Beachside Events

I awoke to the sound of some very noisy headwinds with a cracking headache and a sniffly nose. “Why did this have to happen on trees adventure day?!?” I thought. In the car on the way down we stopped for coffee, just coffee, and then continued on to our destination. Thankfully the wind didn’t seem too bad as we collected our high-vis vests and signed the necessary paperwork. Heading down to the climb site we chatted about the day to come.

After a harness fitting and a safety demo on how to operate the locking caribeners we were away! The group split and tackled different “runs”. As we ascended the first tree and grappled with the lock and re-lock system, we took in the beautiful river views and felt that breeze (!). One of the first obstacles was the flying fox and I distinctly remember thinking “Is that the noise it should be making?” as I whizzed through the air high above the ground. The thrill of fear mixed with excitement grew with each new challenge, though after the first few obstacles my trust in the harness increased. It was great getting tips and encouragement from our beachside buddies along the way.

By the end of the run we were then ready to tackle the “black” run, one of the most challenging routes. A little apprehensive after a couple ahead needed to be rescued and escorted off the auspicious black, we forged on along the rope ladders, webbed swings and came to the longest highest flying fox of the day. I was the last of the group to go across and I’ll admit, a little part of me thought “Well, I’ve had a good life so far…” as I plunged out onto the 100m long 50m high flying fox, fingers crossed. Landing safely, I was then presented with a base jumping off a tree situation, only made worse by an agonising wait while my crew made their way down. Wind howling and shaking, the platform helped me none, and making that bum shuffle off the platform could be one of my bravest moments, so far!! Flu symptoms forgotten, we all gushed at each other at the feats we had managed that day. Thanks to Danielle and the other Beachsiders who supported a fun and energetic day out amongst the (windy) trees.