G’day mates. It’s AUSTRALIA Day!
Two years ago when I was traveling Down Under, I had the privilege of celebrating Australia’s national day with real Aussies in real Aussie fashion.
It all began with a poisonous jellyfish wrapped around my ankle.
Owwwwwwwwwww-WUH!
Let’s start from the beginning. I had just spent a wild weekend on the Gold Coast with my new gal pals (Hi Heidi! Hi Jess x 2! Hi Sarah! says the Dark Horse). They took their hangovers back to Sydney to return to their normal lives, while I took my hangover and hopped a bus to continue my travels alone.
Destination: Byron Bay.
It’s my first day in this surfer’s town and I head straight for the beach.
Bikini-clad, flip flops in hand, dark sunglasses shielding the sun, I stroll along the edge of the water on Byron’s main beach, attempting to recover from the debauchery I’d left behind on the Gold Coast.
Lah dee dah, stroll stroll stroll, it’s a beautiful summer day. Hundreds of people lounging on the sand and splashing in the water.
Enter jellyfish.
About 5 minutes into my stroll, I get the ultimate hangover cure: I’m jolted by a seeeeeeearing pain on my right ankle. I look down to see the tentacles of a BLUE BOTTLE JELLYFISH latched onto my skin.
Aaaaaaahhh! It feels like my foot has been severed, I’ve never felt such a pain in my life. A quick shriek leaps out of my throat and a mild panic starts to set in. I shimmy and shake my leg like a maniac until the blue blobbity boo lets go. I compose myself quickly and limp to the nearest lifeguard post. And ooh la la, am I glad I did!
Sexy lifeguard Saul saves the day with his rock hard abs and perfectly perfect tan. Ohhh, I suppose the ice packs and buckets of cold water help a little too. This damsel in distress would be just fine.
It takes an hour or so for the pain to subside, meanwhile I’m hanging out with some fun, hilarious Aussies. “Where ya from, mate?” “What are you doing in Byron?” “Check out this surfy over here, he just got a blue bottle to the FACE” and “Hey wanna make out?” (I kid). I hang out with Saul and his buddies all day. One of them even talks me out of my fear of getting in the water again – and ends up teaching me how to surf! Woo!
Well, sorta. I managed to stand a couple times, and that’s as good as it got. For the most part, surfing for me meant:
- Paddle paddle paddle
- Attempt to stand
- Wobble wobble wobble
- FALL into water
- And repeat
I would spend a few days in Byron with these surfer lifeguards – including Aussie Day!
What is Aussie day, you ask? It’s a national holiday, celebrated much like our 4th of July here in the States. It’s the middle of summer, the national flag waves proudly, everyone gathers for beer and BBQs…only here they keep their beer in an eski instead of a cooler and eat sangas instead of sandwiches, and they sure love their Vegemite (although that’s everyday, not just Aussie Day). And I don’t know if this represents a real Aussie tradition (though these guys claim so), but they spent the entire day wearing budgie smugglers, otherwise known as riDONKulously tiny Speedos.
There were beer bongs. There was stage diving. Body paint and fake tattoos. You know, all-around silly stuffs. We jammed out with a ukulele, went bike-riding, beach-bummed, swung around on hammocks. And naturally, there were the spontaneous and wildly enthusiastic chants of:
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!
Aussie! Oi!
Aussie! Oi!
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!
A kickass Aussie Day indeed! Evil blue bottle jellyfish was quickly forgotten, despite the beaded red welts it left around my ankle for the next week.
The “aussome” time I had on Aussie Day can only be partially credited, however, to these peeps and the shenanigans we got into. It had a lot to do with Byron Bay, the town, itself. It’s such a friendly laid back place, and the beaches are stunning.
When I wasn’t hanging out with the ruckus of a bunch shown above, I was hanging out with Sue and Paul, my adopted Byron Bay parents. (Ok, Sue is actually the mother of Heidi, one of my fave aforementioned Aussie gals, and she and her partner Paul were kind enough to open up their home to this little backpacker.)
I also discovered a few other beaches – Belongil Beach where I spent Aussie Day, and Tallows Beach where I learned to surf in jellyfish-free waters. My favorite was the secluded Wategos Beach:
Best thing I did in Byron? Woke up at the buttcrack of dawn and hiked out to catch the sunrise at Cape Byron Lighthouse:
This walk takes you to the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Hello world! I could almost see South America in the distance. Ok, not. But it still took my breath away!
I have no doubt that my Aussie Day would’ve been aussome had I celebrated it anywhere in this country.
- Australia is one of my favorite countries in the world.
- The Aussie accent is my absolute favoritist accent in the world.
- And of the 25+ countries I’ve been to in my life, I find Oz to be home to some of the warmest, friendliest people in the world.
Bold statements, I know. But all TRUE. I LOVE Australia. Being in Byron Bay, however, made my Aussie Day extra aussome – getting stung by a blue bottle, learning to surf, eating Vegemite, hangin’ out with budgie smugglers. It doesn’t get much more Aussie than that!
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY EVERYONE!
Awww aussie aussie aussie! Oi oi oi! I’m living vicarious through you adventures, stories, and fun Thy! Even if it’s in the past, present or future! I hope life is treating you very well! <3
Hi, pretty lady! Always lovely to hear from you. So great to share Aussie stories with you back in the good old WB days 😉 Hope you’re doing great!