I Might Be A Redneck If.....

It is safe to say that I am getting the full Aussie experience, going well beyond the usual tourist stops of Sydney, Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, etc. I spent my Valentine's day at a B&S Ball, which I'm told stands for Bachelors & Spinsters, but really means a giant redneck tailgate. Seriously. From where I am currently staying, I drove 5 miles into Western Queensland to the middle of nowhere, also known as the town of Meandarra, to a giant field where the 'ball' was to be held. What I witnessed that afternoon was backwoods Mississippi meets a Jimmy Buffett tailgate. It was complete with binge drinking, pick-up trucks done up with a dozen spotlights and CB radio antennas 20 ft high, mullets, cowboy hats and stereos blaring country music. To add to the fun, it decided to rain a bit. Not a lot, but just enough to allow some of the good ol' boys to show off their driving skillz, and allow half of them to get stuck in the ruts that they created. Needless to say, it was amusing. Now I can only guess that the 'ball' label comes from the fact that everyone gets 'decked' out in their finest attire, most of which was, quite literally, purchased at a thrift store. Good thing I didn't bring my suits from home because within 10 minutes of entering the tent, I was covered in red food dye and my left sleeve was ripped off. The night progressed as expected, more rain fell, and country music continued to be played.

The next morning I stumbled out of my tent to witness a true scene. I don't know if it was lingering effects from the night before, or that they got up early to continue the drinking, but apparently someone found a giant tube and felt that tying it behind a truck and getting dragged with 10 of their closest friends was a good idea. It wasn't, but we all enjoyed watching it! Watching them get tossed all over and dragged along the ground, all while holding their beer can high in the air so as not to spill it, was worth the price of admission! They are guaranteed to have been sore the next day. The picture below only tells half the story, and doesn't show the trees that people decided to light on fire! A very good time, but definitely not my style.

Now, that would have been enough to quench any redneck thirst I may have had, but that's too easy. The next few days I went hunting in the Australian Outback and had an absolute blast! I'm not gonna lie and say that I loved every aspect of it, but it was an experience. It was definitely a guys trip, and four of us (including the guy pictured above) drove another 2 hours west to the town of Amby (and by town I mean there is a general store, a bar, and a few large farming properties). The farm we went to spans 40,000 acres and my friends know the owners well. Because of this, we stayed in accommodations that are as luxury as you'll get for hunting but far from 5-Star. We pull up to the farm owners home and are reminded to be careful when going into the shower room, as they recently found a Brown snake in there. My friends had told me it was a Carpet snake, aka Python, which was fine, as they aren't poisonous and normally leave you alone...not the case with Brown snakes, which are listed as #2 on the list of deadliest snakes in the world. If you don't believe me, check out: http://www.manbir-online.com/htm2/snake.22.htm

We were hunting goats, and we found a ton. The hunting itself was a true experience, and in the end, I am pleased to say that I got some kills! I look like I actually know what I'm doing, huh!

In addition to hunting during the day, we had a little fun at night, better known as spotlighting. For those who aren't familiar with this term, basically you drive around and shine a spotlight into a field looking for the reflection of eyes. Well, its safe to say that we found plenty. Now, please don't hate me for what you're about to see. We all love Kangaroos, myself included. They are cute, fun to watch hop around and are the symbol of Australia. However, they are also extremely overpopulated, having numbers over 50 Million (more then twice the human population), and are viewed much like deer in the U.S. So, having said all of that, I'm a pretty good shot...Please don't hate me!

In honor of those fallen roos, here a brief clip of one that I took while searching for goats. I was hoping to get some footage of a dozen or so hopping around on the plains, but never had my camera out in time.

OK, enough redneck stuff. This weekend I was up in Bundeberg, which is about 3 hrs north of where I currently am. The town is nothing special, but they have a little thing called the Bundeberg Rum Distillery which was calling my name. And seeing that it is pretty much the only rum you find here in Oz (I miss you Captain Morgan), I felt it necessary to visit and sample.

Now I find myself back in Noosa, and approaching my last evening here in Australia. It's a little crazy to think that I've been in the country for 2 months, and even crazier to know that I leave for Thailand tomorrow night. My time here has been awesome, and I have a ton of places that I would like to revisit and see for the first time on another trip. I have traveled nearly 20,000 km, seen amazing sites and animals, and managed to escape (fingers crossed) without being bitten, stung, or attacked by any of the native creatures. I can only imagine what awaits me when I land in Bangkok.

Cheers!