Something happened in Surfers Paradise which helped me to step away from who I thought I was meant to be and step into my truth. Until this moment, I allowed others to decree who I was. I was the chaotic, messy person who never really got anything right. Insignificant and small with no ability to speak up and be heard. I was also afraid of everything. Irrational fear which was not even of my own making was controlling my life and my decisions. But these were all just characteristics people had given me. They had absolutely nothing to do with who I really was. I didn’t even know who I was, but I was about to find out. 

Embracing the Journey

While this place was where my path to self-discovery began, staying here any longer would not help me to grow. It was time to move on and the next place on the list of destinations was Noosa. A small village along the coast with incredible beaches and untouched wilderness. Another place and another hostel but one familiar face which made it all a much brighter experience. Cleo was heading in the same direction as I was, so, our paths would naturally cross a few more times along the way before we would inevitably head in different directions, having learnt what we were brought together to learn. 

I spent one of the best days of my life in this small town. A day I remember with perfect clarity 20 years later. We decided to explore the area and set off with nothing more than our standard outfit, a bikini, a sarong and sandals for me flip flops for Cleo. We walked along the almost deserted and pristine beach for what seemed like hours. I say almost because we did have one rather memorable encounter along the way.

As it turned out, this beach was not just beautiful but also encouraged other natural beauty. We had no idea when we started walking the beach, but when a drop-dead gorgeous young man walked towards and then past us, wearing nothing more than a backpack and a smile we realised it was in fact a nudist beach. Now that the highlight of our day had disappeared into the distance, it was time for a photo session. Cleo was way ahead of the time and created Instagram moments long before Instagram could even have been imagined. We wrote our names and Australia into the sand and created pictures that I would cherish forever. 

Stepping into the Unknown and Beyond Limits

With no destination in mind or even an idea of which direction we were heading in, we left the beach and wandered into the Noosa national park. Walking and talking for hours, enjoying the scenery and the company. I felt no guilt for not training or at least looking for a ballet class to join. I was living in the moment for probably the first time in my life. It was a magnificent day and I had nowhere else to be and nothing more important to think about.

After a few hours of walking, we reached a beautiful small but rather fancy restaurant. I instantly felt out of place as though I was an imposter, I had no business being in a place like this. I never went to nice restaurants. But Cleo had no such insecurities and walked straight into the restaurant and asked for a table on the terrace overlooking the ocean. With my head down I followed and took strength from her confidence. After a little while I started to relax and enjoy the experience, realising that my feeling of unworthiness was only in my mind. Not a single person, not Cleo, not the hostess and not the waiter even questioned my presence in this beautiful place. 

After our wonderful meal, it was time to head back to the hostel, but the day was not over yet. The hostel had a lovely pool and we spent the rest of the evening enjoying it while talking about life and adventures. This was the first time that I had slowed down, stopped thinking about what I should be doing, and how I should be acting, I just existed in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about yesterday or planning tomorrow. I was present with the bright stars shining down on us, miles away from the life I had left behind in more ways than one. 

Keep Discovering New Places in the World And In Yourself

While this little town was beautiful it was also small, and we decided it was time to move on. We booked a combination deal which included a 3-day camping trip to Fraser Island and a 3-day sailing adventure in the Whitsunday Islands. A short bus trip later we arrived in Harvey Bay from where our trip to Fraser Island would leave. But as the trip was only leaving the following day and it was still early we had time to explore yet another Australian Town. We hired Bicycles from the Hostel to make our adventure a little more mobile! If only I had known at the time that this little town was made up of hills. We must have Cycled more Km that day than I had in my entire life combined until this moment. 

The Power of Confidence

Along our path was a Hostel that had the most incredible pool. Cleo decided it was time for a break and marched through the hostel and to the pool as though she had been staying there for weeks. I was mortified. We were not guests at this hostel, we couldn’t just walk in and use their pool. But Cleo knew that if you simply walked into a place with confidence as though you belong there, nobody would question it. So before embarking on the long ride back to our Hostel, we spent an hour, swimming and meeting new people from all over the world. People who had nothing more than their sense of adventure and freedom in common.