botanika Posted February 13, 2014 Have you considered a Van? There's some interesting films on youtube about people dropping everything to live out of a van and save money. As a warning the bush can be lonely...there's little community or career opportunities. Sometimes the best way for self improvement is not to escape but to face society full on. Successful communities succeed because of collaboration, sharing, teaching and helping. North NSW would be a great place because it has lots of little pocket communities and likeminded people but still relatively attached to larger urban centres like G.C. and Brisbane. Your age is a fairly critical time for big decisions. For most people that means family. In your case you are free of that but consider carefully how this sort of thing might affect you when you're in your 50's and through to 'retirement'. By that I'm not meaning it's a bad idea but I personally know a few friends who 'went bush' and to be honest their lives became ultimately more depressed, withdrawn, cynical and they lost a lot of important networks that Im not sure they will ever get back. Keep some strong goals and focus about why you want to do this and where it will lead you. Happy trails! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) That's a great point. I've always had vans and practically live out of my current van some of the time. I'd never go without a van. They are true independence, the vehicle for the modern swag-man. You don't need anything fancy like a kitchenette, or bloody gas fridge either. Just rip out the back seats and lay a nice fresh piece of carpet and a foam mattress and you're a free man (with a VAN!). Edited February 13, 2014 by Halcyon Daze 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted February 13, 2014 A compass is pretty useless without a map, unless you just want crude directions. Most of the land in Australia is actually owned by someone so you are going to be walking along roads lots. What are you going to do for money? I ask because its important. Im a hermit, in a shack in Cape York, its very much romanticised but its the life for me. There are a few other people around here doing the same thing except most live off dole money or dodgy disability pension money. As someone who does work so I have enough $$ to survive I disapprove of making tax payers support your lifestyle choice, I also believe the only reason I can function as a hermit without to much interaction with others is because I dont drink, smoke, have habits and I do work to keep myself busy. If you have savings or plan on working then disregard my comments. A quote that is very much applicable " All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot!" Dr Suess 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teonanacatl Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Also Ill repeat, I think you are taking too much stuff. I also think you are over-thinking it. The best way to start is to go out with very little and work up from there getting what you want. Likewise by thinking about where you are probably over-thinking it. At the rate you are going you will need a van Edited February 13, 2014 by teonanacatl 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted February 13, 2014 When you do find a nice place, you can park your van permanently like this one. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cubism Posted February 13, 2014 I haven't got anything constructive to offer but just wanted to say I'm really enjoying following this thread. Lots of interesting opinions and information. It's the sort of thing I've often dreamed of doing but I just aint ballsy enough (up until now atleast, never know in the future) to take that step from fantasy to making it a reality. Different personalities an all that, but from my perspective it must take a lot of courage an balls the size of an elephants!!! I hope you find what your looking for in life mate. Will definately be continuing to follow this as your story unfolds, and am really looking forward to hearing of your adventures/misadventures along the way. And.....from a purely selfish point of view, I'm looking forward to soaking up a bit of inspiration from your endeavours. Whatever you decide on, and wherever you end up, go well buddy. All the best man. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted February 13, 2014 ^^ I laughed at first Halcyon...but in all seriousness there are a few lessons there 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted February 13, 2014 Like don't go camping in a snowy wilderness? I'd say the Australian wilderness is just as dangerous. Go easy Riley, small mistakes can cost you yr life. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted February 13, 2014 nothing wrong with snowy wilderness.