Surfing, Cliff Jumping and
Hand-feeding Piranhas!
Yamba
We’d heard some rumours along the road that Yamba was the
place to be, so after we left Byron, we headed down the coast and booked in at
the Yamba YHA.
Both the town and the backpackers would have to be the best
kept secret in all of Australia.
The first guy we met, Jono, turned up six months ago to stay for two
nights, and only left the night we arrived because his visa had run out and he
had to leave the country. It’s been the same story for everyone we’ve spoken to
– literally every single person has extended their stay here beyond what they’d
planned, including us!
So, what’s so good about Yamba? Apart from the town itself (surrounded by oceans and the
river so it’s almost like its own little island), you have to check out the
following things…
Yamba YHA
This hostel is amazing – it’s only been open a year but it’s the friendliest hostel I’ve
ever been to in my travels. As
soon as you check in, one of the owners will yell out an introduce you to
everyone around, so you feel like you’re part of their big family from the very
first night. It feels like we’ve
known these people for weeks rather than a couple of days.
Surfing
After meeting everyone at the hostel during happy hour on our first night, we
got up and went surfing in the morning.
The hostel provides boards, a ride to the beach, and great advice on
surfing your first wave. Neither
of us are quite coordinated enough to stand just yet, but we can catch waves
and kneel on the board, and are still trying!
Shane’s $10 Tour
The highlight of Yamba would have to be Shane’s $10 Tour,
which takes you to all the best spots in town from a local’s perspective. Book in for this one as soon as you get
to the YHA. You see amazing
beaches and all the best views, but the fun doesn’t end there!
You also get to go cliff jumping into natural
waterholes! There are a few
different heights you can jump from, ranging from the baby jump (around 5m) up
to the “medium” jump, which involves a climb up a natural rockface before
launching yourself off of a 15m cliff.
There are also higher points to take off from further up the cliff, but
they’re too dangerous for the tour, so you have to head back later and try them
yourself!
At the end of the tour, you stop off near the river, where
you get to feed the pelicans by hand, as well as the local piranhas! The piranha feeding frenzy is
definitely a sight to see!
Yamba is a great place to hang out due to the friendly
people, beautiful location, laid-back vibe, great surf… we could go on! Do yourselves a favour and come by if
you’re in the area.
Sadly, despite extending our stay, we now have to
leave. We’ve bought ourselves
tickets to Global Carnival, a music festival in Bellingen, so we’ll be camping
there (and out of touch) for the next few days. After that, we’ll resurface in Coffs Harbour and let you
know what we’ve been up to!
In the meantime, make sure you check out our latest videos
here.
http://vantastic.worldnomads.com
http://www.twitter.com/vantasticnsw
