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The Corroboree
Psychaesthetic

Heading into the bush on foot to live with nothing but a backpack and tent.

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Get a push bike for transport, and possibly a clapped out old van with no rego and live in that, I've seen a few people live in vans and they can be quite comfy - push bike is a handy means of transport...

This guy, knows whats going on.

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Sucking in all information and advise like a hoover at the moment, and flagging things that sound relevant, so it's excellent.

I want to do a multiquote to the last half of the last page but man multi'quotes are long replies to post. ;)

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let the caprice carry you there! just enough impulsiveness to make it actually eventuate, and just enough time so you aren't rushing into it. i like your chances and i like your attitude and really hope you get something out of it. who among us hasn't dreamt of doing what you're going to do?

Oh yessir, for years we've all heard all this shit about the natural world being destroyed, and at nearly 40, when else will I get a chance I figure. Just 5 years from now I will be smack in the middle of that age-related-illness phase of life, and anyone can drop dead at any moment. Happens every day - people dying - and old-age isn't normally the cause.

It's a combination though, of impulsivity(?) and necessity: I have to move out, regardless where I go, I can't get along with the woman I'm living with, and she's sick of me scoffing at her pointless list for planning for "the future", so I have to go. And the way I see it, there are really only two catagories to choose from: move to another residential dwelling to live with a stranger and pay rent for a house i don't particularly want to be in, or not pay rent, and sacrifice a lot of comforts.

I choose option two, because society bores me: the shopping, the advertising we get drowned in, the consumerism, the miserable people.. I'm over it all.

i think you've got basics under control. instead of a saw/axe you might get away with an implement which is like a cable with a handle at each end, like a garotte which can is worked back and forth to cut through anything, won't take up any space in your pack at all. apparently they aren't the best, i'd go with a little folding saw and take care of it, small saws will bend or snap depending on how brittle they are. both scenarios can be avoided completely if you know what you're doing and take care. the advantage of a softer blade is it can be bent again (straightened, as it were) and you still have a 95% useful tool.

I got myself a nice compact little gaitor-style hatchet that's almost all solid steel, but not too heavy, for chopping. I almost grabbed a machette as well, but I'm glad I didn't: would've been overkill, and added more weight to the pack, but the hand/wire saw's a great idea, so I'll make sure I grab one of them too ;)

i'd suggest being prepared for snakebite because untimely snakebite could end the fun real quick.

i'd also suggest some sort of beacon to help a rescue team locate you. the best thing i can think of is to have a separate fire prepared, maybe two or three of them, near some green foliage you can add for turbo-smoke. if you were serious about the signal fire a little plastic will suffice to keep the rain out.

Certainly, I'm not sure what's available for snake protective leg covers, but I'll certainly have a look for something like that, and of course I'll be buying a good quality pair of comfortable hiking boots with ankle supports. That being said, by the time I am ready to go we'll be halfway through autumn, so snake activity shouldn't be as bad as during the warmer months.

Bugs etc, well I have 80% DEET Bushman bug-lotion, but I got that months ago for the flies and mozzies here in Adelaide. The tent will be bug-proof of course, so I'll have at least that if the midges or mozzies are bad, but again, autumn/winter bugs drop in numbers remarkably, so the insects shouldn't be too bad for a while.

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You'll sure have a great time. :)

I'm not so sure how great it'll be to start with, it's a major shift from comfortable to feral, and I imagine once I finally take the pack off and start clearing the spot, I'll find it pretty daunting for at least a while, isolating, lonely, and I'll probably spend the first two days balling like a kid at the thought of not seeing the dog again.

But after that, I'll grow more relaxed, I'm sure. :)

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Is the dog hers or yours, if its hers just take it with you. dogs are the best company in the bush, save's talking to the wild life thats trying to kill you, and it would be a good warning / guard dog if anyone's trying to jack your stuff.

She bought the dog, I have spent the most time with her (she-dog), so the dog has to stay. Apart from a trip to Sydney for ten days last Christmas, the dog - Poppy - and I have been in each others company almost continuously for 3 years, since she came home at 7 weeks of age from the petstore, so she'll no doubt miss me just as much amplified by the fact she'll suddenly be alone for 12 hours a day while her owner is off at her corporate job every day.

If it were possible, I would seriously consider "stealing" her, but I'll be heading for my home state (NSW) and whether that's by plane or train or bus, she can't board any of them, and there's obviously no chance of the owner flying her to me when I get there, since she says she wants the dog.

