A wombat Courtesy of Burton

We then drove inland to stay on a sheep farm for a couple of days. The name of the farm was Glenisla and it was located outside of Hamilton. The farmer, Rob, had 10,000 acres and over 2,000 sheep. This was some of the nicest country you will see. In the States, this land would have been turned into a bunch of golf courses and condos a long time ago. We didn't get to shear any sheep, but Timmy got to ride one. Rob had four of the sweetest sheep dogs. We miss our dogs big time, so to hang out with these four who loved our attention was pretty cool. We all got fairly good at throwing a boomerang, (aboriginal hunting tool) which is kind of like throwing a frisbee to yourself, except that it comes back at you with a bit more gusto. We spent lots of time cruising around his farm, checking out different stuff. Around here kangaroos and wallabies (smaller and darker) were everywhere. On this one farm road it was difficult to drive as they would be running across the road right in front us every half mile.

From Glenisla we drove back to Melbourne to catch a flight north to Brisbane and then we drove south to Byron Bay. Byron Bay is 'The Hamptons' of Australia. Name an Australian celebrity (i.e Paul Hogan/Crocodile Dundee) and he has a house there, and for good reason. The water is warm, the surf is great, there are plenty of skate parks and the town is cool. We rented a house right on the beach in Wategos, just south of Byron. Laurent, Mike, Schriber and Brian from Burton/Gravis came over from the States for a few days and we surfed in the mornings, then talked business and then surfed some more. While we were there, a good-sized swell came into town. Some of these guys had not surfed much and it was impressive to watch them charge some sizeable waves. They even managed to break one of the rental boards on the biggest day.

"Riding a point break like that in double overhead surf is like snowboarding down a big gully on a powder day."

One day I went out with a local, Fletch, and surfed Lennox Head. This is a world-class right point break south of town. It is normally super crowded when there is a decent swell. To avoid the crowd we hit it at 5:00 am just as it was getting light out. Although it's a point break, paddling out at Lennox is a challenge. You have to walk down these rocks as close to the water as you can and wait for the last wave of a set to come in. Once it comes in, you jump over the back of it and paddle like hell so the next wave doesn't push you back in onto the rocks. Fletch warned me that he has seen some of Australia's best surfers getting dragged over the rocks there. Getting out successfully is part timing, part hustle, and mostly good luck. I made my move a bit early (after the second wave in a set) as I was off balance after the wave hit me when standing on the rocks. Nonetheless, I got out safely since I paddled like I had a great white shark on my ass until I was out of the danger zone. It was one of those moments when panic serves you well.

I only had about five waves while we were out but they were all insane. Riding a point break like that in double overhead surf is like snowboarding down a big gully on a powder day. Everything just slows down to the point where you can really think about what you're doing. I found myself actually improving from when I caught the wave until I pulled out. After a wave, the paddle back out was a good 15 minutes, but during the whole paddle you are watching surfers having the time of their lives surfing waves in. When it was time to head in, Fletch informed me that getting out of the water at Lennox is every bit as tricky as getting in. It's the same drill in reverse. The sight of me scampering up those rocks had to be amusing.

On our last day in Byron George, Taylor and I had a sunset soul session at the local long board spot. The boys had breakthrough days as the surf was perfect and no one was out. We surfed till dark and headed back to the house totally stoked.

Leaving Byron Bay wasn't easy, but it was time to head up north to check out the Great Barrier Reef. We flew into Cairns and drove up to Port Douglas to head out on a boat for two nights. In our three days on the reef, we snorkeled and scuba dived four to five times a day and saw damn near every fish imaginable. The highlight of the trip was feeding a cod while being surrounded by a bunch of nasty red bass. You could actually pat the cod. On our way down to the cod hole, Victoria spotted a white tipped reef shark and started heading towards him. He didn't seem too happy to see us at all, so our guide advised us to take an alternate route. There is something about swimming by a shark with a box full of Cod bait that just doesn't feel right.

From there we spent a day on the beach in Cairns. This is a great spot, but box jellyfish season was about to start. Since a box jellyfish sting will ruin your week if you're lucky or kill you if you're not, we mainly stuck to land. We then flew down to Sydney for our last couple of days in Australia. Sydney has a reputation for being a super nice city, and it is well deserved. There is a lot going on in a city kind of way, but at the same time the natural beauty is always around. On our last day George, Taylor and I had a great day with Wes and Scott Needham. We went to Manly (15 minute drive) and caught some fun waves. After a killer lunch, the boys bought a didgeridoo and we checked out an Aboriginal dude who was incredible at playing it. We took a ferry back into the city and were escorted by porpoises into the harbor. In places, the harbor is 500 feet deep and has to be the nicest entrance to any city in the world. Rumor has it that back in the day, when the British brought the convicts down to drop them off, the Brits were tripping because it should have been the other way around.

Sydney was the perfect spot to end our Aussie odyssey. There was something for everyone to do there. We had a mellow dinner that night and packed up for China, knowing full well that our trip was about to take on a new direction. Like New Zealand, Australia is place we will all come back to.

— Jake Burton, Burton Snowboards