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Love doing things with your four-legged best friend? Well, Love Lenox 2018 has you covered. Continuing with our hugely popular Dogs of Lennox mini event, we are back this year, with a great show, just for you … and your .
The fun categories you can enter are: DogWalk Model 2018 (Best Dressed), Waggiest Tail, Peanut Butter Challenge, Best Trick and Aren’t They the Cutest! (Cutest Puppy). Entry fees are only $2 per dog per event and all proceeds go to Save Mexican Street Dogs. Great prizes are up for grabs so don’t miss out!
Enter your online. More information, including T&C here.
LOVE LENNOX FESTIVAL – 2nd JUNE 2018
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]]>This year surfer and activist, Dave Rastovich; free diver, Kimi Werner; Victorian surfer, Belinda Baggs and Global Surf Business Unit Director, Jason McCaffrey, will host a range of workshops and short film viewings for the festival’s environment-conscious crowds.
When: Saturday 25th February
From 9am: Fair Trade – a short film, introduced by Belinda Baggs with Q&A post-film https://www.acheterviagrafr24.com/viagra-en-france/ Smog of the Sea, a short film on marine pollution, introduced by Kimi Werner with Q&A post-film.
2pm-3pm: Grassroots Activism – hosted by Dave Rastovich. An afternoon spent with leading global and grassroots activists, who will discuss what being an activist means today, and the skills/tools needed to run successful campaigns both big and small.
3:15pm-4:15pm: Re-Imagining the Surf Industry – hosted by Sean Doherty. A panel of surfers and entrepreneurs who will discuss how the industry can better reflect what surfing is all about.
6pm-7:45pm: Sliding Into The Light – a short film on loss, renewal and connection to the sea, introduced by creator and Hawaiian environmentalist/surfer, Chrystal Thornburg-Homcy.
Above: Kimi Werner, left, and Dave Rastovich
Where:
Patagonia Yurt, Main Beach Foreshore (films)
Byron Bay Community Centre (workshops)
There will be interview opportunities with all the speakers.
Victorian surfer, Belinda Baggs, will be speaking on her experience in visiting Fair trade certified factories.
Maui-born free diver and shark swimmer, Kimi Werner speaking on marine pollution and the ‘fog’ of microplastics currently permeating the world’s oceans.
Outspoken advocate of marine conservation, Dave Rastovich, on entering an age where social and environmental activism will play an ever more important role in securing people’s freedoms and the protection of wild places.
Global Surf Business Unit Director, Jason McCaffrey, on Patagonia’s mission, surf innovation, and Fair Trade program.
Hawaiian long boarder, ocean athlete and environmentalist, Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, on her work with grassroots environmental groups
This year outdoors apparel retailer, Patagonia, founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, has partnered with the festival. Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California (and was recently renowned for its 100% donation of its $10million Black Friday sales to environmental groups) this year.
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]]>I am a reasonably strong swimmer so the thought of snorkelling off Julian Rocks, a world famous scuba diving location, several kilometres off the coast of Australia’s most Easterly point, Byron Bay, didn’t hold a lot of trepidation for me. Although I must admit that way back in the deepest recesses of my elderly brain lurked the knowledge that many years ago one of the dive boats that visited this site suffered the worst possible dive-boat nightmare…the loss of one of its customers to a huge white pointer shark.
I surf these waters regularly and I’ve seen a number of large supposed “man-eater” sharks but I’ve never been harassed by a single one. Additionally, I know that thousands of divers and snorkelers over several decades have taken the short trip to The Rocks and that one terrible loss has never been duplicated. As such, my miniscule spark of fear was hardly likely to grow. The trip was to be an adventure, that’s for sure, but not, I reasoned, an adventure that carried a huge element of risk.
I arrived at the Sun Dive base at 10.15 am as requested and was quickly fitted out with a decent full length wet suit, a pair of fins, goggles and a snorkel. I was then introduced to the boat captain, Chris Barstow and the dive instructor, Gaye Ingham, who would be leading the morning’s dive. A short briefing followed where the twenty odd participants in the dive were given information on where the dive would take place (the layout of the Rocks and its various underwater physical features), what they would be likely to see and given critical information about safety procedures that everyone was expected to observe. Most of those on-board were qualified scuba divers who would be taking in the underwater views from the bottom of the ocean while two others, along with me, would be bobbing around on the surface taking the snorkelling option. We were then loaded onto a minibus and transported to the launch location at The Pass, Byron Bay.
