Australia Story (p6) - Buchans Point: The Wrong Side

For my last day in Cairns, I had something special planned. I took the Cairns bus as far north as I could get (Palm Cove), then walked to Buchans Point. The websites claim that it is "by far the most popular unofficial clothes optional beach in the area." So, this is my first trip to a large nude beach!

It was certainly more popular than the other beaches. The beach is in a large L shape after the symbolic rock. (See the website above for a pic with the rock and the L shape.) I was looking for a spot that was free of tree ants, shady, and somewhat away from other people, and finally found one towards the far end of the beach. I counted about 35 men and 3 women on the way. I dug out the towel from my backpack, stripped, and enjoyed the ocean breeze.

I noticed several guys walk past and eye me up -- but I figured it was only fair because I was looking at people on my way too, just not quite as long. (This happened occasionally through the whole evening.) One dirty-looking guy in shorts and a tshirt stopped, and asked "are you gay?" "Sorry, but no" I replied. I thought the conversation was over, but he continued on: "Neither am I -- I have a wife and kids at home, but I still f--k around with men anyway. By the way, you have a great bod!" ...and he continued his way down the beach.

Great -- it seems that I'm 'hot stuff' on this beach.

I call this the 'hot girl at the party' syndrome. In any group of people, the most attractive women get hit on and full attention from every man in the place, especially the creepy ones. I know from a past relationship that the non-outgoing women have a serious problem with this, because they are deeply disturbed by every creepy guy that approaches them. Normally, this syndrome is limited to only the attractive women -- but being surrounded by older gay men, I was the hot woman at this party! This is not good, and it put me in defensive mode.

I should point out that I am very strong-minded, and I almost always know what's going on around me. I've studied psychology, sociology, and have an interest in body language. I can read in to people's minds somewhat and can usually predict their intent. I can also detect a lie or a half-truth -- a handy skill to have! This gives me some confidence when dealing with people, and I'm good at making decisions on what I should and shouldn't say to direct the conversation. Being a 'hot bod' around a bunch of gay people didn't scare me, but it certainly made me alert. It was a new and unique situation to be in, and I needed to conquer it instead of run away. C'mon, this was a beautiful beach and a perfect day to be naked on it -- I was planning to stay until the sun went down!

Before too long, a trim early 30's guy stopped to chat with me. He seemed very nice -- like he actually wanted to chat instead of just pick me up. We talked for quite a while, mostly because our jobs were similar but at opposite ends. As I said in my first post, I do engineering work in critical systems. He has an interesting job that uses these same systems. Other than job talk, I asked him questions about the area and the beach, and he asked me questions to get to know me a bit better. (I knew better than to answer anything too specific, so I didn't.)

We talked for too long. The shady spot that I was in had turned to sun, and I didn't apply any sunblock. Honestly, I hate the feeling of sunblock; I much prefer simple shade. He walked to the back of the beach to pee, and I took the opportunity to dig out my Aussie hat from the backpack. It's like having SPF 50 for my head, neck, and shoulders, so I figured it's ideal for being in the sun. I was sitting up and changing position enough to give parts a break from the sun. When he got back, he said "oh...that's nice!" I guess the hat also doubled my attractiveness. Oh well, I'm not taking it off.

Soon enough, he was offering me a ride back to Cairns. No thanks, I don't mind the walk! It was obvious that he was trying to pick me up now. "What's the difference between a gay person and a straight person?" "A couple of beers." I passively fought off his advances, so that he knew he didn't have a chance. I was very appreciative of all the info he gave me, and it was a nice chat, but he decided to go further down the beach and let me be.

During the conversation, he informed me that the straight side of the beach was towards the symbolic rock. I lost my shade anyway, and was starting to turn red on my legs. (Little did I know, my legs got a pretty bad burn. On my way back to Palm Beach later that evening, I noticed the sign pictured above. 6 minute burn time? I was well past that...)

After a few minutes of collecting my stuff, I put on my backpack and hiked to a spot on the straight side of the beach. (I could feel eyes watching me during this journey.) I found a nice shady spot that didn't appear to have any tree ants. Two of the three women on the beach were in the section to the left of me, and the third was in the section to the right of me, so I figured I was safe here.

I figured wrong....

