My time in Yamba and Northern NSW is
drawing to a close. It is with much hesitation that I leave this
famous stretch of coast. My job prospects in Yamba dried up since
tourist season (the school holidays) ended and I've had my fill of
the frustratingly fickle waves. Still, I won't forget the many fun
super fun surfs I've had at the Yamba beaches in the warm and
sometimes crystal clear water. Also I won't forget all of the awesome
people I've met in the hostel and around town.
The Yamba-life was pretty simple: I
surfed when there were waves and ate (cheap noodles and eggs), drank
(too much beer) and slept when there's not. Oh, and I played a lot of
ping pong. I'll say this: life was good when were are waves. No
wonder all the Yamba/Angourie locals ripped; surfing is all that
keeps ya sane! In some ways I could have stayed forever: working on
some melanoma and learning to rip the shit out of every ripple that
hits the shore. Alas, I think my job ending was a good opportunity to
get out of Dodge and see some more of the country (and maybe climb
some rocks!).
My last week in Yamba:
I celebrated Australia day by
surfing Angourie point and then getting drunk in the big hostel
garage with a bunch of foreigners and locals. Everyone got thrown
into an inflatable kiddie pool at least once. We played beer pong,
we danced, we sang. It was good times.
I waited out a dreary rainy flat
spell for 5 whole days. I read books, watched movies (including one
about Steve Jobs) and started learning how to program (after
watching the movie about Steve Jobs). This is when I decided I
needed to leave town.
A bit of swell hit so I stayed an
extra couple days. I saw the most amazing surfing I've ever seen by
a local at a dredging shallow sandbar at Main Beach. This guy was
taking off late, getting barreled, landing airs and ripping the
sickest turns I've ever seen all in perfect effortless style. I feel
like I say this every day, but 'Damn, there are some rippers here'.
Like my buddy Dave says: “It's like they're doing a different
sport”.
Lastly, I partied like a rockstar
on my last night at 'The Pub'. 'The Pub' is situated cliffside,
above Main Beach and has a balcony with epic views. There was an
awesome band doing covers of Sublime, the Chili Peppers, etc. I had
a blast; I didn't wake up for the dawn patrol the next morning.
As I write this, I'm on a final tour of
the Lennox/Ballina coast before I head south (with a few stops) to
the Blue Mountains. Wish me luck in scoring just a few more good
waves for the memory banks ;)
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