Today, I shall start the Routeburn Track; 32 beautiful kilometres through the mountain pass between the Aspiring and Fjordland National Parks. I do not yet know how I'm getting there. I'm sure it will work out. As it turns out, a lovely Canadian girl called Sarah from my hostel is doing the...
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Today, I am taking it easy. Just eating some noodles and looking out over the lake at the mountains...and wondering why I would ever leave this place....
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OH MA GAWD! SIM BOWA MUST BE 50...60....70...134 METRES HIGH! HE CAN'T BE THINKING OF... DOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!! [gallery type="rectangular" ids="3197,3196,3194,3200,3199,3198,3201"] There are only 2 bungy jumps in the world higher than this one. It...was...AMAZING!...
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Today the bathroom was busy, so I brushed my teeth in the shower. It was exhilarating. Oh, I also jumped out of a plane 15,000 feet above the earth, with only some billowing device to prevent my body from being obliterated upon impact. Oh and another man to activate aforementioned billowing devi...
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Here I am in the Adventure Capital of the World. All around me, people are performing brave and mighty deeds as if they were everyday activities! Here a man leaps from a bridge, there a woman hurls herself from a plane - on the other side of the city, groups of people hurtle along a river in a spe...
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When I was forged upon the great anvil in the sky, the prophets of men foretold that I would be the last. Like all prophets, however, their conviction was a weak as their grip. Before the Great Smith could even finish his work, the Nine Champions of Men were sent to bash Him in the face and send ...
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I wake to a hum of pain about my body. There was nothing enormous to lift in the park last night, so instead I performed a series of exercise and feats beneath the full moon. When exhaustion claimed me, I fell to my knees and reconsidered my vows of adventure. Then I drank some free beer ...
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The Jailhouse hostel could not be any more different from the Arts Factory if it had been specifically designed as a crash-out room for tripping hippies. As it happens, it pretty much was! This is a historical jail, where they would hold convicted criminals prior to sentencing. I have stayed in...
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The days have become ablur. Not a blur, mind you, for they are a series of distinctly separate blurs, including the blur of being kicked out of Cheeky Monkeys nightclub, the blur of repeatedly falling off a surfboard, and the one long blur of my daytrip (trip being the operative part of that word) t...
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I rise at 06:00 and take to the streets. I am not a man for early starts, but I must discover if Byron is a town for me before it is time for me to check out and stumble the streets in the burning Australian heat. During the day, Aquarius hostel is disarmingly quiet. Perhaps it is not so mu...
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I arrive in Byron in the middle of the night. My hostel, Aquarius, is a maelstrom of humanity – some of which is...sticky?! Apparently tonight is “Girls Wrestling In Jelly For Cash Prizes...Night”. I'm pretty broke...and I have long hair... Perhaps if I had a shave... The fatigue of the...
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Contrary to its nature, hunger fuels me. It has been around 30 hours since I last ate and it feels good. It makes me more...alert. Perhaps it is my carnivorous nature, but after feeding I feel slow. Actually, that is probably because I feast until I am bloated... Thus, the Guild. Eyes keen and...
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So this is Brisbane, my transfer to Byron Bay. The second I land, I realise I have made a mistake by sacrificing all my plans in Queensland to save a few bucks and a week of my time. In reality there is no need to rush, but always I feel the pressure. It grates on my soul. Immediately, I miss th...
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My alarm goes off to the sound of rain hammering on the window. Good. This justifies my decision to leave the Cairns region and seek adventure elsewhere. The rain has ruined too many plans already. As my mind clears and my eyes open, I realise something. This is not the sound of rain...this i...
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Nestled between Cairns and Mareeba in Queensland, there is a coffee plantation with a story so inspiring that it almost goes full circle and becomes demotivating. Almost. We have come here for coffee, but we end up with coffee, ice coffee, ice cream coffee, chocolate cheesecake, Tiramasu, chocol...
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On the way to the coffee planation, we stop by Barron Falls to see it in full flow. After being rained on for my entire visit to the rainforest, I am fairly certain the falls will be raging like Thor in the hall of Thyrim! They probably won't be dressed in a bridal gown, however. That would be a ...
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Today is the weekend and, here in Queensland, that means the pace of life slows down even more than usual. It is almost stationary...and blissful. I sleep in and we head out for a late breakfast at the Edge cafe. It is amougnst the most expensive breakfasts I have even eaten, but also amoungst th...
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Today, I have been told that the Cairns Trinity Beach Bulldogs have put me on their team for tonight's match against Cairns City Lions. I suspect they are simply one man short of a full team. (If that sounds like a euphemism for being crazy, I stick by it entirely). Still, the Guild knows no fear...
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Luckily for me, tonight's Aussie Rules training is mainly just drills. The guys have a match tomorrow, so they don't want to get too bashed up in the pre-match training session. Also luckily for me, everybody here is friendly and inviting; they include me immediately and don't even mock my u...
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This evening, I am off to Cairns to train with the Cairns Trinity Beach Bulldogs Aussie Rules Football team. There are three contributing factors to this surprising turn of events: Firstly, I always agree to trying new sports and games. I don't want to stop doing so, just because the fund-rai...
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