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Australia Story (p5) - A New Me

I arrived at Kuranda, a village in the rainforest, with the idea to live there for three nights. Come to find out, it's a tourist place like Fitzroy Island. Everything is only open during tourist hours, from 10am to 4pm, and then it almost becomes a ghost town. I stayed at the only hostel, which was once a beautiful 1908 wedding gift, but is now pretty trashed with stripped bare walls.

The spiders and geckos are more abundant than the backpackers since the windows are open 24/7. The mozzies attack all night while I'm trying to sleep, and sometimes even during the day when I least expect it. The shared restroom is a separate pole shed with some plywood separating things and a few patches of green ants. (The ones that bite hard.) The shared kitchen is dangerously industrial sized, and the items we could cook with were questionable at best.

The first night, I was convinced that I had made a mistake. I had seen everything that Kuranda had to offer already, and was stuck here for another two days. Little did I know, this place would change me forever.

The next day changed my attitude into absolutely loving this place. I made friends with the locals, and they told me where the secret path was to get to the bottom of Barron Falls. (Which, by the way, is only baron during the dry season (now).) They told me "Yeah, you got to see the falls, but now you can experience the falls." When put into this context, being a regular tourist really sucks! That single statement has turned me off to being a tourist, and on to being a temporary local instead. I can "see" places via pictures on the internet, so why bother spending the money to simply "see" it in real life? Here's how to experience it:

A British backpacker tagged along on my hike, and we found the secret path. Taking this path was quite illegal, so we were told to be very discrete about it. It was a skinny, squiggly, rocky path to the bottom of the falls that took at least 30 minutes to traverse. We were well out of sight of the tourists (or anybody), and there were large pools all around us. She said she wouldn't join me, but I could skinny-dip if I wanted to. However, we were interrupted.

Down the trail were two German girls from the hostel, and the hostel owner. He said "we're not at the bottom yet..." He was right, the falls were like steps and we were on one of the top ones. I didn't even see a trail to go down further, but that's probably because their wasn't one.

The "trail" was all rock. At times, we were moving horizontally along a nearly vertical surface, with certain doom below. Of course, there was a moment of jumping over to another rock, also above certain doom. This was certainly a dangerous trail -- one that I normally wouldn't risk -- but we all did it anyway! Those Australians are fearless, and it's a trait that was rubbing off onto me.

At the bottom was a giant swimming area. (Click the panoramic above for detail -- notice the people, they were diving from there!) The owner was skinny dipping for a bit, mostly to get a reaction from the girls. He would slip off his budgie smugglers and twirl them in the air while he was floating around, like some sort of stripper. The Germans had their bathing suits, and the Brit uncomfortably swam in a bra after some persuasion. I swam in my undies for a while, only to be respectful to the apparently prudish women. I got out of the water when the freshwater crabs were pinching my feet, and took the photos for the panoramic above. It was impossible to capture the beauty and size of the area through a camera lens! This was a place that less than 100 people per year get to see -- and none of them are regular tourists.

The lesson for this story isn't about nudity, it's about life. Break loose of pre-packaged deals, and go hang out with the locals. Do something crazy every once in a while, simply because it gives you a unique perspective on things. Lastly, if it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger! (My favorite new philosophy.) I returned from Kuranda with a new sort of toughness, a new respect for backpackers, and a new outlook on life. I believe it was this trip that gave me the bravery, confidence, and sense of adventure that I needed for the rest of my story...

* Sorry to all those who have been bored so far, but I needed to put some perspective on the real meat of the story -- which starts next! The next 4 parts are a wild ride through some active, and disturbing, nude beaches.

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Australia Story (p4) - Cairns

My week-long spring break trip was spent in the Cairns area, which is almost as far as you can get along the northwest coast of Australia. Since I was money-starved, I took the train which was a 7 hour ride from Townsville. Cheaper, yes, but it killed two days of my week. It was at least enjoyable to watch the scenery change from the dry Townsville area to true green rainforest. If I had the money (and time), I would've gone further up into Daintree and live in the middle of the rainforest for a while.

