Byron Bay Swimming Pool

After a morning swim in Surfers Paradise, I jumped in the car and headed an hour south down the M1 across the Queensland border into New South Wales for a day trip to Byron Bay. I'm not sure where I first heard of this place, but it's always been somewhere I've wanted to visit.

Arrived in a very busy town centre and found a parking space right next to the pool and the beach. Byron Bay is backpacking central; it feels like a must stop beach town and the place was absolutely heaving with twenty somethings seeking adventure, most of them seemingly British. It was also Saturday, so lots of locals were making the most of their weekend and fortunate location.

The pool entrance is through a gate to the side of the Fishheads beach cafe. I queued to pay the very reasonable AU$5.49 entrance fee alongside people ordering beers and ice cream. For a moment I thought that was probably what I should be doing. Swim first, beer later.

It was very hot and the midday sun was at full strength. I took a few minutes to let some sunscreen soak in then jumped in to make a start.

The pool is, I'm guessing, unheated, sitting around the 20 degree mark. The water was the perfect contrast to the air temperature. I worked through a 20 length 1 km then switched to some slow hundreds. I had the pool pretty much to myself until a guy jumped in the next lane and strapped on fins and a snorkel. He had about a 20 m head start but as I passed him he suddenly cranked up the pace to move past me. I love ultra competitive people. Swimming with others really is the not-so-secret to getting faster, stronger and more competitive, but I do love it when people push hard then quickly flag. A couple of laps later we were back in a similar position; I made up the 20 or so metres on the first lap, then struggled to keep up once he saw me on the turn. Brilliant. I left him to it, I had Byron Bay to see.

Swim done, quick shower and change in the very basic changing room toilet (with an audience of birds!), now time for a beer and burger in backpacker central. I always try and go with a local brew; I can't remember what this one was called, but it was a nice ice cold, crisp lager. Food done, take a quick trip up the hill to the lighthouse. I should start a lighthouse blog; I love a good lighthouse museum and never miss a chance to visit one.

The drive back up the Aussie M1 brought some extra excitement as sunny blue skies gave way to murky clouds and spectacular forks of lightning up ahead. There was ten minutes of extreme downpour; I couldn't see anything but the lights of the horse box in front of me - I hope they can see the lanes. After crawling along for a few miles on the flooded highway, the hail started: occasional slams of ice the size of marbles on the windscreen and roof.

Also, bit of confusion with the time - which I only realised the next day when writing up the swim! As you cross from Queensland into New South Wales, you jump an hour ahead into daylight saving time. So my swim at 1:30 pm Queensland time was actually 2:30 pm NSW time - I think! I thought my Apple CarPlay was playing up!