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted February 13, 2014 Well, there's better places to become a hermit than the bloody arctic circle 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 A compass is pretty useless without a map, unless you just want crude directions. Most of the land in Australia is actually owned by someone so you are going to be walking along roads lots. What are you going to do for money? I ask because its important. Im a hermit, in a shack in Cape York, its very much romanticised but its the life for me. There are a few other people around here doing the same thing except most live off dole money or dodgy disability pension money. As someone who does work so I have enough $$ to survive I disapprove of making tax payers support your lifestyle choice, I also believe the only reason I can function as a hermit without to much interaction with others is because I dont drink, smoke, have habits and I do work to keep myself busy. If you have savings or plan on working then disregard my comments. A quote that is very much applicable " All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot!" Dr Suess I have a few K in the bank, but no job to return to or go to, so eventually the money will indeed run out, by which time I'll be pretty well decided as to my next move: go earn some more, get a fixed address or stay and eat bugs off the ground. If there's one thing humans do well it's pamper their own personal needs, so I wouldn't worry about that. Looking at the rain here today though, I see I'll need a reliably waterproof cover for my backpack, and a large plastic sheet and ropes right inside the zip, in case it's teaming when I'm out finding a spot. Of course I'll have maps of the area, I'd be a dickhead not to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 Also Ill repeat, I think you are taking too much stuff. I also think you are over-thinking it. The best way to start is to go out with very little and work up from there getting what you want. Likewise by thinking about where you are probably over-thinking it. At the rate you are going you will need a van No no that's the second time you've said you think I'll be over-loaded, but how on earth is a backpack, ~3kg hiking tent and a sack of dehydrated/powdered food too much? The tents I'm looking at are only 2-3kg and - packed - about the size of a loaf of bread. The sleeping bags are even smaller now, like a mini-bread-loaf sized, and both are super lightweight, 3-season items. The tent and sleeping bag could likely fit in the pack, but I'll need to pack and unpack to discover how much bag-real-estate they fill-up, and carrying such lightweigh items is hardly ..hard. And the food sack I am planning to take, will comprise plastic vitamin jars (C, Iron and a good quality Multi), and the rest lightweight, high protein, high fat dehydrated/powdered ingredients. For equipment within the main pack, That's where the weight will be, but the majority of tools and equipment I'll takea re small and lightweight as possible too. Probably the heaviest items in the bag will be the dmall hand axe and ipad: everything else will be small and light. Better to carry a bit more stuff than end-up dead for want of one simple tool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 How much fishing gear to take will be a challenge, cos I have far too much tackle to take it all, but it'd pain me a bit to leave any of it. Oh well. The sinkers can get the chop I guess. ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) I haven't got anything constructive to offer but just wanted to say I'm really enjoying following this thread. Lots of interesting opinions and information. It's the sort of thing I've often dreamed of doing but I just aint ballsy enough (up until now atleast, never know in the future) to take that step from fantasy to making it a reality. Different personalities an all that, but from my perspective it must take a lot of courage an balls the size of an elephants!!! I hope you find what your looking for in life mate. Will definately be continuing to follow this as your story unfolds, and am really looking forward to hearing of your adventures/misadventures along the way. And.....from a purely selfish point of view, I'm looking forward to soaking up a bit of inspiration from your endeavours. Whatever you decide on, and wherever you end up, go well buddy. All the best man. It's not so much balls, as a combination of factors that make me want to do it, and although I've stated that society, consumerism, the worshippping of money and the dross of suburbia depress shit out of me, it's not just that I want to escape the hum-drum everyday. Call it a mid-life crisis: I am approaching middle-age after all, but the realization that death is coming (for all of us), and the full gravity of that means I may not have the opportunity to do it again. Hell, 20 year olds drop dead every day. Anytime, in so many ways life can be extinguished, and I want to go out and get in amoungst nature again while I have the chance/health/ability to do it. Death comes suddenly, is the driving factor here ;) Edited February 14, 2014 by Riley 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FickFackMD Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) When you do find a nice place, you can park your van permanently like this one. edit; Get stuck into those Yams man, there the bees tits mcgee Edited February 14, 2014 by F*ckF*ckMD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 I'll upload photos of my inventory once I've got it all together for ya'll to pick through and critique, since there could always be that one simple thing that's so obvious I've overlooked it completely. I want to have everything I need on me to be able to setup anywhere, have plenty to do, and move anytime I feel the urge. As for the boredom and