Gouldinho: The magic of the wilderness

This time last year I was on the opposite end of the planet, studying abroad in Perth, Australia. I was packing a duffel bag consisting only of essentials in preparation for an 11 day camping trip into the heart of the Australian Outback.

I didn’t know what to pack as I had no idea of what to expect, my sole nugget of knowledge regarding the outback stemmed from horror movie ‘Wolfcreek’ where a deranged farmer abducts four backpackers, tortures them and kills all but one who escaped to tell the tale. The fact the film is based on a true story and that the famer has never been caught did little to calm the nerves.

Looking back on the trip exactly one year on I can safely say it was the most enlightening experience of my life to date. Take 28 students, all aged in their early 20’s, cram them into two military grade ‘busses’ with no air conditioning and relieve them of EVERY form of technological communication for the bones of two weeks and it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I cannot emphasise enough how far from the truth that presumption was, in fact it was the best thing that could have happened to us!

Cards became a currency on the trip

Without iPads, iPhones, laptops, tablets etc. everyone was left with no choice but to interact with each other, with people they had previously known and people they had never spoke to before.

When a group of people are taken out of their comfort zone and dropped into a situation like this the outcome is incredible. Liberated from the constraints of our technological society it is almost like everyone received a new lease of life. In the absence of technology we were forced to revert to old methods of entertainment, games, quizzes, storytelling etc. This resulted in everyone becoming closer and forming a tight knit bond, copious amounts of cheap alcohol every night may have also contributed but you get the picture.

Travelling from campsite to campsite you could nearly see the spirit of the group grow as any lingering cobwebs of everyday life disappeared after two to three days. Small things like helping a neighbour erect their tent, or helping to prepare and cook dinner became important. Everyone was there for each other and willing to lend a helping hand.

One of many amazing pools-Karijini National Park

When a group of people form an exclusive group like this and travel in complete isolation for a lengthy period of time the bond that is formed is very hard to describe. Having no contact with anybody outside of the group, let alone the rest of the world was the most amazing thing that could ever happen. It forced everyone to come out of their shells and interact. It was as if, for those 11 days, we were living in a bubble and felt untouchable.

I have always been a keen travel enthusiast but this trip was special. Never before have I seen or met such an amazing group of people, whether that was down to the fact that nobody could really afford to isolate themselves from the group, or if it was all down to the fact we were 2,000 kilometres from any major city, I’m not sure. Perhaps the fact we got to visit some of the most scenic and beautiful places on the planet had something to do with it.

What I do know is that not one single person felt down or homesick on the trip, every second of it was cherished by all. It just goes to show what can happen when we take a step back from the monotonous daily routine of life and embark on an adventure outside of your comfort zone in the company of complete strangers.