Lost in the Bush...no really.

At the time it seemed like a simple and fun plan... A “no worries” overnighter at the beach complete with a bonfire and teaching the “Ozzies” how to make a delicious s’mores, right? Wrong. After piling into three cars, nine Americans and three local Australian students head off to the beach for a night of good fun and snags (sausages/hotdogs). I started to realize I had no idea what I was getting myself into about two hours into the car ride when it was getting dark and I had yet to see any signs of a beach. We pull off on the side of the freeway (literally) and there is nothing around us except for the road and the bush on both sides of us. I thought for sure we must be lost so I was just waiting in the car to find out what was going on until I realize that we’re getting out of the car apparently at our destination. We grab our bags and the groceries and start walking towards a sign that apparently at one point in time was where a trail to this mystery beach was. We all dive in ready for adventure thinking that the beach is about a fifteen minute walk on the other side of the bush.

Once again, wrong. We start walking and we quickly realize that not a single one of us is well equipped for this little journey we’re now on. It was pitch dark and there was one flashlight among us. The rest of us had to use our cell phones for some sort of light source. Flip flops were the most popular foot attire, a couple skirts, shorts, and mostly tank tops were worn. I luckily was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt so was for the most part protected during our impromptu hike. As we walked, or more accurately plowed, through the bush we definitely found no trail but plenty of spiders bigger than quarters and giant biting ants that you had to literally pull out of your skin. Pleasant visual image yet? Using the great tool of hindsight, I can see now that we probably should have realized that our plan had lots of holes in it and maybe we should make new plans for that night, but of course we didn’t. We were ready for an adventure and we definitely got one. After wandering through the bush for about two hours and after we were thoroughly creeped out, exhausted, and ripped to shreds by the trees and thorns the strategy turned into “Everyone be quiet and listen for waves!” Thankfully, the tactic eventually worked and we plowed in the direction that we heard the ocean. I’m pretty sure right before that moment I was praying “Dear God please let us find at least a clearing for the tent and don’t let a killer spider get me!!” But alas, we victoriously emerged on a beach and we all quite literally cheered then quickly collapsed after our two and a half hour hike through the Australian bush!

We quickly set up a little camp and in no time the guys had a bonfire going and we all busted out the food that survived our little evening stroll and chowed down on hamburgers, snags, chips, Tim Tams, and Pub Squash. As I said earlier, snags are just sausages that are comparable to our hot dogs back in the states and Pub Squash is similar to lemonade. Tim Tams, however, are my new Australian weakness. There are chocolate Tim Tams, vanilla Tim Tams, honeycomb Tim Tams, and most importantly caramel Tim Tams. Oh the deliciousness of caramel Tim Tams! They are a bit like a cookie sandwich. There are two wafer cookies, or as they call them, “bikkies” that are each dipped in chocolate with caramel in between them and then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate again. Words cannot describe how delicious caramel Tim Tams are. I’m pretty sure I ate almost a whole package of them by myself (but no Shayne and Dwayne I’m not going to gain thirty pounds here!)

A group of us went for a walk/jog/skip/cartwheel down the beach at about 2am and we discovered the best jellyfish ever! There were “heaps” (more Aussie lingo!) of jellyfish that washed up on shore but we didn’t realize they were there until we accidentally stepped on them and they glowed in the dark! Everyone compared them to Avatar and they were absolutely awesome looking in the dark. We were also within reach of the local light house’s beam which was really pretty. The night was beautiful and one of our Australian friends (Alex) pointed out the constellations to us, one of them being the Southern Cross, and we saw at least four shooting stars. At this point the crazy hike was already well worth it.

When we went back to our little camp some people crashed in the tent and then others of us huddled around the fire because for being in Australia I was surprised how chilly it was! I woke up right around dawn and when the sun came up I could barely remember that I had to hike two and a half hours to get here. Looking around we could see Birdie’s Island in front of us and a few freighters way out in the ocean and then the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds and it was absolutely gorgeous. I took so many pictures it was beyond stunning. We hung around the beach for a few hours some people playing rugby and just hanging out and talking and then headed out around noon. Thankfully, we found a path further down the beach because we noticed people down the beach. My favorite quote from the night might just have to be one of the guys in our group going up to a couple walking along the beach and asking, “Uh, excuse me but how did you get here?!” We were determined to not walk through the bush again!

The trip back to the cars was a lot easier and took a lot less time for which I was extremely grateful. It was quite an adventure that the scrapes and cuts all over my feet, face, and neck will attest too but the view the next morning was beyond worth it. I can now say from the safety of my bedroom that I am so glad I went because I had such a great time and definitely got to know some people a lot better after having to help each other get through the bush and snuggling for warmth around the fire. The Australians were not worried at all during the whole hike which is a tribute to their genuine “no worries” attitude that they approach life with. Was it crazy? Yes. Scary at times? Yes. Worth it? Completely.