we went here for the day in a social day bus trip tour and it was very nice . so much to see all…read morethe crystal locations and you can buy crystals of rose quartz or amethyst and it was very nice bus trip with the group. I miss the donald simpsons bus trip group.

I have been to the crystal castle many a time. It is a lovely place and has so many fun activities…read moreand also serves food at the cutest little cafe in the centre of there land the food is overpriced but it tastes pretty good. They have many nature walks some with crystals beside you, don't forget about the labyrinth were they do meditation sessions sometimes there are also huge crystals which you can take pictures with such as the beautiful Dragon Egg. I personally love to go there when it's lightly raining they have big rainbow umbrellas that you can borrow at the front desk we're you sign in also at the front desk are pamphlets I definitely recommend picking one up they have a map and tell you about all there statues. There are four shops at the crystal the first being the cafe which I have already covered they also have two shops with just crystals they have a little crystal station were you can as many crystals as you like with each having a little card saying the name and spiritual properties of the crystal. Accompanied with a little book store that also sells tarrot card sets. Overall it is an amazing experience and my only complaint would be the prices at the shops.

Now this place was cool. Actually, this place goes beyond cool to literally bordering on awesome…read more Basically it is a second-hand shop, but it specialises in books, music, and DVDs. Well, it was the music that seemed to dominate. However, this place goes beyond music to even serving coffee, which I thought was pretty cool as well. In fact this is the type of place you would expect to find in the inner city of Sydney or Melbourne, except it is out here in Ballina. It really does give the place a bit of a vibe.

The thing with Australia is that pretty much 90% of our museums are all run by volunteers, and…read moregenerally supported by donations, and this one is no exception. The thing is that unlike a lot of other regional museums, this one is quite large, and pretty focused as well. Then again Ballina is a harbour, so having a nautical museum probably makes sense. Yeah, it is a little chaotic, but they do have a decent range of items on display, and a number of model battleships that have clearly been put together by a labour of love.

Mixed-media artist Jane Davenport is based out of her Australian studio where she specializes in…read moredrawing / acrylic-painting paper doll faces and images which she sells in the medium of signature paints, clear/rubber stamps, metal cutting dies, and stencils. When Creativation trade show rolled into downtown Phoenix Convention Center in 2019, I met up with Jane when she took a brief time off and made a pit stop at a new Michaels store (7th St / Bell) in north Phoenix to showcase her art projects and sign autographs (my Michaels review about it: https://www.yelp.com/biz/michaels-phoenix-7?hrid=ZIAAxOnnQHJZ_aeExbHzXg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)). I purchased her items mainly online and at Michaels. Her latest paper doll Dress-Ups mylar stencils set is only available on her website, so I took a risk and purchased it since it ships from Australia. The transaction was easy-peasy and arrived within a couple of weeks. She honored my request by shipping inside a box, used extra packing, and enclosed a (signed) receipt ;) I love the stencils that you can use with her Tin of Friends rubber stamps set (comes stored inside a tin). I also appreciate that she stays an independent business and not merging with others, having guest designers, or outsourcing like many craft businesses do. This tells me she's devoted to the trade. Thank-you and please stay humble, Jane :)

I love these independent bookshops, they simply have a charm about them that I really love. In fact…read moreI came back again to have a closer look to see if there were any books that I would really have liked. Basically it is a new book shop, so the prices can be a little steep, however the owner was pretty cool, and they did have some decent books available as well. I even found a couple that I wanted. This place was pretty awesome, but then again it is a bookshop.

I'm not sure if the term souvenier shop really does this place justice. Sure, they sell souveniers,…read morebut half of the reason is because Nimbin tends to attract a certainly type of tourist, normally of the backpacker type. Mind you, this place is pretty cool, and they certainly have a great range of clothing available. In fact it is a style of clothing that can be rather difficult to find at any place that doesn't happen to by Nimbin. Anyway, this place is pretty cool.

Stop the bait and switch!…read more We stopped in and saw a beautiful eggplant salad in the case. It was presented on a dinner plate with grated cheese and priced at $14. We asked for it, paid, and when presented at the counter, we were given a small bowl that was maybe half the portion, and no cheese garnish at all. It just looked messy. When I asked about the salad in the case, presented with all the other foods they were taking directly from the case, we were told that it was for display only. That's deceptive and unethical! The staff said nothing and walked away. I spoke with the manager and explained the experience. She did apologize and offered to give us something additional. I politely declined, as I wasn't looking to get free stuff, merely point out it's unethical and they should either change the display or offer what's advertised. She could have simply offered a larger portion but did not. We returned just to take a peek a week or so later, there was no change. This shows me that they could give a rat's hinie about taking advantage of folx with deceptive marketing. Shane on these leop

Lucky to go there just before Covid19 shut down, a fantastic concept, a farm with pigs and bee…read morehives amongst other animals. A cafe and an eatery with a florist on-site as well. Horse riding and just an amazing setting just out of Byron Bay. Overall a great experience and I know I'll be back.

With a name like 'Book Warehouse' you can probably guess that this is a place that sells books, and…read moreis rather no-frills as well. Honestly, don't expect all that much from this place, just your typical books that you tend to find at the smaller shops scattered about the place (and in a way still exist as well). Okay, I did actually manage to find a couple of things of interest here, so it wasn't that bad, just don't expect to find any gems.