THE other half is not what you’d call an avid hiker. It’s not that he’s adamantly averse to a stroll. Just that he has stringent criteria. He doesn’t do hills, headwinds or any hint of having to retrace his steps and he demands highlights because, heaven knows, there’s no hiking crime more heinous than humdrum.
I’ve obviously hitched my pack to the toughest of crowds but I’m quietly confident that the coastal walk between the northern NSW towns of Byron Bay and Ballina with the lure of whales and the promise of a pub will win him over.
We set off from Byron Surf Club, a stone’s throw from town centre, the path hugging the dunes behind Main Beach and the sparse tree-line sharing glimpses of glittering ocean beyond.
From Clarkes Beach the track begins the