Cairns is far different from Townsville! It's a very unique place, and is highly recommended if you plan a trip to Austraila. However, it's very much tourist-oriented. I hate package deals, and found it a challenge to do the things I wanted to do. Getting information is tough, because all they have is package deals and are looking for commissions. This was clear when booking for Fitzroy Island.

First though, a little more about Cairns. The downtown area is at the coastline and offers a lot of hostels and night-life, which is why a lot of backpackers head to Cairns to party. It seems that about half of the restaurants are Chinese, and there are plenty of Chinese people in the area. The place is liberal, and a store to prove that is "Condom Kingdom" right downtown. There is also a large night market with all sorts of stores inside that are open almost all night. For some reason, there are a lot of massage places inside with Chinese women in skimpy clothing trying to bring in business. No thanks, it's not my thing.

The coastline has a futuristic look to it, despite the fact that there is no ocean beach. What exists between the ocean and the land? Mud. It's all mud flats that are home to some unique species of birds, so the town doesn't want to turn it into a beach. Instead, they built a gigantic swimming pool.

Even though it's not legal, there are women who go topless at the pool and along the other Cairns area beaches. No nudity though, but I already had a place picked out where nudity was essentially legal. The only problem was getting there...

I stopped at one of the information places just before closing time, and asked what information they had about Fitzroy Island. They gave me info on package deals for snorkeling, and told me that I don't want to go there. This was not long after the hotels and other stuff on the island were destroyed by a tropical storm, so they were diverting tourists to other islands. They also told me that if I wanted to go, I had to book now before they closed, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get a ticket. BS, I thought -- I said that I didn't believe them, and that I don't want a booking and left.


The next morning, I went to the ferry terminal and got my ticket -- no problem! I traveled over with about 20 other people who were on the snorkeling package deal. I hiked the trails and observed the wildlife. (Note that the island is dominated by lizards, which is really neat to see!) My last stop was Nudey Beach, a beach declared as a nude beach by the private owner of the island (and therefore making it legal). It was a disappointment -- nobody was nude or even top-free. I wondered to the quiet end of the beach, but didn't want to brave some nude sunbathing due to families with kids around. I was a bit frustrated -- the only legal nude beach in Queensland wasn't even being used -- so I went back to the main area.

I talked with one of the employees for a while. She told me that after the last ferry leaves (5pm), nobody is allowed on the island except her, about 8 other employees, and the owners. They have all kinds of fun during the off-hours, because they have the entire island to themselves! To me, it sounded like a dream backpacker job -- I'd be enjoying Nudey Beach before the last ferry even got to Cairns. She was willing to talk to the owner about my employment, but I said that I couldn't -- I had this thing called "school" to get back to. Bummer! Since then, the resort has opened some luxury hotels, so this dream job has been spoiled.

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Armchair Commentary

The story of Elizabeth Book is a long one that started 10 years ago, when she decided to flash her breasts at a bar:

It wasn't until I got a copy of the arrest affidavit and realized I was being charged with exposure of sexual organs that I literally became outraged. It's the same state statute they levy against sex offenders, pedophiles and the men being arrested in the bathhouses.
Because of that charge, I lost hugely. I was denied the right to be a part of my daughter's academic life.

Since then, she's become one of the most active top-free supporters in the US.

"I will not be a quiet voice in this revolution. Sitting down and quietly protesting has been shown to be totally ineffective. My personal belief is that the louder the voice, the greater chance we have of being heard."

She mentions why she believes that this is the only method that works:

My friends with the "Top-Free 10" [10 women who filed a federal lawsuit] spent 10 years quietly picketing outside of courthouses and making public statements to decriminalize breasts. But nothing in that time occurred.

Top-freedom is a battle which we can easily win, because it's an equal-rights issue. Several places in the US already defend top-freedom, even though it's rarely practiced. Legally, a woman should have the same right to go topless as a man, despite what the media shows and what some people think.

They've spit in my face. I had one man scream in my face they should put me in prison and throw away the key. Once, someone put sugar in the engine of my car.

So why are we not a top-free society? What are we lacking that would make a huge difference in getting our rights? The answer is obvious when we look at TERA's news archives:

Elizabeth Book ... is planning a major protest against laws banning women's exposed breasts. Tentative date: March 7, 2004. Place: Daytona Beach, Florida. Wanted: lots of women.

