Byron Bay, as anyone will tell you, has a big thing going for it - surfshine (you know, surfing and sunshine). So I was a little disappointed to find it raining when we arrived. Still, like all good Brits I had no intention of letting this spoil two days at the seaside.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes, I can surf. Fairly well, too, even if it has left my hands in tatters. Will have to do some more further down the coast (and, of course, in Cornwall back home).

Byron Bay itself is small and uneventful, so I hired a bike to ride up to the lighthouse, which was a tough trek but gives fantastic views and the furthest point east on the Australian mainland.

Cheeky Monkeys' is quite good if you like free stuff - managed to go a whole night without paying a beer simply by winning it in half-hourly competitions (the Saudi flag is really hard to find in a bar)!