You know people loooove Byron Bay for its small town hippie vibe slash good waves and ability to find quinoa and kale on every menu? Well Dunsborough is all over that, but just one step ahead of the game: it hasn’t been discovered by half the world yet. Even in the summer, there’s still only a quarter of the people that roam around Byron. This groovy beach town is intellectually nicknamed “Funsborough” for its lack-thereof readily available fun, meaning locals had to create and search for their own adventures. This resulted in a bucketload of outdoor discoveries that have become a mecca for Instagram uploads by non-locals seeking the “douth” lifestyle. .
Shit Worth Doing
The Heart of it All: An Ode to Tassie
Hints of sweet honeysuckle and mint. Crisp forest dew and pine bark, damp. Soft touches of wood-like nectar…The Language of Intelligence: Communication Barriers on Home Soil
“Hey, how long do you think it’ll take me to smash that book out? Just so I can…Smoking Saved My Life
“Fuck this stupid ass machine.” My feet sloppily kicked a rusty old Marlboro cigarette dispenser as I muttered…Finding Solace in Solitude at Eighteen
After hours cruising along the lone highway with nothing but my own thoughts, the bustling city centres that…I Had a Mushroom Shake in Thailand and All I Got Was This Stupid CD
I can’t even show you the CD. Why? Because I threw that five-track motherfucker straight into the Chao…Grace, If You’re Reading This, You Owe Us a Fucking Beer
“Prost!” Our steins clunk; beer spills over the side and splashes onto my cheap 50-euro dirndl — but…Beyond the Claddings: A Commune in the City
Young families are plentiful. Kids play on bikes and tradies dash about. Seemingly everybody has a dog. The…The Grand Escape
“Farkkk. Well, there go our winter holiday plans.” As Gladys announced the NSW-Victorian border closure, I felt my…I Copied an Influencer and Went to a Cacao Ceremony. I Didn’t Love the Aftertaste.
“A Cacao what?” This question, accompanied by a quizzical tilt of the head, was the standard response I…Taking Lessons from Day of the Dead, Mixe Style
Staring down the shot glass of yet another pre-10am mezcal, I push any thoughts of What about my…The Overnight Train To The North Pole
If you were to find yourself in streets of Helsinki in the midst of a Finnish winter, don’t…Free Speech and Democracy, Opinion and Truth
I have opinions. I don’t know if my opinions are true. It seems unlikely that all of them…The Writer’s Routine
Six o’clock. Greeting her in the dim light, the mirror on the far wall can only fit a…One More Jewel in the Corona: On Doing Exchange in the US in 2020
This year, I cast aside the dirt-encrusted vouchers for disappointment and bought the VIP Backstage Experience for the…How Backpacking Taught Me to Embrace the Unexpected
It was the night before the Thai new year festival of Songkran, and we were spending it in…The Day I Fell in Love With a Flat Earther
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she said. We were drinking champagne from the bottle, wearing only bathrobes…Nonna’s Lens: Fighting and Finding Stillness in Isolation
In front of the hills of Arthur’s Seat, Margherita Nerini-Garcia stands before the Mornington Peninsular shore. Margherita, my…Yakuza, Spoiled Carpets and Big Cash — The World of a Gaijin Hostess in Tokyo
“I don’t want to do this job for that long. I don’t want to do it now if…Accepting Diaspora: From The Caucasus to Australia
I learned about it the summer after I turned 16. The fan above was blowing hot air onto…Overwhelmed and Underwater
Crystal clear waters. The wings of a giant manta gliding above me while I float, weightless, in the…I Got High With My Parents in Kenya (and They Didn’t Know)
Cozmoz arrived with his usual perky walk, wearing flip flops that belonged to two different pairs and red…Activism, Wanking and Saving the World
Predicting the impending apocalypse is no longer just a game for those dogmatic Mayans. Random Instagram pages on…“We Won Tumut”: A COVID-Inspired Roadtrip
Every good road trip starts with a morning after pill. The morning after pill is basically the same…Lessons in Ignorance from an Aid Worker in Iraq
They are calling for my flight to begin boarding. The little screen spells out Erbil, Iraq, in all…Counting the Minutes
Nothing symbolises Western society – particularly, its notion of time as a commodity for sale – better than…A Middle Finger to the Modern Trap
I’m looking for a job and it is depressing. Trudging through the lists of meaningless positions feels wrong.…The Halloween Puja
I’m going to be a boxer. I walk to town and ask my tailor to make me a…The A – Z of Bali Fuckboys
The paradise island is another smoggy Eden haven away from city pollution. The spiritual island is a hub…Summer Romance
Ten years ago, I lived on an island off the coast of Honduras. It was summer when I…Chum: Breathing in the Black Lives Matter Movement
“Too black for the white kids, and too white for the black.” That’s a line from the 2013…I Almost Got Stuck in Chile With My Ex
The idea of getting stuck in another country terrifies me. Not so much the being overseas bit, but…I Cradled a Woman’s Bleeding Head While My Amish Friend Called an Ambulance
I washed my hands 10 times, then 10 times more. It felt like the blood wouldn’t come off.…Adios, Motherfucker
What’s the most quintessential injury an Aussie can get in Bali? A scooter accident. Okay, what’s the second…Do a Writing Retreat in Byron Bay With Global Hobo
We’re hosting a series of intimate, week-long writing retreats in our own backyard: the magical and vibrant town…Fucking My Oppressors
Here I am, on my knees for a white man. Throwback to 50 years ago, and the context…Why Do We Scoff at Arts Degrees?
Last week, the government announced its plans to slash the costs of the uni degrees it deems most…Freelance Travel Writers and Famils Trips: Is Pay for Play Okay?
Ah, the life of a freelance travel writer. Fun, free and fulfilling – maybe not right now, but…The Last Cigarette
Nothing ever changes where I’m from. It’s small-town forgotten suburbia where fuck all happens and everything stays the…A Balinese Quest for Magic Mushrooms
When people say drugs are a gateway, their minds often jump straight to visions of calamity and misfortune.…Rush Hour Sucks Everywhere
In Tokyo, rush hour extends to 8pm. Not because of systemic inefficiency, but simply because lots of people…