Although TERA is not involved in this, it will try to keep readers informed.

On March 7, 2004, Book was the only topfree protester, demonstrating in part against the inequality of women's and men's breasts, also against Daytona Beach's anti-nudity ordinance.

2005 March 14. Liz book's topfree protest yesterday in Daytona Beach had some success. She was not arrested. But five other women were, because they were topfree outside Liz's "tent." ... Those convicted are the well-known activists Kayla Sosnow, Norma Mitchell, and Shirley Mason. The two let go are almost unknown.

"Thank you for your support and interest in this cause. I know that we are legion in number. We just have to gather our troops and make our voices heard loudly enough for Washington to hear them."

Congratulations to the most prominent topfree activist in the USA! [Although TERA still doesn't officially support her, and she's not even mentioned in wikipedia (especially here).]

2007 August 21. Another victory for Liz Book! ... Liz Book and Linda Meyer ... are the most valiant and successful topfree activists in North America, and probably the world! [I was unable to find a news story detailing how many people were in the protest, which probably means not many.]

To recap, Elizabeth Book has been protesting for years with hardly any support. (Similarly, Steven Gough has been protesting for years and has also had practically no support of any kind.) Therefore, I believe that we are severely lacking proactive support!

• TERA should be supporting Elizabeth Books, and encouraging people to attend.
• US nudist/topfree organizations should be supporting Elizabeth Books, and encouraging people to attend.
• Local nudist places (plenty in Florida) should each organize for a group to attend.
  
• Anyone in support of top-freedom SHOULD BE THERE.
  

We are good at reactive support, such as saving a beach from going textile and hanging on to what we currently have. However, there seems to be almost no proactive support.

• We need to take Book's International Top-Free Stand seriously, and ATTEND.
  
• We need to have a booth at Comfest in Columbus to support and raise awareness of top-freedom.
  
• We need to attend, participate in, or have booths at top-free events such as Comfest, the Oregon Country Fair, Burning Man, Fantasy Fest, etc.
  
• We need to friendly up to the lawmakers in Brattleboro, and figure out a nudity-positive legal framework for the town.
  
• AANR or a similar organizations need to comment to the media a lot more -- to correct bad images projected by the media and to put activists such as Gough in their place. Something like "Steven Gough is a bit out-there, but he raises important issues about body acceptance... [insert nudist propoganda here]" The media loves stories regarding nudity, so they'd push almost anything the large organizations say. We can use this to our advantage, instead of letting the media stomp all over nudism.
• Nudists who support Steven Gough should go support Steven Gough -- and the same can be said with Elizabeth Books and anybody else.
  
• We need to use the WWNCW, because it's the BEST support and collaborative network that exists for nudists. All of the above ideas and projects can easily be supported via the WWNCW, but we can't do much unless we get our act together.
  

Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. Stand up for what you believe in! Your armchair commentary is enlightening, but getting out and doing something is far more helpful. You can indulge in your nudist lifestyle this summer, but please invest in the future of nudism as well. (That's part of the problem -- we'd all prefer to indulge, sunning ourselves and being nude, instead of clothed and pushing for change.)

Stop saying "we should..." and start doing. Any sentence that starts with "We should" can be a project started in the WWNCW. Any sentence with "Should we?" can be a poll in the WWNCW to see what others think. Hey, it's at least a start, and it's a lot better than just saying we "should" because that word hasn't gotten us anywhere. We should do a lot of things, but then we don't, and that's a problem. A while back, I thought that I should start a collaboration platform to help out ... and then I did.

Why don't I write here very often? It's because I'm too busy investing in the future! I'm a man of action, because I know that change isn't going to happen all by itself no matter how much we say it should.

Australia Story (p3) - Staying Safe

I'm standing on the third and final beach of my Maggie nude beach tour. Each beach has been more disappointing than the previous one, and I was at the point of giving up. My goal was to be nude outside, safely. Of the three beaches that were known to be clothing optional, I didn't feel safe at any of them.

So what should I do for the rest of the day? I didn't pack a swim costume since I wasn't planning to swim in those waters, ever. I'm wearing my hiking stuff -- boots, jeans, t-shirt, baseball cap, and medium-sized backpack of necessities. (I had to bike and hike for a while to get there, and that's what I dressed for.) I didn't want to bum around the beach, even though I had several hours to kill before heading back.