On a day when The Pass is offering up a bit of decent swell, the launch itself would be part of the morning’s adventure as the inflatable dive boat has to take on its passengers then negotiate a couple of hundred meters of heaving and churning breaking waves while avoiding the dozens of ever-present recalcitrant surfers who refuse to get out of the way. Unfortunately for us, or fortunately if you don’t like the idea of riding a rubber dive boat through breaking swells, the ocean was close to dead flat on this morning so the launch process was uneventful and not remotely exciting. Oh well. A bit of a rough ride might have been fun but the sun was shining, the air was cool, the wind was a gentle zephyr from the west and the ocean itself looked crystal clear and inviting.
Sometimes the tiniest little things turn out to be a delight when you’re doing something you haven’t done before. The thought that peering back at your hometown from kilometres out to sea might be really cool had never occurred to me before. But here I was in the open ocean speeding across deep ocean swells looking back at the array of Byron Bay beaches, the Eastern Cape, the town itself and the lighthouse and the feeling was deeply pleasurable.
On arriving at Julian Rocks the skipper navigated the craft around to the Northern side of the rocks where our dive would be protected from the prevailing ocean swells. The scuba divers were briefed by their dive leader and, one-by-one, took to the water. My snorkelling companions and I were briefed by boat captain, Chris, who assured us that we had picked a perfect day for a snorkel and then advised us of the different places we might wish to swim (to optimise the amount of sea life we would experience), the procedures we should follow if we needed any assistance and information about where he would be picking us up at the end of our dive. He told us that he would be carefully watching us all the time and that if we experienced any difficulty we should signal to him immediately to come and get us.
Then we were overboard! Seeing the ocean floor ten meters below is quite a shock. As the bubbles from entering the water cleared from around my goggles I was immediately aware of being surrounded by dozens of colourful fish of all shapes and sizes flying here and there in their shadowy blue liquid. I followed Chris’s instruction to swim in towards the rocks where the water is a little shallower and where the wild life clusters around the reefs and inlets that are part of the Julian Rocks structure.
Despite my pre-trip thinking that a snorkelling trip to Julian Rocks would hold no fears now that I was actually in the water and exploring a new and unfamiliar world I was not as calm as I expected to be. My snorkelling companions, being a couple, were more than happy to drift off by themselves. All of the divers had disappeared into the deep water long ago. The boat captain was sitting in the sun on the dive boat moored some fifty meters away. Call me chicken. But being by myself, I was nervous.
Nervous or not though, I wouldn’t have missed the experience for quids. Blue groper with their puffy electric blue lips nibbled away at the rock walls. Coral of many colours, shapes and sizes grew out from rocky underwater walls. Yellow fish, grey fish, multi-coloured fish… some darting about… some feeding on the bottom… some seemingly just having a leisurely swim… and some purposefully intent on some unknown fishy business were everywhere. Puffer fish the size of basketballs slobbed around confidently in almost every underwater canyon I discovered.
As I swam between two reefs I saw the shape of two beautiful leopard sharks with their heads disappearing into an underwater cave. Excited by the discovery I decided to go looking for my snorkelling companions. I found them near an inlet thirty meters or so further down the rock wall. Before I got the opportunity to show them my leopard sharks they wanted me to check out their discovery. Resting on the sandy bottom in around three meters of water was a huge sandy and dusky coloured Wobbegong shark. My initial thought was to dive down and touch the creature on the back. My second thought was that that would not only be a crass thing to do but it would also be unwise. While Wobbegong are not a dangerous creature of the deep they are certainly willing to give a foolish interfering human a nasty nip if the human is ill-mannered. So I left the beautiful carpet-patterned animal to its sandy-bottom slumbering and escorted my companions to the leopard shark canyon.
I saw two large yellow-tailed, torpedo-shaped, King Fish (each around half a meter in length) swimming briskly in pursuit of a small school of fish. As I followed the predators over a reef into yet another deep, sandy, canyon the sight of the day loomed out of the darkness. A dark brown creature with a hawk-like face and with pink-white spots on its meter-wide dark wings soared out of the distant blue gloom and headed in my direction. When it saw an unwelcome human stranger in its path it elegantly banked to the right revealing the bright white underside of its wings and headed down the canyon and back out into the deeper water trailing an enormous long, thin and sharp tail behind it. Chris later explained to me that I had seen an Eagle Ray.
Everyone on board was thrilled by their sixty minutes in the water, and on the return journey rather than heading straight back for The Pass Chris took a bee-line for the Eastern Cape then slowly skirted Little Wategos and Wategos Beaches so that we could watch the local dolphins at play and the surfers catching waves from the less familiar ocean side view. In the bright sunshine and warm air Byron Bay observed from the sparkling clear ocean could not have looked more beautiful as we returned to our launching place.
