..::velvet shots::..: Taking a day off

Pen and I decided to give ourselves a well-deserved break from work by taking a day off two weeks ago. I really wanted to get away from the bustling city life and retreat to a peaceful country town. After a fair bit of research and recommendations from friends, we decided to take a road trip to Byron Bay and the little town of Bangalow.

Byron Bay is a small coastal village in the far north east of New South Wales. It's about a 2-hour drive from where we live in Brisbane. Famous for its great surf beaches, arty farty people, award winning restaurants and cafes and some good village shopping.

We were pleasantly surprised at what the towns had to offer. Byron Bay was jam-packed with European backpackers hitting the surf and the streets were filled with people dressed in eclectic clothing. The shops were amazing! They stock the most unique items from local designers albeit with really hefty price tags. (Pen thinks the ice cream was pretty amazing too.)

We also hiked to the famous Byron Bay Lighthouse, the most easterly point of Australia! It was extremely windy as you can see from the photos. Hair flying everywhere.

Bangalow boasts some of the most trendy cafes and eateries I’ve ever seen – pretty impressive for a small town! We had lunch at a contemporary bistro called Utopia. It was quite an experience being in a little community away from the city of Brisbane. Though Utopia was modern, a glance outside the window with an old taxi in view reminded us we were in the historical town of Bangalow. Very surreal.

I’m happy to say both villages certainly didn’t disappoint. We had such a lovely and relaxing Friday – one of the best we’ve had in a while. I think we all need a day off once in a while to rejuvenate ourselves.