Certainly, losing the comforts of fresh-ground coffee, bread, hot showers etc,, are non-issues compared to losing the dogs company.

My last dog was a white bull terrier and we lived in the middle of nowhere for about six months so yes indeed I know how good a dog can be. Though he ended up vanishing to chase Kangaroos and reptiles for half an hour at a time, he was excellent to have, and great company.

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Yeah I have been reading reviews for solar phone chargers, and I'll at least take one for the phone. Ideally though, I need one that's 10W and outputs 2.1-2.1mA current: that's the current of the iPad2 charger, and normal USB ports don't have the current to charge then, so I assume I'll need the same 2.1mA output in a solar charger, if it's to successfully keep the ipad going.

If I really can't find one with the power to charge an ipad I'll go with just thhe phone charger, of course, but the ipad can do much more, and takes much better photos and videos than my phone, so I'm pretty keen to have them both up and running out there. i already have the snap-lock bags big enough to seal the ipad pretty well, and as the screen is magnetically touch-based, it works perfectly even seals inside the plastic bag.

I'll have to start looking at the location soon, though as I said, anywhere from the Hawksberry to around Byron Bay is the starting-point, since I'm at least familiar with alot of the towns and climate up and down thr coast there.

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Here's the compass I picked-up the other day - http://www.suunto.com/en-AU/Products/Compasses/Suunto-MC-2-Global1/Suunto-MC-2360GDL/ .. It is indeed nicely engineered, multi-purpose, and most importantly reliable. Good feature when you consider most of the 15 other types of compass had needles that didn't even turn in the store while looking at them.

Of the cheaper compasses that DID work, half pointed in random directions, and half took almost a full minute for the needle to settle on north.

One I ended-up buying was marked from $115->$79 or $69, can't remember exactly, but it's something I do not want to go cheap on.

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What struck me actually, upon getting home and reading the care instructions, is that compasses should apparently never be stored near magnetic or iron-containing objects. Even a knife or pair of sciccors can cause reverse polarity (needle homing in on south instead of north), and yet here's this idiot camping store stacking fifty compasses on top of each other. Maybe I'll point that out next time I'm there: though I didn't care much for his attitude anyhow.

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Get your fossiking and prospecting ticket I just got one for about $89 and its valid till 2021, been fossiking a little and found small amounts of alluvial mineral and small gems like zirons and garnetts, depends where you are heading , but if your gonna spend time in a spot that s known to bear gold and gems you will have something quiet exciting to do when some descent rains hit around where you are staying, sort of depends if this kind of thing interests you, there's heaps of info about parts of qld are/is a real hot spot for this activity ,

Can I prospect on any river with *some* chance of finding something? I used to go as a kid with my uncles to pan for gold. All they ever god were flecks, but it wasn't bad even as an impatiant nine year old. They used to do it in creeks though not really largish rivers, and I'll *need* freshwater to drink and cook.

Anyway I was contemplating getting a small gold pan/bowl/tray to take since they're pretty cheap, and can double as a large plate, I figure?

And I didn't think you'd need to buy a liscence just to pan geesh :) I figured that kind of thing ended with the 18th century gold rushes :)

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I'm not sure the romanticism of running away to the bush will live up to the reality of living in the bush, but I hope it works out for you. Take an emergency beacon just in case you get hurt.

Oh I'm pretty familiar with the gritty, dirt-covered, bugs-everywhere isolation of the bush. I used to argue with my dog whilst living alone in an abandoned garden-shed with shade-cloth for a roof, back in my 20s. Bush madness, caused by lack of human interaction. This is just one reason I will limit the distance I go from civilization to a place where mobiles still get reception, and take a suitable solar charger for both ipad & phone.

Just ten years ago, there'd be no way at all to get internet like that, but now, most phones act as wifi hotspot modems, as mine does, so the net will stop me feeli so isolated.

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Do you have a job? Source of $?

You will need something to do with your time besides facebook, twitter etc. If you want this to work I think you need to embrace being alone and you need things to do. Also you have to much stuff, you will have to move around more then you think unless you are buying groceries from a shop and even then you will want to see new things. Id aim for 30-40kg max for everything. Also give up cigs, alcohol, weed, coffee, sugar or any food habits you have before you go.

Here is another suggestion for you, put an ad on gumtree saying you are looking for a house/shack/shed etc to live in, do some care taking in exchange for the accommodation. Im not talking about staying with someone, but rather staying on someones land where they dont go, you look after it for them. Im sure you'll find someone. Also you may have to try more then one place before you find one you like.

You are going to be accessing private or state land and national park and you will need to be respectful of that.

