General News
25 November, 2025
THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE: Broadening our horizons
As I sat in my car in the warm afternoon sun, I started to doze off. When I woke from my brief nap I noticed a converted Combi van alongside.
The two young men had eaten a meal prepared on a pull out hot-plate in the rear of the van.
Being inquisitive I approached them and although at first they were cautious they shared their adventure.
They were recent graduates from Tel Aviv and had saved to finance a trip around Australia.
They had only started their epic journey and selected Maryborough as a stage one because of our central position.
As a result of events in the Middle East they nearly aborted their adventure.
Their names weren’t very exotic being Roy and Shay.
They were heading to Ballarat to stay for three days followed by Geelong and along the Great Ocean Road to Portland, Warrnambool and Port Fairy.
They had planned a day at Sovereign Hill staying with relatives who had emigrated to Australia.
No doubt they will become aware of the many differences between Australia and their homeland.
Musing over the ambitious adventure taken by the two lads made me think of my family’s travel adventures.
We, along with my cousins, had a camping allotment on the Rosebud foreshore.
Up to 20 people camped in tents with few comforts and loved it.
Most meals were cooked on the open fire using a wire cage. The meat mainly sausages and on good days mussels, flathead, calamari and occasionally scallops.
Mussels were boiled in salt water and vinegar and eaten with relish.
Apart from bathing in the calm waters of Rosebud we spent long days engaging in beach cricket with other camping families.
Uncle Jim had a bush oven in which he baked crusty and delicious loaves, buns and a variety of cakes and pastries.
As a teenager he had worked with Benny the baker’s famous continental bakery in Lygon Street.
One Easter we headed off to Wilsons Promontory with our relatives from Stratford.
This involved living in the wild as we virtually had to live off the land.
There was an abundance of game, fish and shellfish. Wild apples, pears and fig trees were appreciated.
The roar of the open sea meant you fell asleep in a few minutes and didn’t need any rocking.
The rock pools were great and safe areas to swim and always featured a rich supply of crabs and clams washed in with the tide.
Once I was married and with three children, forays to local beaches such as Torquay, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Point Lonsdale were treasured. Daily encounters with other people from Maryborough was the norm.
Many of our friends and neighbours took the road interstate to Queensland’s Gold Coast.
This was an adventure and was a dominant topic as the holidays approached.
The RACV booklets were wonderful guides as they outlined the trip in detail.
They provided accurate statistical information about the towns along the way.
As we neared Surfer’s Paradise the anticipation was overwhelming.
Our excitement was dimmed when we discovered on arrival that accommodation needed to be pre-booked and most proprietors didn’t live on the premises, and closed their offices at six.
We were forced to stay at the expensive Beachcomber overnight and stayed on for 10 nights.
Adam, my eldest son, featured on the front page of The Courier Mail behind Guy Leech, the winner of the first Coolangatta Gold tri-aquathon.
Unfortunately on the following day Adam was in agony after being stung by a jelly fish. Lifesavers applied vinegar to ease the pain.
Sea World was a highlight although I chose the most innocuous ride “the pirate ship” and I was petrified.
I learnt that even paradise has some misgivings.
Along the way we marvelled at the “Big Pineapple”, saw the “Dog on the Tucker Box” at Gundagai. In Southport we shopped at a massive sport’s warehouse owned by Lisa Curry’s family.
We arrived home exhausted but full of tales to tell and a healthy tan.
Today flights overseas to exotic destinations are common place, but I wonder if they had the same “sense of adventure”?