Oct 26 Bangalow Market, More Surfing Clarks

The Sunday Market is a moveable feast around the Byron Shire, and this day it is in the historic village of Bangalow - an utterly charming little spot nestled into a hillside just inland. The market overwhelms the grounds with farm goods, take-away lunch yummies, locally designed & produced clothing, imported fashion - mostly Thai, musicians & entertainers, a range instruments for purchase, linens, incense, organic soaps & lotions, artwork of all sorts, toys.....

We meet Jessie - a one-man band playing the didgeridoo, ankelet bells & shakers and a hangdrum. The drum has lovely steeldrum tones with tremendous range, and we’re told there is only one company that is making them. The company is located in Bern, Switzerland, and, due to demand, will only sell to musicians and are booked into 2009 and not accepting more orders. The reason for the popularity is audible immediately. We buy a cd to share.

Next, we have the pleasure of meeting Tim, in Didgeridoo Sales. He takes all the time in the world to carefully coach didgeri techniques as we experiment with several different types of the instrument. The finest, from which Bailey is able to wrangle sound, is a bloodwood piece with ruddy browns, blacks, deep reds and a natural knot of wood forming a trumpet-like end. All are topped with natural beeswax on the blowing end, then the flared side is set into a wooden dish or tray to reflect sound and prevent the pipe from sliding about and/or digging into the ground. Tim does beautiful finish work on the hardwood pieces, but he points out they are carefully selected from trees from the North that have already been largely hollowed out by termites. I ask Tim if he had a shop or studio space elsewhere to visit, but he says he’s keeping sales restricted to markets as he’s really focused his time on his real pet project - building a psychedelic time machine.

After a lazy market morning and lunch, we stop at stunning Coolamon Overlook to take in the vistas of what truly seems a panorama of a fairytale shire of rolling hills out to the sea. Quite likely, there are hobbits running unseen and barefoot just behind the next tree, or cozied into a hillock cottage for tea. It is such the perfect combination of good air & beauty, that there is a rustworn metal sign with hanglider landing instructions permanently mounted to a fence gate. We then head to Clark’s Beach for a bit more surfing. Maddie meets her goal of “Today, I’m determined to stand up!”