Re-Awakenings

My mum had a rough time with her health all her adult life. It didn't help that she worried a lot about it which only made things worse. My Dad gave up smoking when I was young (about 8). My mum continued to smoke and never discussed (to my knowledge) anything about giving it up until one day when I went to the movies with her. I was a teen at the time. She coughed up some blood. She always used to have a sickening rattly cough. She never had another cigarette from that day on. Now she really was sick, and with a terminal lung disease. After a long drawn out illness my mum passed away. It was similar to emphysema. I was in my 30's and raising small children. My dad had been through a lot as prime carer for her. It was kind of a relief when she finally passed. Not a good way to die folks. If you smoke, please try to give it up.

My dad, free from looking after my mum, started living a new, freer life. In all this he continued to enjoy nude times by the pool. He showed me his security/embarrassment saving system. He had installed an electronic warning mechanism at the side gate where people might arrive, so that he could slip into his shorts if his privacy was about to be compromised.

In about 1997 we moved to a house right on the bush. There was a back gate, a gate that led to freedom. I've always been keen on getting out into the bush. I started to get out there to pray. I would walk and explore while I was out there. One day I had the call of nature so I ducked off the track to a place that was secluded and took off my jeans. That seemed the only practical way to do it. It was a nice warm morning as the sun had climbed higher in the sky. It felt so good that I didn't want to put my jeans back on. Instead I took off my tee shirt. I just stayed out there like that just soaking it up sitting on a rock.

From then on I started going out there specifically to get it all off and enjoy the early morning sun while I prayed. Then while doing inspections around the metropolitan area for my work I would find bush areas to have nude picnics for lunch. Sometimes on my way home I would go somewhere remote just to have 10 minutes or so of nude relaxation. It was like medicine to me.

One day I told a Christian brother from my church about my going nude in the bush. He said that he didn't see anything wrong with that. He has never criticized my lifestyle from then to this day.

Through the Internet I learned a lot about nudism including Christian nudism and got involved with various groups, e.g., Naturist Christians, Fig Leaf Forum and of course the Sunny Day website. Through these websites I could relate to people in similar circumstances including those with non-nudist wives.

At home during the summer I usually just wore a pair of shorts and nothing else (except my glasses to see where I'm going). I would go for walks and explore the bush not far from home. As soon as I felt confident that no one was there I would slip off the shorts and keep exploring or go and sit in the sun. Sometimes I carried my shorts and sometimes I would stash them under a bush or rock outcrop. I have been there numerous times without any problems and always enjoy the fulfillment and relaxation that going free gives me. When home alone, all clothes are off. Sometimes my wife allowed me to stay that way, but more often than not she would eventually get annoyed about it and ask me to cover up. I used to go down to our backyard pool before dawn and have a dip. Sometimes my wife and I would have a skinny dip before bedtime. Our teenage kids would be eewwing all over the place about the thought of their parents being nude in the pool together. Soon after that the pool had to be decommissioned and demolished. That was basically out of our hands, being tenants and the pool being unsafe. The owner didn't want to spend what was needed to make it safe.

Going Public

After seven years of going it alone I was ready to bare all in mixed company. It was 2004 and a beach seemed to be the best venue for it. So I soon found an opportunity. I was due attend a church choir rehearsal and the location for this was a home not too far from the coast. I knew there was a clothing optional beach about 20 minutes from their house. I figured that I could visit the clothing optional beach after we finished practice. As we sang and practiced I could not stop thinking about where I was about to go. I remember thinking about how shocked some of them would be if they knew my next destination.

I drove there and parked my car, got my towel and backpack out and walked across a sporting field adjacent to a Naval Base. I had done some research prior to this day in order to find it. As I walked towards the beach with anticipation a thousand questions were firing off in my mind. I ventured out on a rock ledge clifftop to see if I could see the beach down below. I saw that there were a number of nude bodies laid out in the sun on a grassy area close to the sand on what was a relatively small beach. I found the track and climbed down to the beach with butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't so much scared. It was akin to an excited anticipation. I didn't have any big fears to overcome like some people do. The only thing that bothered me was the fact I was wearing clothes and needed to fit in as soon as I could. So I found myself a spot on the grass and got undressed at lightning speed.

