I arrived in Byron Bay tonight at about 7:30PM, marking 770Km I have traveled in the last three weeks. Hitch-hiking has been so effective I have actually had to slow down my pace a bit and spend a bit more time in town and a few days less on the road. Otherwise, I may be nearly in Cairns by now!
Since leaving Coffs Harbour I have spent nearly a week in the Grafton area, between a few nights where I was taken in by Wayne and Jean Gadke - parents of a good friend of mine in Calgary. Thanks for that connection Matt!
After a great couple of days there I was offered a Wwoofing position for a few more days with another connection provided to me by the Gadkes' son Matt.
- Wwoofing is a type of work-stay employment. Where "wwoofers" are given
accommodations and meals in exchange for working a few hours each day. Work type and
length varies from farm to farm, but the premiss is always the same. Usually found on organic
and cattle farms, Wwoofing originated in England in 1972, and farms can now be found all
around the world.
I spent several nights Wwoofing with Tim and his dog Gandhi. Even though we only had one day without torrential rains, it was still good to get my hands dirty and lend a hand for a bit. We spent an entire day pulling and cutting wild peach plants which are apparently very toxic. They resulted in deaths of two cows after they started feeding on them early last week.
I was also introduced to Black Beans which can be found commonly along river banks throughout the temperate rainforests around Oz. The seeds of these gigantic pods are edible, though they require about 10-14 days preparation before consumption to ensure that they are thoroughly rid of their toxins. The aboriginals used to eat these seeds after soaking them for at least 10 days (14 is recommended), then either cutting them into slices and baking them, or drying and grinding them into a flower like powder.
Unfortunately I did not have 14 days to prepare any of the huge bundle I came across - each measuring at about 6-8" long, but will keep them in mind for future reference.
Black Bean Pod and Seeds
I was lucky to have had the opportunities I did in the Grafton area, as we have experienced nearly 2 weeks straight of harsh rain. I made my departure (or escape I suppose) from Grafton just in time. Due to the harsh rains many roads were flooded and washed out, and even several days later now I am still hearing about flooding and road closures all over the southern coast.
Between Grafton and Byron Bay was Ballina. I caught a ride outside of Grafton with a couple and offered a place to stay for the night. This quickly turned into a great opportunity, and I was offered several nights stay with Chris and Emma and their two kids in exchange for a few days work with them.
Which brings us to Byron Bay...
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