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"a house/shack/shed etc to live in" thats a really good idea................I don't know the situation in oz.....but nz has lots of empty farm shacks..............they never are advertised.generally isolated.............remote..........disused workers accommodation ...shearers huts etc.....hard part is approaching the land owner..............but you could find yourself a home..................personally I'd find a van....a tent on wheels.................park up for long periods in nice places............

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If your looking to be near a town...watch out for an upstream wastewater outfall from sewage treatment.

Get good boots you can wear and comfotable in before heading out.

Food will need to be stored so nothing can get to it...if they can - they will.

Some land tenures you can "legally" only occupy/camp for a given period. Otherwise cops/rangers/council f'wits can harass you.

Prospecting options will be based on geology and geomorphic setting of the river....if theres no gold bearing rock then there is no gold as an example...but there is a range of materials that can be found....gemstones are a more realistic target ...again geology dictates what can be yielded. There are more valuable things than gold to be found....I like sapphires myself :wink:

And a compass is no good if you don't know how to use it....nows the time if you don't know how to do back bearings as an example. And a handy hint for all a lazer pointer is very handy in thick bush or night navigation if you are a hardcore bushie :wink:

Edited by waterboy
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here's a cool animal trap.

 

and a fish trap

 

Edited by Halcyon Daze
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Parachord belt

The idea is if you need some rope, you just snip the chords holding the buckle, pull them out of the belt and you'll be left with a nice long length of very strong chord. Which can be a very useful last-minute survival tool.

 

Edited by Halcyon Daze
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here's a cool animal trap.

 

and a fish trap

 

Nono noo I will not kill a warm-blooded mammal like myself, I don't eat red meat at all, and dislike chicken simply because it's dull and common. Fish though, I have no issue eating but even where they're concerned, when I fish here I stab em in the brain as soon as possible so they don't die slowly.

Hate, just HATE any kind of cruelty to animals.

But, all that aside, I'll have a 6' two-piece rod and small reel with me, and I have plenty of fishing gear - far too much tackle to take even all the hooks, sinkers etc, so I have a good choice of good quality Mustard and japanese bits and pieces to choose from.

But no warm-blooded animal will be harmed. Ever. Unless it's big enough to eat me and tries to, of course ;)

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Apparently there's a host/hostee program called WWOOF - Willing Workers on Organic Farms, where - obviously - organic farmers let anyone who wants to, work a few hours a day in exchange for rent-free land to live on, short, medium or long term.

Catch is the index/directory of hosts has to be purchased for $70, which Is a bargain if it's legit. I'll keep that in mind too.

It could even be possible to hop around from farm to farm, kind've an organic farm/permacultural tour.

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One thing I'm unsure of, is where I'd get the right maps for any bushwalking area(s). There're plenty of maps online, but most the ones I've found are for other purposes, and don't even appear to have N marked on the map.

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I get all my maps from a map shop in QLD.

You could also join an orienteering club while yr at it. You 'll learn everything about maps and navigation and you'll have great fun with others.

I also like to have a look on Google Earth to get a good feel of the place in 3D.

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Yeah a google search of hiking bushwalking maps spewed-out a couple of places to order maps, so that's good.

I gotta pick a place! Drives me nuts wanting to plan and research, but not having the location yet. So many nice rivers up and down the coast though ugh :)

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Found a solar charger too, that pumps out ~3500mA for under $200.

The ipad requires 2100 or 2200mA, so it'll be more than juicey enough for that. Claims to be able to solar charge *any* handheld device "under the sun" so to speak, so that's one less thing to have to hunt down.

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You should get a cheap gps and learn how to use it. I got a basic one the other day for $85

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That's if you want the GOVERNMENT to know where you are! LOL just kidding :)

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That's if you want the GOVERNMENT to know where you are! LOL just kidding :)

^ That.

I won't be relying on a GPS/Sat positioning device for Hal's stated reason. If I do need to use one though, my mobile has satellite GPS built-on and costs me nothing. I'm not looking to walk into a featureless national park and walk till I fall over here, I want a location with scenery, which means landmarks, hills and mountains: if it's not visually rich there'd be little point in choosing the place as a destination :)

Sure, there'll be times I might not be able to actually *see* a given landmark, but as long as the bearing is set on it all I have to do is follow the compass till I get there.

Of course, I will be within mobile reception range, and my phone will be charged (excluding pissin-down-rainy days, when all electronics will be sealed up tight) but I'd be pretty silly to go out there and rely on a hand-held device alone.

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