loneliness of the bush, As long as I have mobile reception, I'll have basic human interaction and access to emergency help if I need it, and for activities, off the top of my head I can draw, fish, carve wood and bones I find, create structures, make dried fish jerky, keep a blog, and take photos of everything looks interesting. I wouldn't mind planting a little garden too, but since I'll be aiming for mobility and nomadic freedom there wouldn't be much point, and I couldn't plant anything that might harm wild fauna (no solanum/nightshade family plants), so no tomatoes or any similarly poisonous greenery. Of course, the everyday issues like preparing food, managing my campsite, washing/swimming and exploring will also fill in time, I've just got to establish - ironically - a routine that works. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 14, 2014 Maybe consider an ebook reader if you like reading - a phone battery runs down in about half a day, but ebooks take a month or so. It seems like a luxury but they only weigh about as much as a paperback, and can hold thousands of books. Get one with an e-ink display and a lighted cover - it is much more efficient than the LCD screen type. If it rains for a few weeks you are going to go batshit insane cooped in a tiny tent, and solar chargers don't work so well when it's pissing down rain on a short winter day, so your phone won't last long either. There's a thread around somewhere about phone apps, in it Darklight mentioned a bunch of good 'uns, stuff like bushfire and extreme weather warnings. You probably want all of them. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted February 14, 2014 probably should be researching local edible flora and fauna of the areas your thinking. being able to walk and live off the land is vital for longer than a few days survival. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) *give a fck hat is on.... Riley my initial thoughts are you have had some shit go down and really want to get away from it and get it outta your head....its gunna be the most likely scenario if thats the case its really gunna get in deep if you cut yourself off..... If thats not the case I apologise, 'tis my assumption. If its because why the fck not try it, I'll see if I can provide some more thoughts/ideas that may be useful spilling out of my head as I have read through. Mate if your just worked out you need to have a cover for your backpack to keep your shit dry when on the move at the very least, you need a van.... You need a transition, and if it doesn't work out you can easily pull the pin. If you do decide to get a tent....also get a cheap arse tarp you'll be able to string up over the tent...means the fly doesn't have to do the full brunt of waterproofing.... ambient humidity enters tents - anything exposed will absorb moisture. Also provides additional shade during the heat. If you were coming down to my climate, I'd be concerned it would end you....but milder climates will can do you in just as well. You can pack a backpack (even a small one) heavy enough to cause injury....or at the very least break your spirit.....and that can be a deadly thing. Risk of falling, make you tired...can make fucked judgements...limits your range. Wet maps tear....A GPS is a very handy tool to complement map and compass. At the very least it can help you relocate a magic area (like a natural rock shelter...) of where you buried that treasure. Photocopies of the original map sections of interest are really useful. A tobacco tin/plastic container with a few hooks, sinkers, swivels (if you tie decent knots) can design you so many rig configurations and ability to fish different sections of a waterway .You gunna want some to hand if the opportunity is there to use them. Get a multi-tool..... I like leatherman tools....but there are others. If you are a McGyver it will serve you well.... I am just not going to even touch the food options you have raised.... Theres a difference between living and surviving..... and if it somes down to surviving you can have every bit of modern kit you'd need to hand and have mad bushman skills, but if your brain is not prepared/trained or wired for survival.....to be blunt you're probably fucked cause you'll be too busy crying. *I've cried....and luckily won my shit back You do not have to far out in the sticks for a survival situation to emerge... that also could be at home just as easy... If you're going for it take you time, find out what works, get a feel and hone your craft. Yes you will need a routine.... Edited February 14, 2014 by waterboy 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 Maybe consider an ebook reader if you like reading - a phone battery runs down in about half a day, but ebooks take a month or so. It seems like a luxury but they only weigh about as much as a paperback, and can hold thousands of books. Get one with an e-ink display and a lighted cover - it is much more efficient than the LCD screen type. If it rains for a few weeks you are going to go batshit insane cooped in a tiny tent, and solar chargers don't work so well when it's pissing down rain on a short winter day, so your phone won't last long either. There's a thread around somewhere about phone apps, in it Darklight mentioned a bunch of good 'uns, stuff like bushfire and extreme weather warnings. You probably want all of them. I'll be packing my iPad2, and a 3-panel solar charger with twice the mA output the ipad needs, so that's no problem. I don't own an actual ebook reader, but the ipad is almost as light and packs almost all features of a laptop. Of course, I've already got about 50 ibooks on this device, but I'll make sure I find a few select, good-quality hiking/campingsurvival ebooks too beforehand ;) Yeah definayely want te weather warning apps! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) *give a fck hat is on.... Riley my initial thoughts are you have had some shit go down and really want to get away from it and get it outta your head....its gunna be the most likely scenario if thats the case its really gunna get in deep if you cut yourself off..... If thats not the case I apologise, 'tis my assumption. If its because why the fck not try it, I'll see if I can provide some more thoughts/ideas that may be useful spilling out of my head as I have read through. Mate if your just worked out you need to have a cover for your backpack to keep your shit dry when on the move at the very least, you need a van.... You need a transition, and if it doesn't work out you can easily pull the pin. If you do decide to get a tent....also get a cheap arse tarp you'll be able to string up over the tent...means the fly doesn't have to do the full brunt of waterproofing.... ambient humidity enters tents - anything exposed will absorb moisture. Also provides additional shade during the heat. If you were coming down to my climate, I'd be concerned it would end you....but milder climates will can do you in just as well. You can pack a backpack (even a small one) heavy enough to cause injury....or at the very least break your spirit.....and that can be a deadly thing. Risk of falling, make you tired...can make fucked judgements...limits your range. Wet maps tear....A GPS is a very handy tool to complement map and compass. At the very least it can help you relocate a magic area (like a natural rock shelter...) of where you buried that treasure. Photocopies of the original map sections of interest are really useful. A tobacco tin/plastic container with a few hooks, sinkers, swivels (if you tie decent knots) can design you so many rig configurations and ability to fish different sections of a waterway .You gunna want some to hand if the opportunity is there to use them. Get a multi-tool..... I like leatherman tools....but there are others. If you are a McGyver it will serve you well.... I am just not going to even touch the food options you have raised.... Theres a difference between living and surviving..... and if it somes down to surviving you can have every bit of modern kit you'd need to hand and have mad bushman skills, but if your brain is not prepared/trained or wired for survival.....to be blunt you're probably fucked cause you'll be too busy crying. *I've cried....and luckily won my shit back You do not have to far out in the sticks for a survival situation to emerge... that also could be at home just as easy... If you're going for it take you time, find out what works, get a feel and hone your craft. Yes you will need a routine.... About two, maybe three months at the outside I give myself, by which time I'll be prepared enough, well informed enough and with an inventory sorted enough to book the tickets and do it. Shit goes down for everyone, but the kind of shit you're talking about isn't what's making me want to get away. Apology accepted bro ;)There are many factors - some of which I explained just two posts up the page, but nothing has happened to me recently that's been so devastating it's made my head fuck itself into craziness. Again, as mentioned above, time, age, and the gravity of just how astonishingly fast life claps by are more of an influence than having too many brands of biscuits to choose from at Coles. The most devastating thing I'd be able to pin down that's happened to me recently is the realisation my life is entering it's second half. Nobodies died, haven't been told I've any deadly disease, nothing like that. I refuse to allow comfort to hook it's fangs into me any longer, and it's time to do something a bit out there. ;) Edited February 14, 2014 by Riley Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Schrodinger's Khat Posted February 14, 2014 If you do make your way to NNSW/Mid North NSW, let me know 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
∂an Posted February 14, 2014 I have a DVD by this guy called Koa who lives/lived in the NNSW bush. Talking about bush foods, building shelter etc. I can send it to you if you want it. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psychaesthetic Posted February 20, 2014 So Anyway folks, I'll update as things get organised, since there's still a while before D-Day. The Blue Mountains is looking ultra alluring though: waterfalls, creeks and rivers everywhere, and yet a 15km walk can get me back to town. Crawling with Black snakes, but by winter they'll be slower and less active. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 20, 2014 Blue mountains winter might be a bit adventurous for the first winter mate! Unless your one of the locals already who walk around in frost with thongs.... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites