Maria finished her last post with a reference to 'people like us', a reference to a previous post about the kinds of people who typically inhabit caravan parks. It truly has been a different park experience.
We met some wonderful people, Johanna commented it was strange driving out this morning and having people come out of the tents to wave as we passed, as we had done to others who had left earlier.
T & K across from us and their 4 kids from Alexandra have had their camper trailer tent on the same site for about 5 years. Their outgoing son O, was either surfing, standing on the deck looking at the surf, or hanging out with our teenagers. Beside them, were their good friends B & R, who they meet at Byron Bay a few years back and really hit it off. B & R and their 2 young daughters are keen cyclists, and B's bongo drums could often be heard ... a soothing background soundtrack. Beside us were J & L, surfing enthusiasts from Torquay who's power we plugged into. They were always gone at the crack of dawn and we rarely saw them until evening, they surfed all day every day at the best breaks they could find. I loved their exhausted and happy banter when they were around. Beside them was an older bloke and his wife from Sydney. I stood on the deck with him a couple of days back and we talked about his regular surf spot at Manly and the wonder of the Byron Bay Pass wave machine that just pumps out the most amazing waves hour after hour.
J & L are friends with N, also from Torquay, who has also been coming to Byron Bay this time of year for ever. His son is a sponsored surfer who competes in pro events. Over the years N has got to know G & J, our friends from Coffs who invited us back to BB. The old caravan beside G & J's belongs to G and his wife from Croydon, who have been on that spot since Noah was a boy.
And then we spent most of our time with S & J and M & J and their kids. I guess, as with most good experiences, sharing it with good people makes it special beyond the event itself. Such was our return to Byron Bay 2010.