided to make a trip down to the tiny towns of Yamba and MaClean to see some Real Aussie coastal action. So the plan was to go to Yamba, rent a board and catch some more waves. We got to Yamba, got yelled out buy some old mate because Elizabeth supposedly almost ran over his toes and got no board. Apparently, there is only one guy who rents boards in Yamba and he was out of the “office” (his home) teaching classes. Word to the wise, if you want to surf in Yamba, call Joey ahead of time or you’re probably SOL. We hung out on the beach for a bit and headed to MaClean for lunch.

MaClean is THE Scottish town of Australia. They have all of the different family tartans (plad patterns) pained on the telephone poles around town. A lot of Aussies of Scottish descent make the trip there to find their tartan. Our first lunch choice was the MaClean Hotel. It was a gorgeous historic structure on the main street and seemed like an interesting lunch destination. We walked in and old men we sitting around betting on horses. They even had odds sheets printed and taped to the walls. Very cool, but they only served greasy fried pub food. So we walked around trying to find another place and ended up at some run of the mill cafe that was much like all of the cafes in Byron Bay. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. Then we were off to Lennox Head.

Don’t miss the Big Prawn between MaClean and Lennox Head.

Lennox Head was where the fun started. It started, but then ended kind of abruptly. We stopped in to see Lake Answorth. Lake Answorth is a lake right over the hill from the Pacific that is infused with tea tree oil. It makes it dark brown like a place where you’d film “Creature from the Black Lagoo, Part IV.” The water is supposed to be great for your skin, but it didn’t really do anything for me. So I bet you can guess what I did. I headed for the beach. It was much different than the Byron beaches in that it stretched on to the horizon. There was a big group of people playing some sort of sport that looked like baseball. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. So I went to investigate. It turns out that it was cricket and the people were English. Of-course I had to join up and show off my baseball prowess. I actually did pretty well with everything, but they made fun of me for holding the cricket bat like a baseball bat. Is that wrong? Baseball on the beach. You can’t beat that with a stick…or a cricket bat. We could have potentially made best friends with the English chaps, but I got scared off because there were a lot of girls in the group. I’d hate to get beat up by some English chick on the beach for talking to her boyfriend. Not my idea of vacation. Oh well, just another passed hang out with English boys opportunity.

– Carrie

If you’re staying in Byron, you can skip Yamba. The beaches are nice, but hiring a surfboard is nearly impossible. Instead, save your petrol and head barely south to Lennox Head. The town offers both a sandy beach and a murky lake. No worries, the latter’s waters are the result of nearby tea trees, not pollution. The lake is a tranquil relaxation spot, and the tea tree oil-infused waters offer sunburn relief and softer hair. You can use the remainder of your afternoon for a sunset horseback ride on Seven Mile Beach.

If you do head to Yamba, make the short trip to Maclean. In honor of the town’s Scottish heritage, the light poles feature a variety of tartans. Though you’ll be hard-pressed to find traditional Scottish food along Maclean Street, you can enjoy the tortilla stack and a mocha at the CoffeeArt Coffee Shop.

Cheers – Elizabeth