Looking back on it, it’s simply remarkable to me that I could have lived so close to such an extraordinary place for so many years without ever having felt the need to go there. I must have been nuts. Julian Rocks is a must visit place for locals and visitors alike. I’ll certainly be going back.
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]]>Ahhh Byron Bay! What a unique and wonderful place, the best kind for a week away. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I was recently in Byron Bay and you’ll also know that I absolutely loved it. Beach, rainforest, mountains and beautiful sunsets, all at the same time, how could one not fall in love?
But that’s not what drew Robbie and I to Byron for our getaway. It all played a part, of course, but it was really the food that drew us there. And for very good reason.
Byron Bay and its surrounds are dotted with foodie gems. We were spoilt for choice for cafes and restaurants that offer gluten free, dairy free, vegan, nut free, and you-name-it dietary options, making it extremely easy for us fructose malabsorpers and the like to eat out. As you can imagine this was a highlight since I felt I could freely eat out almost anywhere. A few of my faves included the ridiculously good vegan smoothies at Naked Treaties, the delicious vegetarian nourish bowl at The Roadhouse, the Hare Krishna green curry at The Cardamom Pod, a proper good avo smash at Folk and some amazing brunches and coffee at Bayleaf. So so good!
The food adventures did not stop there though. A prerequisite for our accommodation is always a full-size kitchen. I love having the option to stay in and cook, and rightfully so because the fresh local produce in Byron Bay was pumping! The weekly farmers market located just on the side of the town centre had everything we needed. And that’s where the magic really began. Especially when we found what we now refer to as the magical pineapple! The most deliciously sweet pineapple I’ve ever had and it only cost $2!
The foodie surprises continued when our overwhelmingly generous hosts surprised us with a delivery of a big container full of shelled pecans and an even bigger bag packed full of a variety of fresh herbs. We were pretty much in heaven.
With all this amazing fresh produce at our fingertips, I couldn’t help but get experimenting in the kitchen. An amazingly sweet and juicy pineapple and a heap of pecans… the answer was waiting in a fresh, hot batch of gluten free Hummingbird Pancakes made with buckwheat flour – definitely too good not to share!!
Food aside, Byron Bay was just a super cool place with plenty to keep us happy. If I had to offer my top three things to do in Byron, it would be eat, hike, and watch the sunrise and sunset. One morning we were up before the sun so we could run to the Lighthouse for the best vantage point to watch the sun hit the most Eastern point of Australia. Another day we drove inland through the Hinterland to the edge of Mount Warning for a hike that would leave my legs sore for days. With an almost vertical incline for the last 250 metres to reach the summit, it was a truly amazing experience… Luckily we had these pancakes on return to keep us going!
So there you have it, a few ideas for your next getaway and a damn good pancake recipe to enjoy.
Hummingbird Pancakes
Serves 2
1 cup milk of choice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 banana, mashed
1 egg
Pineapple
Pecans
Banana
Natural yoghurt
Measure out milk, add the apple cider vinegar and set aside to ‘sour’. Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mash banana in a small bowl, whisk in egg and soured milk. Add wet mixture to the dry, and mix well. Set aside for five minutes while you prepare some toppings. Place pineapple slices in a fry pan on medium heat to caramelise. You may also add the pecans to toast. Heat another fry pan on medium heat and begin cooking the pancakes – keeping an eye on the pineapple and pecans at the same time. Serve pancakes with caramelised pineapple, toasted pecans, fresh banana and a dollop of natural yoghurt. Enjoy!
Find out more about Stephanie Papillo and the Friendly Little Kitchen on:
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]]>One of the fun parts of any road trip has to be the discovery of the local funky vintage shops; places where canny buyers can snap up a bargain, and locals can find a place to sell those interesting ‘wares’ that collect in the back of the cupboard. I found such a shop down at Woodburn recently – the eclectic River Emporium on the Pacific Highway – chock-a-bloc full of vintage clothing, bric-a-brac, religious iconography (yes really) and collectibles.
Says owner Glenda Wright of her customers; “Many are holiday makers from Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast who use the shop as an opportunity for a pit stop while on their way to the local beaches”. On a recent trip I unearthed a complete boxed collection of The Spice Girls dolls reclining on a vintage reproduction Saarinen Tulip Chair. Glenda’s brother Leon is also on hand, offering his expertise in Antique furniture restorations and French Polishing.
