on tour: first stop brunswick heads

the flight was smooth apart from Sol pinching his finger in seat belt as soon as we sat down and crying for the first 15 minutes on board.

A smile and a band aid from a rare friendly JetStar flight attendant soothed his pinch and he settled in to 2 hours of sleep.

After dropping our bags and meeting the twinnie babes we headed to Brunswick Heads for supplies and lunch at Brunswick Heads Health Food Store, owned by our lovely friend and host for the week Dave Shaw.

Which was better, the kale salad or mango, chickpea, chilli, garlic and coriander salad? I ate it three days in a row and still can't decide.

The photo of the lush vegie garden is taken at Brunswick Heads Primary School - lucky kids!

There's much to love about Brunz as it is affectionately known. It is 20 kilometres north of Byron Bay and is situated on the Brunswick River. There are two playgrounds for children to explore, there's fishing to be done off the breakwall and when the swell is right there's good surf to be had.

Compared to the commercialism and tourism of Byron, Brunz is Byron's laid-back sleepy sister. This town has charm and is much quieter with less cars and people than Byron. You won't find a chain store here, instead you'll find boutiques such as Oh My Goddess and Mimi & Flo, cafes and restaurants aplenty ranging from nourishing wholefood fare at the health food shop to European style brekky and lunch spot The Conti, for good Indonesian take-away (or eat in) visit Rice, the best calamari and chips is at Starfish and for pizza the amusingly named Sticky Fingers.

Local real estate agents Swicki and LJ Hooker are the best places to source holiday accommodation.

Families with young children not ready for surf beaches head to Torakina Beach in Brunz. This protected short sandy stretch of beach is at its best at high tide. Not to alarm you, on this trip we had our first encounter on this beach with a brown snake! There is an area of scrub that borders the back of the sand and just as Sol decided to throw his t-shirt into the scrub and wander in after it a metre long brown snake decided to slide past right through the spot where Sol had been standing before a man on the beach alerted all on the sand and I swiftly moved in picked up Sol and walked through the scrub onto a grassed area adjacent to the beach. Phew! First time I've seen a snake up that close. A local mum later told me that the snakes like to sun themselves on the rock wall. Don't let any of that story deter you from this beach though it is a perfect place if you are not a fan of swimming in the surf.

Start planning, or at least dreaming of a Brunswick Heads holiday soon.