In the middle of my disappointment and observance of how out-of-place I appeared among the tourists, I noticed a guy climbing towards the beach. Good idea -- I enjoy climbing around! I knew there was a peninsula of land that stuck out separating Balding Bay and Radical Bay. I asked the guy if he could see the other Bay, and he said "sure, it goes all the way to it." I'm up for an adventure, so I decided to give it a try.

I spent about 20 minutes navigating over or around the rocks to get to the end of the peninsula. It's not an easy task, which is why nobody else decided to follow me. The tip of the peninsula ended up being a large flat rock that carved into the hillside. In front of me was nothing but ocean and a few more rocks. I could see Radical Bay from one side of my spot (pictured), and then I had to walk over about 20 feet to see Balding Bay -- both looked about the same, perfect tropical white sandy beaches. I watched the sparse population at Radical Bay, and noticed that nobody was on the rocks. Thoughts of nudity struck me instantly.

I walked to the other side of the area, and observed the same thing -- nobody was braving the rocks. This gave me at least 20 minutes of total seclusion, assuming no boaters were out (and I haven't seen any yet on that side of the island). Out came the towel, off came the boots, and off came the clothes. This is my moment of bliss, and I'm taking it!

I did everything right to get completely hooked on nudism. I was at the most beautiful place in the world, in nearly total seclusion. I was sweaty from the hike, and the cool ocean breeze felt wonderful. It was a perfect 79 degree, bright and sunny day. There is no way I could describe how the sun and breeze felt on my freshly naked skin that day. Remember that this is the first time I've been clothes-free in the great outdoors.

There is only one thing I would want to change about the experience -- who I was with. In the company of my loved one, I would've stayed there forever.

However, my watch was telling me that time was up. My white skin was also telling me that it had enough of the mean Australian sun. On went the clothes, and I took a peek around both corners. Nobody was on the rocks... I probably could've spent all afternoon and evening there if I wanted to.

When I got back, the naked couple were still around. (No active cameras this time.) I decided to ask them a few questions. First, we discussed beaches. They didn't know about the other two, but were interested in checking them out. They asked why I didn't go nude too -- and I said I just was, and pointed to my newly found spot telling them how it was. My main question was what they thought about being the only nude people on a beach full of tourists. Don't they feel a bit out-of-place, or that they are risking a ticket? They laughed and said "we're vacation-makers!" They heard it was a nude beach, so they got nude despite everyone else. This was their first day in the area and they seemed to enjoy it. I congratulated them for their bravery.

I guess the lesson from this trip is one of bravery. If all nudists were paranoid like me, we'd lose all of our beaches as soon as a few textilers walk in. And what did they have to lose? People didn't complain, and generally stayed away. Even if the authorities were called, it would take a long time for them to show up and they probably wouldn't do much anyway. If I had the bravery I have today, I would've stripped off and chatted with them for a lot longer. I encourage all of you to possess that same sort of bravery! But... don't take it beyond the realm of safety, because it may end up being negative publicity for all of us.

Thinking back (later that night), Rocky Bay was the best of the three beaches for a couple of reasons. First is that it had a sign -- which clearly warns everyone about what they may see. Second is that it is out of tourist interest. It's a tough (but short) trail from the quieter part of the island. Third is that people use it for what it's known for, so it's unlikely that you'll see textilers there. Last is that there are no bugs because it's always windy. (Most Mag. Island beaches didn't have bugs, namely tree ants, but most other Queensland beaches do.)

The next morning, the plan was to head back to Rocky Bay! However, it ended up being the first Rainy/Misty day of the whole 5 month trip. Poor me -- no more nude sunbathing for a while. I took an early ferry and rode the bike back to the dorms. I enjoyed the cool mist during the ride, but would've enjoyed running around naked at the beach a lot more.

Next up is my Spring Break trip -- where I visit a small "legal" beach, visit the area's most popular beach, and meet lots of interesting people. (It has 4 parts all by itself!)

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Australia Story (p2) - Maggie

It's a quick ferry ride from Townsville to Magnetic Island. All I had for the trip was a backpack full of stuff, my bicycle, and a hostel reservation for a few days. From my previous research, I knew that there were three unofficial nude beaches on the island, each of which had a geocache nearby.