I couldn't honestly remember how many people were there at the time. I've been so many times since. It struck me almost straight away how people socialized. Nothing like a clothed beach where everyone keeps to themselves. For those first few seconds as I walked away from my clothes with people all around me, I felt a little vulnerable. I was like a baby who was taking his first steps. “Look I'm walking.” Only in this case “Look I'm walking nude.” Almost at once I was okay with it. The feeling of freedom was exhilarating. No longer in the secluded bush. I could see sailboats on Sydney harbour. I could see Balmoral Beach just a kilometre away. And I could feel the breeze and sun all over at the same time. It struck me as a surreal kind of conflict of experiences. Familiar scenery, but enjoying it without clothes and all sanctioned by law. For once I wasn't sneaking around out of sight of people. I was free to wander this beach, go for a swim, relax and not have anything to worry about except sunburn.

I saw a man who appeared to be a regular, almost official looking, brown as a berry sitting on the grassy knoll. I introduced myself and proudly announced that it was my first social nude experience. I later found out that he was regarded as the unofficial overseer of the beach. One guy termed it right describing him as the mayor of Cobblers Beach. He seemed to be there every day of the year.

I must have been a bore. It seemed that with everyone I met I told the same thing. I should have hung a sign on me. I'M A FIRST TIMER. I couldn't help my excitement. It’s like when I became a father for the first time. I just couldn't contain myself. In reality I probably spoke to 5 or 6 people. I had a swim and swooned in that feeling of water flowing all over my body uninterrupted. I was pondering how I felt about being in the company of nude men and women. It felt completely normal to me. This was how swimming was meant to be done. While I was nearby to the "Mayor", a young European woman greeted him and was chatting away. I noted her even tan. She had a confidence that reflected growing up where nudity is so much more accepted. As they chatted I caught myself out glancing down and noticing that she had prominent genitals. “Don't stare,” I said to myself. That was the only time I had to rein myself in. Since then I find the disarming effect of simple nudity so good. It's clothes that cause so many problems with lust. Somehow, and I can't understand why, but social nudism normalizes me and settles any distractions I may have from females. Satan uses clothing and clothes consciousness to get people to do his bidding. A life lived without clothes can be much simpler, healthy, spiritual and more in touch with nature. I left the beach and headed home, feeling quite happy with my adventure.

I hadn't told my wife about it. When I did break the news to her she got upset and threatened me to never do it again or else. She didn't like the idea of her husband being seen nude by other women. Her attitude gradually changed over the next few months and she came to accept my visiting CO beaches. That was pretty amazing, considering her first reaction. She had softened her stance but maintained that she wasn't too happy about it. She said, "My interest in Nudism puts a strain on our marriage."

That got my attention. I realised upon hearing this that I needed to be balanced in my life and not overly hooked on my interest in being nude. Indeed I did struggle with this, but she is my soul mate, my best friend in this world. How can I upset our relationship with this new intrusion on it? I tried to find ways to get her interested in joining in, but it was "No way José." There have been some interesting things happen with her about this issue, and I hope to include them here somewhere. They involve her being present at a nude beach and at a resort. Watch this space.

After some time I managed to start going fairly regularly to this and other CO beaches. If she rang me while I was there I would tell her and she would say how lucky I was and that she was envious. I get rostered days off one day per fortnight, so she would be stuck in the office while I was enjoying myself. When she would say she wished she was there she didn't really mean at a CO beach, but a textile one.

On subsequent visits to the beach I saw and met some amazing and interesting people. Cobblers Beach does get a larger number of men than women but it doesn't mean that women don't go. I've even seen women come along who kept their nudist husbands company while remaining in a swimsuit. One thing that stands out to me is the acceptance of all kinds of people with flaws. I've seen very large women not being self conscious but really enjoying themselves. Awesome. I've seen breast cancer survivors. Old gentlemen struggling down to the beach with walking sticks. You name it, I've seen it. I've met all kinds of people. Things have happened and I've learned things about myself and about life that may never have happened otherwise.

Lessons I Learned About Nudity and Lust

On one of those early visits I remember leaving the beach to head home. There had been an average group of people and a more even mix of men and women. I decided to stop for morning tea. I was peckish and wanted to get something from the patisserie. Two girls in short dresses or skirts walked in at the same time. I found myself checking out their bare legs. As a red blooded male I could be brought undone by short skirts. Whoa, I thought to myself. This is the first time that day that I had taken more than a passing glance at a female. I had just spent a couple of hours in the company of all kinds of people including nice looking women, all of them nude. It really struck me as amazing. They say "Clothes maketh the man?" I say "Certain women's clothing maketh the man lust." I'm sure you males who are reading this can relate. And those of you who are experienced male nudists probably have similar stories.

The very act of hiding genitals, bottoms and breasts is one of Satan’s weapons. Our culture and laws back him up. He has all the ammunition he needs. He promises that there is this big secret prize. Men pursue it, and are mezmerized by the prize and all the other hidden parts along the way. I think breasts are lovely and a woman's shape, in as much as it curves this way and that, is also lovely, but personaly I think North American men have too much of a fixation on breasts. Now back to my theorising. Strip tease has been around since Herod and probably way back beyond then. I saw it done once when I was 19. When the last item came off and the woman stood there as if to say well here it is, I thought, "What? Is that all?" It turns out, the "prize" is the humble unobtrusive vulva, sometimes decorated with pubic hair. The abscence of which being currently fashionable among non-nudists, nudists and adult video stars in western cultures. Just a passing fad I think. Anyway it was all very neat and tidy. I felt let down. She just looked like my mum. The only nude female I had seen in the flesh, not having had sisters as I grew up. Now I'll get down off that soapbox.

Out and About and Family Ties

We had a trip to Queensland where I would get to spend some of the time alone while my wife and her sister would get one-to-one time for part of the holiday. I planned to visit my brother's farm for two nights and a small nudist resort for two nights. Before we got to the destination where the girls would stay for the whole two weeks, we spent one night at my oldest brother's place near to Brisbane. As I talked with him about my new lifestyle he mentioned that the other brother and his wife were nudists and that they had bought the farm in a remote area to take advantage of the privacy that it offered. I was flabbergasted and excited at the same time. The brother telling me the news didn't out himself to me at the time but he had also dabbled in it. He had been to a local resort to do repair work. A little later he told me that he and his partner had visited at least one resort together. Unfortunately she became ill with some kind of physical reaction. Either coughing or sneezing or maybe even vomiting (I can't recall the details). That spoiled their visit and they left the place. So that just leaves one brother who hasn't had any kind of nudist leanings. There was this one time though when he agreed to go ahead of me on a return walk from a waterfall so that I could do it nude. If anyone was coming the other way he was to call out "hurry up" as a warning signal to slip on my shorts. Nobody did come so it was a wonderful stroll in a beautiful place. I don't think he will become one of us though. He is in a very conservative group.

I couldn't wait to get to that farm and tell them about myself and that I was about to stay at a resort. When I left the women at Noosa and got to the farm I announced the venue I was going to visit after staying with them, thus outing myself. We immediately got into a conversation about all the places they had been and how they came to be nudists. They explained how they carefully picked out the property and what great features it has for living life in the nude. The next morning I got a nude tour of the farm. I stayed nude for most of my stay there, except when it got too cold at night. For me it was paradise. Little did I know that I would be back there in two months time staying for two months of spring/summer. I had the opportunity to stay there alone for the morning while they went to a birthday celebration up the coast. They left very early in the morning and I had the place to myself. The only thing was that a friend of theirs was due to come over later that day and feed the cattle their hay and molasses. She was known to be nude around places where she felt comfortable but wasn't experienced in social nudism. So I stayed and explored for a little while but left before she was due to arrive. Besides all that I had another important appointment. My first resort visit.

While staying with them, my brother explained how their son-in-law's parents had been living next door for a couple of years and that they were nudists. My sister-in-law would go over for a visit and find them nude and would sit around chatting with them unperturbed. It was my brother who first went nude. After he had gained some experience of it they were invited to go with them to an island close to the Queensland coast. He went for a walk with the husband and doffed his shorts. When they arrived back at the camp/picnic spot she was nude. She never looked back from then on. As time went on, both couples wanted to be able to have a freer lifestyle around their properties. That's when they found the special place up the coast. Nowadays the other couple are grey nomads and go from nude resort to nude resort, hauling their caravan. My brother and his wife have divorced (both still nudists). My oldest brother has passed away.

First Resort or Retreat

I headed to my next new nude experience - a small resort. In fact it was tiny. I had driven past it on the way to the farm and saw that it must be about 1 acre. It had high fences around it. I went to the gate and rang the bell. A man in a sarong came out to the gate to let me in. I introduced myself to Bill (the owner) and got in the car to drive in. I thought about how I might stand out as different if I was slow to get undressed. It was like "How quickly can I get out of my clothes?" Anyway, I parked the car beside the caravan I would be staying in as Bill directed me. I then got out and peeled off my tee shirt and dropped my shorts and stepped out of them. Then I threw my clothes into the car never to be needed again until I left. I was introduced to Bill's wife. She was a lovely friendly lady who made me feel right at home. She introduced me to the couple staying next to me and then to some of the others around. The couple next to me were in their 30's, the rest were grey nomads and older than me. Being new to nudism I still had a number of lessons to learn. When I was introduced to the 30's couple I took note that she was slim and attractive and did sneak a look at her nether regions. Why? What was I thinking? I don't know why this happened. It is something I've already done with. I guess we aren't all perfect. At least not all of the time. They probably didn't notice that glance but my conscience took a hit. It's funny. More and more as I experience social nudism, I see people, warts and all. Sometimes you look at a bunch of nude people and think, “They are not men, women and children, they are just people. Humans.” I spent the rest of my time there feeling somewhat ashamed of that glance and did my best to always look her in the eyes when in conversation. And also because she was attractive I made an effort not to pay her too much attention so as be a good example. I was acutely aware that being there as a "single" meant that I needed to act in an exemplary way, as singles (especially males) often aren't allowed to visit certain nudist establishments.

They told me that at 5:00 pm there would be "Happy Hour" in the recreation room. Happy Hour! What was that? I was about to be introduced to a nudist tradition I hadn't heard of. Someone explained to me that each person would contribute some kind of food or drink to a little social get together. I felt so bad that I wasn't prepared for this. If only I had known about it I could have brought wine along with me. This place was a long way from the nearest town centre where I could buy alcohol and I didn't want to waste my time jaunting all over the countryside when I was supposed to be relaxing at a resort. Anyway I brought what snack food I had which wasn't much and I was offered some wine for which I was extremely grateful. It was great to experience nudists socializing and getting to know one another. They were so friendly and open. Everyone knew that I was a beginner and they did their best to make me feel at home. It was fun getting to know them all. I was surprised how open and real they were and able to talk about anything. The older retired couples were interesting, especially one where the husband was a retired policeman. Boy did he have some stories to tell and he was quite a fun person. The life of the party. His wife, poor soul had gone through struggles early in their nudism due to being a bit overweight. Her body issues were very real to her. But she had overcome much and seemed to really enjoy the nudist lifestyle. Her husband recalled how as they would camp up and down the coast they would sometimes be in textile caravan parks and sometimes in nudist retreats. One morning she stepped out of the caravan and was half way to the shower block when he called her back to tell her to put something on as they were in a textile park!

It was rather cold at night there in this place. Being the middle of winter I expected Queensland to be warmer than that. We had all gone to the recreation room with some clothes on because of the cold evening air. The fireplace had heated up the room after some time and I wanted to be free of the clothes I had on. So I stripped off. That was the cue for everyone else and in no time at all we were all happily in our best suits. The 30's couple left early while we partied on into the night. They had just been reunited after he had worked a spell away from home and they had some marital business to take care of. They both seemed pretty keen about that. Again the openness of nudists showed through. Good on them.

In the morning it seemed to take forever to warm up. I went for my morning walk. Unfortunately I would have to do it clothed. I couldn't walk around in circles in that tiny campsite. I headed out and walked the neighbourhood for an hour. After breakfast I went for a shower. I loved the shower idea. The shower area is indoors but the whole front of the area had glass sliding doors. You take your shower where everyone can see. Why need to hide? At home I have a door from the bathroom that opens to the backyard. I stand and dry myself while looking out into the bush. I love that.

By mid-morning the sun was above the trees enough to make sunbathing quite enjoyable. So I relaxed and enjoyed it. Later on after lunch a day visitor arrived. He was a regular at that place. We both shared our experiences with having wives who weren't into nudism. The spa was a great place to relax and chat. The pool was not heated so swimming was out of the question. That afternoon some of us got together for boules. I had never played it before so it was a fun experience. As we played on it started to cool down for the evening. After a while I found that I was the only one not wearing clothes. Kind of like those dreams that I used to have of being naked in a public place. As I stood talking to a couple of them I couldn't help feeling out of place. They being dressed, I being undressed. I mentioned the feeling and they agreed that sometimes one can feel awkward in that situation. I thought about it and decided that I would never allow that feeling to bother me in the future. I remember once getting ready to leave a nude beach and I was talking with a young woman after I had gotten dressed. At one point she moved a little funny and I realised that she was feeling vulnerable because I was dressed. I don't like making people feel uncomfortable so I finished up the conversation, said goodbye to all and headed home. She wasn't an experienced nudist. She was a model who goes there to work on her tan. As nudists we have to be perceptive to people's feelings.

All during my visit to this retreat I was discussing the situation regarding my wife not wanting to be a nudist and how she put up with my nudity and visiting nude beaches. I hadn't told her I was visiting this resort. She only knew of my brother's "nude" farm. They said that I need to be open with her about everything and see how it goes with her. When I said my goodbyes the next morning to Bill and his wife and those who were still there, Bill's wife was very encouraging and said that she would be a reference for me if I ever stay at other places. As I left and got out to the highway I noticed that my mobile phone finally had reception. I called my wife and proudly announced where I had been staying. "So you really are a nudist then," was the reply. When I rejoined my wife and her sister at Noosa I warned them to knock if they came back from anywhere (the beach or shops) while I was at the apartment alone. It had a fairly private balcony even though it was on a busy street. I enjoyed sunbathing there a number of times. Also I had a problem of waking up early and not being able to get back to sleep. So I would get up and sit and read in the living room in my best suit. We all enjoyed that holiday. The two sisters had a great time together. I had a great nude time. And then we had a great time for the rest of the holiday, walking, sunning and even swimming in the ocean. It was bearable once you got in. Winter in Queensland is similar to winter in Florida. It felt good that my wife had made me officially a nudist by her saying so.

Living in Paradise

My brother who has the farm had been working on a dam construction project for about a year and a half doing the payroll. He had told me about it when I stayed there in July. Early in September he called me up out of the blue and said "We need someone with your skills at the dam. The project manager would like you to come and work for 2 or 3 months to help finish the work in the design office." I was working for a large semi-government organization at the time. I just laughed when he put the idea to me. "How in the world was my employer going to let me take time off to go and work in Queensland?" I just thought it would be impossible to pull off. "Tell him he's dreamin'". He rang me the next day and asked me again. I would love to do something like that but it seemed like it was on another planet. Not a part of my reality, buddy. Anyway, I told my supervisor about this outlandish suggestion and he thought for a moment. "Maybe we could do something about it. The workload is down for the moment while we wait for approval on new projects." He spent some time checking through everything and in a day or so he said, "Go for it."

I couldn't believe it. Here I was heading north. I would be away from the love of my life for 9 weeks. We had been married 29 years and never spent more that 2 weeks apart. How would we cope with that? We decided that one of us would fly to see the other half way through my time away. In no time at all I was on the plane heading up there and doing something I never expected. The other exciting thing that was going on in my head the whole time was that I could live clothes free on the farm. There was a little bit of a restriction on that. They have a 15 year old daughter living with them. The other children were older and had already left home. She insisted that I be covered in her presence in the house. So I wore a sarong when we had dinner or watched TV at night. I was staying in a caravan beside the house. While outside I very rarely ever wore anything. She was pretty much an inside person and if she happened to come outside unexpectedly she put up with my state of undress and didn't complain. It’s pretty difficult to go running around looking for something to put on, so why bother. Anyway it became an unwritten rule that outside was naked territory. If her dad could be nude why couldn't I?

