After a very long overnight bus (the first of our trip!) up to Sydney, we were ready for a nice long nap. But instead, we treated ourselves to a nice 4 hour drive up to the town of Bungwahl where we were spending Christmas. Luckily driving on the left side of the road is second nature these days, we’re more worried about what it’s going to be like to go back to driving on the right!
Bungwahl
We were definitely missing our families this Christmas, but we were so fortunate to be invited into John’s friend Sam’s family for the holidays. John’s family hosted Sam as an exchange student for a couple weeks back in high school, so we joke that John was finally able to complete the exchange 12 years later. And we could not have asked for a better – or more Australian – way to spend Christmas.
Located truly in the middle of the jungle, Sam’s dad Keith’s house is an isolated oasis. So much so that it took about 10 minutes to drive down the driveway in our little rental car, we really could have used a 4WD!! With an outdoor shower that the occasional “harmless” python hangs out in (Australians have a way of describing terrifying critters as harmless), to a pool with periodic water dragons, to a surrounding jungle with any creature imaginable, we were really thrown into the Australian deep end. Our first day brought us an encounter with a brown snake in the yard (the most dangerous snake in Australia), a hike through the jungle that covered our feet in leeches (so gross!!), and a swim in the pool where Sam terrifyingly picked up a giant spider to show us. Not your typical Christmas Eve activities!
Christmas
Australian Christmases typically involve outside activities because it’s too hot to stay inside (summer Christmases are weird!) So on Christmas Day, we joined Sam at their family friends’ house where they usually have a Christmas meal. We thought Keith’s house had a long driveway, but it was nothing compared to Jill’s. You drive through 3 different habitats on the way to her house, the bush, a wetland, and then the jungle. It was so cool!
The meal was delicious, similar to an American Thanksgiving with a roast turkey and a bunch of sides. There was a group of about 15 of us (not including the 8 dogs). For dessert we got to try the traditional Australian Pavlova. It’s kind of like a meringue, very airy, almost marshmallow-y, quite tasty!
After lunch we went kayaking through a system of streams and channels in Jill’s expansive forested property. We learned her son used to be a kayak racer and these streams used to be his practicing ground. Surprisingly we didn’t have any dangerous animal encounters, but we did have a herd of dogs swimming/running along with us for the duration. It was a wonderful afternoon out on the water!
Activities
The typical morning routine was a delicious breakfast outside with the birds – and I really mean with the birds! We would eat at a table near the bird feeders and bring a little container of cheese for them to fly down and grab. Being in the middle of the jungle, they have a huge variety of birds that visit – and Keith and Sam know them all.
We visited several of the beautiful beaches in the area. One aptly named “lighthouse beach” has a nice lighthouse hike (but first you have to drive by the first beach named “first beach” and the second beach where you can launch your boats called “boat beach”).
Our last morning we did our final activity – snorkeling with the sharks. Now, if you asked me to name my top 5 fears they would probably include both sharks and deep water. So what a perfect activity, right?? But Sam and Keith made it sound so fun and safe, they take guests out there all the time, it was hard to resist the opportunity. We probably tested their patience more than most though 🙂 Neither of us are great swimmers, but for some reason I was feeling confident at the beginning while John took some time to warm up and gain his confidence. Then right when he started feeling better and we were really out in the deep end, that’s when I lost my confidence and requested we go back to shore. But despite all the drama, we did get to see one shark, a sting ray, so many fish, and a bunch of sea creatures I couldn’t name. We’re both so glad we went, but probably won’t become professional snorkelers in this lifetime.
If the rest of our time wasn’t adventurous enough, we also spent an afternoon doing archery. Another activity we probably won’t become pros at anytime soon, but it was super fun! John definitely blew Sam and I out of the water with his score, but he’s also the one who drew the target. Coincidence? And just to make the activity truly Australian we of course had to have a dangerous critter involved, so Sam found a bull ant under the tree we were standing under. Bull ants, I’ve since learned, are venomous enough to kill people with one bite. Of course they can!
We had such a fun week in Bungwahl with Sam and Keith, and we are so grateful to them for showing us a true Australian Christmas. It is one we will never forget!
Christine