The Richmond River has always been a focal part of life of many towns in the Northern Rivers region, and Woodburn is no exception. It’s a great place to stop for a picnic in the riverside park where barbeques and picnic facilities provide the perfect place to relax while taking in the activities happening on the water like kayaking, swimming, fishing and water skiing and provides a perfect opportunity for family water sports all year round. At the rear of the Visitor Information Centre, an elevated deck with tables and chairs provides a great place to take in the river breezes while overlooking the bridge and the river.
A short walk north of the River Emporium is the unassuming home of sculptor Will Ponweiser, whose front yard is full of curious and quirky sculptures, from flocks of flamingos to weather vanes and fishing frogs. Visitors are welcome to wander around and browse the eclectic collection or for a nominal fee, to step inside the garage and explore an exhibition of Will’s handmade metal arts.
Close to Woodburn, Bundjalung National Park is a wonderful place to explore the waterways of the north coast. Stretching 35kms along pristine coastline between Evans Head and Iluka, Bundjalung’s combination of river, beach and freshwater lagoons will appeal to all those with a love of nature and the water. For bike enthusiasts there’s the opportunity for mountain biking the Serendipity fire trail while hikers will appreciate the walk along Ten Mile Beach. Jerusalem Creek walk offers an opportunity to explore an important wetland area for shorebirds such as the Pied Oystercatcher and Beach Stone-Curlew which nest along the creek banks. Set behind the sand dunes at Ten Mile Beach is the spacious Black Rocks camping area. This campground is a top spot for a family camping holiday with plenty of room for caravans, camper trailers and motorhomes.
Surrounded by national parks and with six kilometres of surfing beaches and stunning coastal scenery, the peaceful coastal village of Evans Head is the perfect location for a day trip or a relaxing family holiday. Situated on the banks of the Evans River, there are plenty of outdoor activities to keep visitors entertained – Airforce beach is a popular spot for four-wheel driving, fishing and an off-leash dog exercise area, while the Evans River is a great place for kids to swim in the river or at the shallow beaches along the estuary. You can also take the opportunity to explore the meandering waterways with a peaceful day canoeing along the Evans River.
Surrounded by Dirrawong Reserve, the beautiful and secluded Chinaman’s Beach is a short drive south of Evans Head. The well-maintained walking track through native bush opens to one of the most peaceful beaches on the North Coast. Wide expanses of coastal views frame walking trails onto Goanna Headland, worth the walk for the beautiful views from the lookout and interpretative signs which explain its cultural significance to the local Bundjalung people. At low tide there are numerous rock pools to be explored before taking the walk further south to Snapper Rock.
Located in the renovated Bellman Hanger, the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Heritage Aviation Museum features military and civilian aircraft and artifacts sourced from all across Australia. The wartime home of thousands of men and women undertaking training during World War ll, the museum relates the history of aviation in the Northern Rivers. Visitors can take the pilot’s seat of the F-111 fighter-bomber and a personalised tour with volunteers who are more than happy to relate the stories behind the exhibits. The museum is located at the Evans Head Aerodrome and is open 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.
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]]>I’m strapped in my harness, perched on top of the point at Pat Morton Lookout in Lennox Head.
Beside me, the chief pilot of Seabreeze Hang Gliding, Ashley Wilmott, completes the final safety checks and connects me to the frame of the glider, a task overseen by his assistant colleague. The penetrating roar of the northeasterly winds blowing in our direction has me wondering whether the conditions are suitable for flying. Wildly sashaying branches of nearby trees only serve to reinforce my concerns, but given the amount of other hang gliding companies also present, I put my concerns down to first time nerves and I’m reassured that conditions couldn’t be better.
“We like to fly with winds that range from 20 to 30 knots – today’s around 25, so it’s perfect,” so I’m informed by a fellow pilot, who thereby scuppers any chance I may be able to work my way out of the predicament I seem to have got myself in.
Wilmott briefs me on some simple instructions, designed to ensure I don’t get in the way of our launch for take-off. His enthusiasm and cheery grin lifts my confidence although not completely – but after an unconvincing o.k from my end and a gesture to his assistant, we’re ready to take flight.
At this stage I have pre-conceived ideas about what’s involved. I picture myself sprinting alongside Wilmott, running to the end of the cliff and hoping the force of the wind will carry our weight into the sky and not have us plunging to the rugged rocks below, but the experience luckily, turns out to be far gentler than that and my adrenalin-fuelled enthusiasm amounts to nothing more than an over-active imagination.