Every morning I would get up early and go for a brisk walk. I was in the habit of doing this with my wife at home. The only difference now was that I could do it sans clothes. I explored all over the farm and always walked to the front gate. If a car came by I would just stand behind a tree. I often saw kangaroos and they wouldn't hang around long when I got there. While exploring I found that I was not putting in the work on keeping fit like I should be. It turned out that I gained 5 kilos during my stay there. I had more glasses of wine than normal, started having deserts, and ate what they ate. I had lost 6 kilos prior to going there, so I was almost back to square one. At home we also have good steep hills to get the heart rate going. The farm was fairly flat land.

It was a long day working at the site office at the dam. Ten hours is a long time. Fortunately I was fairly busy most days and that helped pass the time. Each afternoon when we traveled back (half hour drive) I just couldn't wait to be naked. Sometimes when we stopped for me to open the gate I just stripped off and walked from there in freedom. The dam was to be called Paradise Dam after a town that used to occupy the site in the 1800's. I thought paradise really existed half an hour from there. On our days off we built some farm fences for the cattle on the farm. My brother was sensible and wore protective clothing. I often didn't wear anything except sunscreen and a hat. I didn't get anything caught on the barbed wire if you were wondering. My brother reckoned that I was in the honeymoon stage of nudism because I would get nude at any opportunity wherever we were.

Also on our days off my sister-in-law would lend me her 4WD vehicle to explore the region. I went to a number of beaches and went nude as often as possible. There aren't any legal clothing optional beaches in Queensland and yet lots of people there love to skinny dip or get around nude at home. We all went to a BBQ with some nudist friends of theirs. It was a pleasant time. I even went exploring on their farm. They used to run the place as a nude camping ground but gave it up when one of their elderly parents moved in to see out her days.

We went to another BBQ in a less secluded place with most of the same crowd plus some others. There we enjoyed playing pool and had some great conversations. My brother can't take too much sun but his wife goes brown.

My wife came to visit at last as planned. We stayed in a resort bungalow on the coast for the first night together. It was great and she wasn't trying too hard to cover up as we almost had the place all to ourselves. When we went to the farm I encouraged her to come for the walk with me. She wore a sarong. I wore my sarong until the first gate and left it there. She didn't want me to be nude in my sister-in-law's presence while she was with us. My niece was staying with friends in town. After we had gone 80% of the way she took off her sarong and was topless. She had to wear undies because it was that time of the month. Little did she know but the place where she did this can be seen from the road. But there is hardly any traffic especially in the morning. All too soon she had to be leaving. So I drove her to the airport and farewelled her. Now to face another long stretch without the love of my life.

There were a couple of firsts for me while I was there. One was my first nude bike ride. That was fun. I always wanted to go on the WNBR (World Naked Bike Ride) but it doesn't do very well here as the authorities are fairly intolerant of any public nudity and they place tough restrictions on participants. I would love to do it in New Zealand. The laws there and the laid back attitude towards outdoor nudity allow nudists an amazing amount of freedom. A number of nudists are able to get away with going on long hikes and don't scramble to cover up when others pass by. They wear a friendly smile. On my last weekend at the farm I went to a beach that I hadn't bothered to visit because it seemed a little bit far to drive. When I got there I was blown away. There is a national park running along the back of the beach all the way south as it stretched away from the suburb that fronted the beach. All I had to do was keep walking south until I was all alone and voila, there I was, nude and free. I noticed a couple of people heading the same way and went and hid out in the sand dunes until they passed. I couldn't make out who these two people were when I first saw them and thought, "What if its two men and they assault me?"

