East Ballina

The night’s rain dripped methodically off the garden’s foliage as we breakfasted on a creamy porridge with strawberries, bananas and oven roasted nuts. Tie-dye sheets hung from a sheltered washing line whilst a colony of ants marched up a drainpipe. Out of sight wildlife nattered and chirped, making the sounds of laser beams and rattles.

We decided to immerse ourselves into this hipster surfer’s paradise by taking a morning class of yoga. Drawing back the heavy fabric door, we ducked into a marque tent of Hindu imagery, calming music and scented candles. We sat in a semi-circle of mats as our calm instructor, Jane, took us through a class of restorative moves. Kim had tried yoga before but never with Alex, for whom this was a first. Whilst it took time for our brains to truly relax by the final ‘svastha’ we were completely ‘chilled out’.

Feeling like new age hipsters and beaming with energy we took a quick lunch before heading off for an afternoon surf lesson. Our instructor, James, was every bit the stereotype we had in our minds of an Australian surfer ‘dude’. Tanned skin, crow’s feet around his eyes and a beard peppered with greys whilst his sun bleached hair was tied back. Radiating cool with his accent and persona, he looked like he might have been born on a wave. After donning our wetsuits and receiving beach side instruction we took our boards out onto the waves.

Treading the water, we watched and waited with giddy anticipation as the waves rolled in. Jumping up onto our boards we paddled hard as the rush of white water clipped the back accelerating us forward. This was our signal to get up into a standing position and surf our way out. However describing it and rehearsing it on the beach is one thing, doing it and staying upright on the board was another. As the staff said, ‘practice practice practice’ and once we started we couldn’t get enough. Our wetsuits and adrenaline kept us warm as we nosedived and tumbled into the water again and again. Salt water filled our mouths and blurred our vision but each time we strode back out into the waves, eager to improve our technique.

When the moment came that we succeeded, it was exhilarating, so much so that all the technique left us and we fell back into the water whopping with laughter. As our session came to an end James announced ‘one more wave’ but neither of us wanted to leave and we sneaked in as many waves as we could before it was finally time to go.

Alas there are no photographs of us surfing to share as we were unable to take our own and the company running the surf lesson wanted alot of money for just the few pictures of us. Those that they showed us were more funny than cool but we had a brilliant time!Read more