This blog is to help guests who are attending Callum and Eva's wedding find their way around and enjoy their visit.
Geography of South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales (NSW).
Callum and Eva live in Coolangatta, which is at the southern end of the Gold Coast, in Queensland. The wedding is at a secret location inland from Byron Bay, near a village called Clunes. Coolangatta and Byron Bay are 66 km apart (about 40 miles) in NSW.
At the time of the wedding, NSW will be operating Daylight Saving. NSW adds one hour to the time. This affects timing when you cross the border from Queensland, which does not have Daylight Saving.
This might be important. If you are staying in Coolangatta, and are told to meet a coach at the Byron Bay Surf Club at a certain time. You calculate that it might take you an hour to drive to Byron, park and meet the coach at the time appointed, and then get there to discover that the coach left an hour ago!
A major feature of the area is the Mount Warning Caldera, which contains some lovely landscapes. Mount Warning is an extinct volcano.
Mount Warning.
1) Suggested Activities out of Coolangatta
The Tweed Valley Rail Trail. Best done in good weather. Several railway lines in Northern NSW have been converted into bike trails. There are a number of businesses who rent out push-bikes and ebikes.
Northern Rivers Rail Trail. We rented from Better by Bike. There are a number of cafes along the Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek section. We suggest the Teakwood Cafe at Burringbar.
Springbrook bushwalks
Twin Falls. 4km. Beautiful.
Purling Brook Falls. 4 km. Significant climb. A good lookout without doing the walk to the bottom and back.
Purling Brook Falls (350 feet)
Best of All Lookout. 800m. Easy, with a great view.
Dancing Waters Cafe (Purlingbrook).
Road Trip with walks.
This would make an interesting day trip if you have a car. Choose from a list of places, (probably not all of them.)
Hinze Dam, with a pleasant walk along the dam wall.
Back to Coolangatta via Nerang and the M1 motorway.
Theme Parks.
The Gold Coast is a holiday destination, and has many theme parks, often copied from similar American ones.
Movieworld, where Callum works.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary See Australian wildlife.
David Fleay Wildlife Park. See Australian wildlife.
Australian Outback Spectacular. An entertaining show.
Restaurants near Coolangatta and Kirra (need to book)
Ottimo Gelato (don't need to book).
Restaurants at Burleigh Heads (need to book)
Burleigh Hill Walk. An attractive walk around and/or over the Burleigh Headland.
Murwillumbah (need to book)
Fingal Head
An attractive cliff or beach walk.
Cafés near Fingal (don't need to book).
2) Suggested Activities out of Byron Bay
Cape Byron walking track. Comments here.
The Pass. A beach walk from Byron Bay. A great place for non-surfers to get really close to surfers in action. Also a good place for beginners and more experienced surfers.
The Pass Cafe is a good place to eat. Parking is often difficult.
Restaurant at Kingscliff (need to book)
Restaurant at Byron Bay (need to book)
Karkalla Restaurant is one that specializes in indigenous food.
Northern Rivers Markets.
Sunday October 27th is the Fourth Sunday of the month.
Miscellaneous matters.
Climate.
In late October on the Gold Coast. October is Spring in Australia.
Max Temp = 77ºF
Min Temp = 62ºF
Sea temperature on the Gold Coast in October = 73°F.
Many overseas visitors underestimate the sun, and can get severely sunburnt. You would be wise to have a hat that covers your ears (not just a baseball cap).
Money
US$1 = AU$1.50. Two American dollars equals three Australian dollars.
You are not expected to tip in restaurants. (You can if you wish).
The minimum wage is $24.10 per hour.
Cash is largely disappearing, and most things can be bought with a credit card or smart phone.
If you don't already have a solution, Wise is a convenient card.
Distance
In Australia, the distance between A and B is 'further than you think'.
Distance is measured in kilometres (km). One km = 0.62 US miles. Roughly 10km = 6 miles.
The area of Australia is similar to the area of the continental United States.
Corrected for 'northism', the irrational assumption that north should always be upwards.
The Gold Coast lies on the 28˚ south parallel. Our sister city is Fort Lauderdale, which is on the 28˚ north parallel.
Cars drive on the left.
Car rental is generally easiest at an airport. Coolangatta Airport has several car rental companies.
Mobile phone SIMs. There are several options. Telstra is the biggest network which will often reach places where others do not. In particular, Telstra is the only one that reaches the area around Clunes where the wedding is to happen.