So I wasn't taking any chances out here all alone. When they got closer I could see that it was a man and a woman. They passed and continued on for about five hundred metres before they chose a spot. I went for a swim and enjoyed the experience. Then a jet ski race was the next interruption. I went into the dunes while the noisy brigade passed by. There must have been about thirty or forty of them. After enjoying some sunbathing for a while I noticed another couple coming along the beach. I had been thinking about how private this end of the beach was and how it must be a favorite for nudists as the couple that first went passed were happily enjoying themselves free of clothes. So I decided that anyone who sees me there will have to accept me as I am because nudity is accepted here.

This next couple was gradually getting closer. I went in for a dip and went and laid on the towel again. After a few minutes I looked up and I could see them more clearly and surprise, surprise, they were nude as they walked along. When they came past we met and exchanged pleasantries like good social nudists do. They were on holiday from Austria and were returning to one of their favorite beaches before going back to Europe. They had just come from New Zealand. We discussed nudism and the illegality of nude bathing in Queensland (verboten yah). I suspect that nude bathing in Queensland is practiced by a bigger number of people than in New South Wales where we have a number of legal nude beaches.

After they said their goodbyes and went on down the beach past the other couple the Jet Ski race was making its way back from wherever they had gotten to. They were quite spread out by this time and I didn't try to hide or cover up. Some looked and pointed (where it was two people on the one Jet Ski) but others didn't even notice or bat an eyelid. I make it sound like this experience was all about interruptions. I found the whole thing a fantastic nude experience. I was just kicking myself that I hadn't come here earlier during my nine weeks in this area. I had visited various beach areas, carefully going nude and undetected. This place was a beach paradise. These beaches are in the lee of Fraser Island which shelters them from the full force of the Pacific waves. So they aren't always such good beaches. This one was perfect though. Great for swimming.

A four wheel drive vehicle came along the beach. There wasn't much room for it because of the high tide. I decided that they would be expecting to see nude people as they drove along. When they passed there were two guys in the front and two girls in the back. The girls were having a good old giggle with each other as they looked. "Childish," I thought. It was time to leave. I figured that I had been given almost too much of a dose of sun despite using blockout. So I started walking north with nothing on just to see how far I could get before civilization. As I walked I came across a nude man who invited me to stop for a chat. He was pleasant enough and we chatted for a while before I continued my trek back along the beach. When I saw a family who were clothed I wrapped my sarong around and continued all the way back to my car. I thought that they would know I was a nudist because of the sarong, but at least they had nothing to be offended by. "I'm a nudist and proud of it," was what I was thinking.

The Life Back Home, River Island, etc.

It was 2006 and my wife and daughter were preparing to go to New Zealand to visit family over Easter. They would be away for two weeks. My wife said "You should visit one of your nudie resorts while we are away." I replied, "Well I have been making plans there already. Thanks for thinking of me." I dropped them off at the airport on Saturday morning and headed straight for River Island Nature Retreat. I arrived and got to meet Ray who I had contact with on the internet. He was well organized with his camping arrangements. He had a special camper trailer and turned out to be fairly self-sufficient. He explained that his wife was not at all interested in nudism and that on weekends like this they each did their own thing. He introduced me to a lovely couple who he knew from previous visits. I did some bushwalking that first afternoon, exploring up the river. Back at the pool area I met a number a nice people. Again I was amazed at how friendly nudists are.

The next day Ray and the other couple invited me to join them in a 4WD adventure on the 4WD training area. We went over there and picnicked. At one point in trying to get up a steep bank they were having trouble so I ran off down along the creek to see if I could find an easier way up the bank. When I got back both vehicles had made it up. We enjoyed a great night that night with entertainment laid on with dancing and the usual party atmosphere. Unfortunately for me I found I had a problem with the volume. My ears couldn't really take it. I MUST be getting old! Anyway some people were still enjoying the spa's (jacuzzi's), sauna and warm pool, so I joined in with that and had a great time. I had a great conversation with some women there in one of the spa's and I didn't know it but I must have touched a chord with at least one of them. We were discussing image issues that women have and I mentioned that I thought women in general look beautiful when they smile because it comes from within. I talked about my marriage and the fact that we were 2000 km apart and it was our 30th wedding anniversary and here I was in a spa with all women in it. What would non-nudists think of that? As far as I was concerned I was feeling quite at home. I'm more comfortable around women. I don't know why that is so. It might be my aversion to the macho way that some men behave and I'm not into competitive situations. The fact that we were all dressed as the day we were born was a non-issue. We were just a bunch of people.

