From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

We have left our comfortable Gold Coast apartment to travel south to one of the greatest addresses on the planet: Byron Bay. It would be difficult to convey just how wonderful this place is, but perhaps if I just say that you can enjoy this community just as much by being a landlubber as being a surfer. This is what some people would call a "hippie" town, with a countercultural vibe in the air you can almost taste. There is also something more going on here.

One of the saddest sights I gazed on in Broadbeach was an abandoned bookstore in a shopping mall full of Vodaphone vendors and McDonalds franchises. It was a metaphor for the depressing conference I attended there; a gathering of professionals hell bent on destroying the very objects they were trained to care for. This place is quite the contrast. Just walking around Byron Bay today I saw three bookstores that were doing a decent trade, and this weekend is their annual writer's festival. In this "hippie" community reading and books are honored as they should be, and among the speakers scheduled over the three day writer's festival none other than Thomas Keneally, the author of Schindler's List and many other works.

I had the opportunity of seeing him at the Mosman Library a few years back and I look forward to seeing him again. What a delight to have the opportunity to meet authors, publishers, and readers all celebrating print! Isn't that what a "library conference" is supposed to be?

Our headquarters here is a caravan park that offers cabins and campsites. We have availed ourselves of the former, a one room bungalow with a kitchenette, bathroom, television, and even a cute little front porch with chairs. We explored the town this afternoon before returning to the cabin with groceries, and we cooked our dinner ourselves. This is the life!