Aussie Style Bushwhacking
Barge Force One: Mystically Drifting the Outback Waters
Below is a continuation of my collection of journal entries from Barge Force One, refined for readability purposes. If you missed any earlier entries, feel free to visit my homepage and scroll my collection of previous posts. Thank you for following along, and happy reading.
We indulged in yet another feast for breakfast, in which I contributed some delicious tomato and red pesto scrambled eggs. We ate and washed the dishes, then packed a picnic to feed an army. This was our first off-day, and we were going to have ourselves a day.
Sam left to visit a friend in Sydney, leaving the crew to play as they pleased. We decided it’d be fun to embark on a land adventure and explore the nearby bush, then reward ourselves with a nice BBQ following. Sam is vegetarian and doesn’t particularly like the smell of meat cooking in his barge, so we had pounds of meat piling up in the fridges that needed to be eaten. So, we packed nearly all the meat — hamburger patties, sausage links and kangaroo. With Sam gone, we knew then would be the best time to roast some juicy meats. We also packed bread, veggies & dip and desserts. Tanya drove two groups to shore in the dinghy, where we hid our coolers of food in a secluded area and covered them with blankets as protection from the seagulls, to return to following our great bush quest.
We began at the trailhead of our typical Mount Hillary hike, though after the first hill, we veered off the beaten path and began our trek through the bush to reach a secluded beach.
Two days prior, a new couple came on board from Lithuania, named Iste and Valdemar (a.k.a. Val). They were a happy, giddy and fun couple who truly seemed like best friends — they were constantly cracking jokes, laughing and making funny noises. They fit right in with barge life. They were experienced Workawayers and travelers, and Val especially was extremely handy with any project that was introduced to him. Within the first two days, he already fixed an electrical problem, installed fairy lights and repaired a few bikes on board. He was strong, rugged and had this daredevil mentality similar to a little boy. So, he was our fearless leader on this bush hike, using his giant trekking stick to make way for us as we followed his lead.
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Every couple hundred feet, he’d bang on rocks with his stick to ward off any snakes that may’ve been nearby. With no trail in sight, we were making our own trail. The first 15ish minutes were peaceful with no treacherous obstacles, as the subtle crunch of leaves and sticks below our steps drowned out our thoughts. However, come minute 20, the hike took a drastic turn. Suddenly, we began whacking our way through bushes and trees as dirt misted our faces.
At one point, Iste was trailing behind me and stopped me. Calmly, she pointed to my ankle, bent down and said, “Oh yep. I think there’s something.” I looked down to see this black blob I initially thought was a stick or mud, but with a closer look, I could see this slug-like-looking creature having the time of its life sucking my blood. A leech. Immediately, I slapped my hand over my mouth and felt sick. Within an instant, Iste pulled this disgusting creature off my ankle. I looked away but could feel that it was quite suctioned on. From that moment on, I knew this was no San Diego beach hike. We were in the Australian bush, and my senses quickly amplified to be more alert to every noise and every branch that hung before me.
As we passed through the brush, we saw the hugest ants I’ve ever seen — they looked more like spiders, wild spiders weaving wildly intricate webs and carcasses of giant beetles left clinging onto trees. We finally found the opening to the beach below and let out shouts of joy — feeling like we were on Survivor.
We wandered on this secluded beach for about 30 minutes where we saw dead jellyfish, crabs and once again, ginormous ants. Unfortunately, the only way back was the way we came, though this time I was prepared. As we embarked on the journey back, I was constantly checking my ankles, legs, arms and hair for any bugs. Nothing this time around, just a small spider on my shoulder that I quickly flicked off. I channeled an inner Tarzan-like Karina I didn’t know I had in me as I forcefully whacked my way through the bush, not to be phased by any pitiful bug!
It was glorious to reach the paved road again. We uncovered our food from its hiding spot and headed up another hill to set up our BBQ. I took off my shoes once we reached the picnic tables, as I could feel sticks, mud and whatever else in there. Sure enough, yet another leech was squirming around on my sock; thank goodness it hadn’t reached my skin yet. I was wearing thick, Adidas socks that belonged to my beloved Grandma Seiko. Is it weird to wear my late Grandma’s socks? Regardless, these socks saved me from leech number two!
I ate kangaroo for the second time and felt like a gritty pioneer woman. A bush hike, leech attack, and now I was tearing my teeth into some wild kangaroo all in one day?? Who was this woman?!
This was Australian Karina.