The next morning, most people were getting ready to leave as it was the Easter Monday. I still had a whole week of time off work and no particular plans. I was planning on staying on for a day or so and then set off to explore the south coast for some good skinny dipping spots. Anyway, one of the women I had been chatting with caught up with me and introduced her husband. She reminded me of some of the things I had said the night before and recommended a book on marriage to me. She was a sex therapist.

The woman's husband invited me to travel to the next resort he was heading for way up the coast. It was called Twin Falls. She was to fly up and meet him after doing some work commitments. So I jumped in the car and drove home which takes two hours. I then took an hour to rest (not sleep though). The trip from there was to be another 4 to 5 hours. Before getting in the car and heading off, I called ahead to see if I would be allowed to stay, being an unattached male. They said I could come and said they would give me more specific directions when I called from Wauchope which is close by to them. I arrived in the dark and went into the house and met the two couples who were staying that night. They were sitting around the dining table chatting and having fun. The guy who invited me hadn't arrived yet. He eventually arrived and set up his camper before joining us. I was going to stay in the old cabin in the camping area. My plan was to stay for two nights and then travel slowly back down the coast to home.

The next morning I had a great time chatting with the guy over breakfast in the outdoor cooking and eating area. The other couples packed up and said their goodbyes. He was leaving as well and was heading for Glenreagh retreat for the next night and invited me to come. But I declined and said my farewells.

Later in the morning a day visitor arrived and we shared the pool. The proprietors were fond of him and wondered that his wife hadn't come. It was a pleasant relaxing day and I certainly enjoyed being there. I was invited for morning tea at the house and enjoyed more socializing. That night I had dinner with the proprietors, she being an excellent Asian cook. It was a lovely time.

Early on my last morning I decided to hike their trails and hiked up the ridge well beyond their property. Since then they have to discourage guests from venturing that far naked. I guess some of the neighbours got some surprises.

Back to River Island for the October long weekend

My sister-in-law came over from New Zealand to spend a week with us at Coffs Harbour. We took the opportunity to get her out walking and working on getting back her lost fitness. She used to do a lot of swimming and hiking but one thing and another had slowed her down. She was the inspiration for my wife to start losing all that weight when she had become diabetic two years earlier by getting her out walking.

I had been preparing for a primary school reunion (40 years) which required me to fly home and attend the reunion on the Saturday. I planned to visit River Island for the Sunday and Monday. I borrowed my father's car once I got back from the airport. The reunion was a blast. Talk about aging. Still we all had a fun time.

I got up early and headed down. I had breakfast on the way there. It was exciting to be going there again. Would my new friends be there again? I arrived and found Ray had set up his camping trailer in the same location as last time. I quickly caught up with the couple who we picnicked with at Easter. I spent time in the noodle pool and caught up with another couple who I had made friends with at Easter. It was a beautiful day. Pleasantly warm. I set off for a hike up the zigzag track and took photos looking over the valley from a good vantage point two thirds the way up. I didn't venture any higher. I needed to get back and avoid getting too much sun out there. On the way back I met a fellow who was working in a related trade to myself and we had a good conversation about nudism and life's issues. We said our goodbyes and I crossed the river to rejoin the social activities around the pool.

That night there was a band again. I had enjoyed some time in and out of the spas and sauna. I joined my friends and got into a couple of glasses of wine and nibbles. I got up and danced a few times. I was one of the few who remained unclothed. Karin was a lady who was staying the same way. After some more wine I was less self-conscious about my dorky attempts at dancing. At one point I was dancing next to Karin and decided to pull out all the stops and just jumped around like mad. She gave me this funny look as if to say "I don't know what kind of dance you think you're doing. But yeah go ahead and be yourself." I was feeling liberated. All my life I've been stiff and self-conscious when dancing. Here I was, enjoying it for me, without a care for what anyone thought and I was vulnerably naked to boot. I think Karin inspired me too because she was not afraid to just jump around and be a clown.

END - Part 2 of 3

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