My impressions from the textile beaches were a bit disappointing. There were a good number of people at the beaches, but most had full clothing on. Maybe half of the men had swim shorts, and only a few women had bikini tops and shorts. For an island full of beaches, this seemed like odd attire.

I went to Picnic Bay on the southern part of the island and took the 20 minute hike down to the Rocky Bay unofficial nude beach. The trail is hard to stay on at the top of the hill, and the hike down gets somewhat steep. When I got there, I noticed a home-made wooden sign declaring the area as a traditional nude beach.

Behind one of the first rocks was a middle-aged woman, topless, reading a book and enjoying the company of her small dog. She was the only person that I saw at the beach, so I decided to talk to her for a bit. (Normally this is a bad idea, since women see this as a coming-on gesture. I was as non-intrusive and as friendly as I could be.) I asked her what she knew about the other two nude beaches on the island, but she didn't know anything about them. She said that this one suits her just fine, because she lives in Picnic Bay during the winter months. During our quick conversation, she mentioned that there were some other people further down the beach. She also suggested that I go for a swim.

For the record, I had previously decided to NOT go in the water in Australia, because there are a large number of critters in those waters that can kill me. I'm not much of a swimmer anyway, so I figured it was best to play it safe. I went to a lot of beaches during my trip, but never went in the water.

I politely told her that I didn't have much time, since I had to walk/bike back to the hostel. I didn't think it was safe to be naked here, because there is a lookout point on the hill next to the beach, and the ferry goes by at regular intervals. (The picture at the top of this post was taken from the lookout, and the first beach that you see is Rocky Bay.)

I approached the other people on the beach. One middle-aged man was enjoying a swim, and the other was an older man (clothed) who was there to watch him as a safety measure. I talked with the older man for a little while. He knew about the other nude beaches, and said that Balding Bay was pretty good but was too much hiking for him. I asked him what he thought about the ferry and the lookout point, and he said "they're too far away to really see anything, so don't even worry about them." (I could see the clothing they were wearing at the lookout point, so I didn't really believe his answer.) I asked him why there were only three people at the beach -- which ended up being a dumb question. He pointed at the sky, and said "no sun". It was a cloudy day. There were 10 or so that routinely enjoy the beach on the sunny days.

The walk back to Picnic Bay ended up with me losing the trail, bush-walking a bit, and ending up on a random street. I was looking around slightly dumbfounded, and noticed the woman from the beach. She saw me and pointed me in the direction of where the trail started, and where my bike was parked. I thanked her and went on my way. Rocky Bay was a decent beach, but I was convinced that Balding Bay was the place to go to try nudism.

The next day I went north to the Horseshoe Bay area. The east side of Horseshoe Bay is probably the biggest and most popular textile beach on the island. That's not where I was going... Instead, I took small gravel roads through the trees to get to the far west end of the beach. I emerged and took in the amazing view. There was an older couple, one nude guy swimming, and nobody else for a long way down the beach. I climbed the rocks to find the geocache, and observed that this wasn't much of a nude beach. There is a horse-riding tour that goes through, and occasional textilers that like really long walks down the beach. I'm sure this was a great area, but tourism (mostly periodic horse rides) has made this side of the beach not-so nude friendly. I didn't want to try nudism here. Bummer... This was strike number two.

Back on the east side of the Bay was the trail head to Balding Bay. Balding Bay is the most secluded beach that people can get to without a boat. The tourist literature says that it's the most beautiful beach on the island, but didn't mention the clothing-optional nature of it. The trail is about a 25 minute hike from the far east end of Horseshoe Bay. It looked new, and had a different (older) trail blocked off with signs mentioning death. (The wording on most Australian signs is a bit extreme.) I passed several tourists along the trail. There weren't any signs declaring it as a nude beach. Was this beach also damaged by tourism?

Sort-of. There were about 10 textilers there, but there were naked people as well. There was a group of four older people hanging out and chatting at the back of the beach, and a middle-aged couple at the side of the beach. The guy was taking closeup pictures of the girl, and the group was packing up to head out, so I figured I shouldn't bug any of them.