As the pressure of the wind hits the cliff face, the glider is already making attempts to lift off the ground. Ashley steadies it with his body weight and I bounce on tiptoes while we wait for the opportune time to gently lift off. ‘Smooth enough take-off for you Paula?,’ he enquires as the grassy headland slowly falls away beneath us.
I tuck my feet into the pouch of the harness and ready myself in the ‘prone’ position, a gliding term used to resemble being bird-like. The force of the wind alters greatly at this height and I experience the pressure penetrating through my ears, nose and mouth. Despite its relentless presence, there is still somehow a simultaneous stillness that envelopes me and the realisation begins to dawn on me that this is the closest I will ever get to being a bird.
The high point of the flight lifts us to 500 feet above the ocean, extended out in front of the cliffs. Wilmott’s shifting body weight controls the glider in the direction we choose to go and he performs a series of trick manoeuvers that dip the wing in sharp accelerated turns, displaying the capabilities that can be achieved during flight. A keen surfer, Wilmott compares the experience of the plunging twists we take riding the air, to that of riding a wave. The high speeds make me feel like I’m on a fast paced roller coaster ride.
We hover over rooftops of residential houses and passing traffic travelling along the coast road. Wilmott fills me in on some special moments of flying he’s experienced in the passing decades and I’m struck by the opportunities he’s been witness to during that time. ‘I’ve flown in the Swiss Alps, I’ve been on top of a rainbow,” he tells me. “I’ve even had my glider shredded in mid-flight by territorially aggressive eagles attacking.”
A fully accredited Hang gliding federation of Australia pilot, Wilmott has spent time learning about the intricacies of weather conditions and aerodynamics since the 70’s. His greater pleasure is to offer the opportunity of sharing something he enjoys so with others.
Our 30 minute flight draws to a close, coinciding with the increasing wind that has picked up in the late afternoon. Wilmott confidently steers us back to the grassy headland we took off from and the sudden descent seems as though we’ll be heading for an abrupt landing, but, just as my thoughts on take-off were mistaken, so too are the ones for landing. As the approaching headland gets closer and closer, I’m mentally preparing myself to hit the ground running. The apparent threat of an accelerated landing disappears as Wilmott gently shifts his weight at the last minute and slows the pace of the glider right down, so that I am literally placing one foot in front of the other as we finally touch down.
It was a surreal sensation to be in the vast expanse of the sky, with its freedom and weightlessness such a contrast to our day-to-day life on the ground. Every time I look at the sky I think about the opportunity I had to experience a gift of this nature, and I’m grateful for it.
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]]>The Brisbane Cane Toads Scooter club was started in 1999 by Brent Collins, Adam Shields, Jason Elford, Brendon Hill, Laura Williams and Paul Cain. From those humble beginnings the club now has 222 members from all over the east coast of Australia – ranging from Brisbane, Sunshine coast and the Northern Rivers. Quite a high percentage of the club are ex-pats from Great Britain who have relocated to Australia and brought their beloved scooters with them.
“The thing about riding a scooter is that it’s a lifestyle, not a fashion accessory,” says Paul Cain, one of the original founders who rides a 1973 Lambretta GP250. Cain’s been been riding scooters for 30 years, and even before he relocated down under he was with a UK scooter club for 14 years.
The Cane Toad crew get together for a ride and a beer once a month around Brisbane and the Northern Rivers. They also have a national rally with ‘scooterists’ from all over Australia, and each state takes a turn in hosting the national rally. They also have three or four local weekender or overnight rallys.
A recent addition to the club is Wayne Norris. Norris has been riding with the club for three years – he even joined the Cane Toads before he arrived in Australia from the UK. I asked him what the appeal of scooters is over motorbikes, and he was quick with his response: “With scootering comes a certain lifestyle, the music, the dancing and the people. Its all part of a certain scene,” he says. It’s a scene he knows well – he was only six when he embarked on his first scooter experience and by the time he was 11 he was desperate to be 16 just so he could buy his first scooter. Norris rides a Vespa 2000 PX200 and also has a Lambretta. Because of a previous accident he wears armour for maximum protection, but has no plans to stop. “Scootering is all about your mates and having a good time doing what you love,” he says.
I was beginning to get the idea of the level of commitment these guys (men and women) have for their scooters. I asked my father, Martin Rapley, where he likes to ride, and he told me:
“Riding my scooter is my passion and I cannot think of a better destination than cruising along the east coast.”
Anyone interested in becoming a member is welcome to the club. The Cane Toads can be found on facebook under Brisbane Cane Toads Scooter Club.
Photography: Harlie Rapley
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