I didn't want to try nudism with so many textilers around. I figured that if the majority were nude, I'd join in. Being in the minority just doesn't feel right, especially for a first-timer... This was my third and final nude beach for the trip -- the one I was looking forward to since Rocky Bay -- and it was about as disappointing as the other ones. My goal was to try nudism on at least one of the beaches, but they have all been disappointing so far. It's still early afternoon, so I have at least a few hours to wonder around here. I haven't given up hope just yet...

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Australia Story (p1) - Intro.

This is the untold story of my trip to Australia. (You know, the bits dealing with all the nudity.) I'll be writing it in 10 parts through the rest of the winter. I encourage you to follow along because there are many important lessons to be learned from it. Also, it offers a peek into Australian nudism and the tells the story of my lonely, persistent journey into social nudism.

Sometimes, life can put you in some very unique situations. As I was finishing my bachelors degree, I was having a lot of trouble finding a good job. Just as I was giving up hope, I got an email from the university: Something like "most of you have already found jobs or graduate programs, and we wish you the best of luck on your future careers. However, if you don't fit into either category, you may want to consider our masters program." Their timing was perfect -- I signed up. There was just one issue -- the program requires a semester of study in either frosty Europe or sunny Australia. I ended up being the first person from my university to go to JCU in Townsville, Australia.

I spent the fall semester of 2006 on the other side of the world. I had no idea what to expect since I was the first person to be sent there, I had a shoestring budget, and my family, girlfriend, and everything that I knew was 8,000 miles away. Keeping in contact was difficult, because the phone system was expensive and nearly impossible to use, and internet wasn't cheap. (JCU charged $22 AUD per gigabyte, so Skype was certainly not an option.) My main forms of communication were a blog, photo album, email, and IM. Anyone who knows me personally can have a link the first two, if they ask, but they only cover half of the story. (The other half is here.)

I had three main goals during my stay:
1. Do well in school (to keep my 4.0).
2. Do as much as I can as a poor temporary local. (Don't be a tourist!)
3. Visit every nude beach I can.

I have been interested in nudism for many years previously, and often went nude at home. I have never before been nude outside, but I knew this was the place to try it. Australia has a lot of legal nude beaches, and the beaches are paradise. Townsville is in the tropical north-east, where the tropical rain-forest meets the big white sandy beaches, and where the big white sandy beaches meet the clear water and great barrier reef. This place was just as beautiful as any other pacific island. Every day was sunny (about 5 rainy days during my 5 month stay) and the temperatures were perfect (highs of 75 to 88F year-round). This was the perfect place to be nude, so I knew I had to try it!

Come to find out, Queensland is the ONLY state in Australia that has NO legal nude beaches! In fact, Queensland doesn't even allow topless sunbathing at their beaches. Bummer!

However, here are some other neat facts:

• There are over 10 porn shops in Townsville, many along main roads and brightly decorated. (One was right across from a candy shop full of kids!)
• Australia's media allows nudity, both on TV and in magazines, so it seems to not be as big of a deal as the laws make it out to be. I picked up a few postcards that have topless women on the beaches from a tourist store.
• Nobody that I saw at the Townsville beaches went top-free, and very few wore anything revealing.
• There are a lot of laws for a lot of little things! But...
• There is a sense of lawlessness, especially once you get outside the city.
• There really isn't much civilization outside the cities, and there are so many beaches and trails that it's easy to have one to yourself. (Therefore, it's difficult and not worth the time for police to patrol anything outside the city.)

Many of my adventures consisted of hiking, biking, geocaching, and seeing places like no other tourist does. When planning a trip, I tried to visit places where either geocaches or unofficial nude beaches were. This really gets you into the wild! Geocachers have good taste and lead you to some amazing places, and nudists generally congregate in very secluded areas. Geocachers pointed me to the tops of mountains and some memorable trails that not many people know exist. And nudists pointed me to some of the most beautiful, and empty, beaches that I have ever seen. Who needs tourism -- this is an adventure! This is exactly the type of adventure that I like!

My first stop was only a ferry-ride away -- Magnetic Island.

* Picture is of Townsville, with Castle Hill in the middle of town and Magnetic Island in the distance. Taken at the break of dawn from Mt. Stuart.

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