SYNOPSIS

Bonza Voyage© is a piece on non-fiction literature recalling the tale of my gap year in Australia. Written in a light-hearted, humorous and anecdotal way, the book not only provides an insightful piece of travel analysis, but also allows the reader experience the intense planning involved in organising such a huge event. With a defining three part structure, it is divided into sections dealing with my pre-departure research, my essential acclimatization into an intriguingly eccentric new culture, and finally the exciting adventure of individual travel. By integrating into this society with a voluntary job, I am able to finally reveal Australia’s exciting secrets along with its most exceptional characters, in a brutally honest but affectionate style. Finally, I take on the challenge of entering the unique psyche of the backpacker and explore the country from entirely different perspective, making Bonza Voyage© an essential item for any travel enthusiast.

Beginning on my first daunting night in Sydney, the book initially focuses on the overwhelming and somewhat confusing array of emotions experienced at such a defining moment in any trip. Sydney Opera house is in front of my eyes and even though its formidable presence is inspiring, it represents an intimidating gateway into the unknown. This is the defining moment in my journey, but before the reader has a chance to dwell, they are taken back a year prior to departure. The following four chapters constitute part one of Bonza Voyage© and concentrate primarily on my fight to escape the suffocating grasp of formal education in rural Northamptonshire. Having assessed the decisions that lead me to choose Australia as a suitable destination, I conduct a brief historical analysis of the country before discussing the various travel options available. With the security of an in-country agent and a guaranteed voluntary job upon arrival, I choose to travel with an English based company and reveal the shocking truth behind their assessment ordeal and recount my endless attempts to raise money by instigating various fund raising tasks.

Section two comprises of a further ten chapters, detailing the cultural impact of arriving on Australian soil and the dramatic transition to my job working as an outdoor activity instructor for a school camp, situated deep in The Alpine National Park east of Melbourne. Suddenly living in such severe isolation, I find myself stranded for three months without television, radio or even mains power. However, as these burdens of society are quickly forgotten about, I start to revel in the local’s strong sense of community and begin to truly appreciate the humbling environment in which they live. As I am accepted as an honorary countryman, life-long relationships are soon formed and I begin to indulge in the hidden, real Australia with the enthusiastic natives by my side. Exploring parts of forgotten Victoria and Melbourne during my free weekends, I develop a powerful attachment to my adopted home which makes it incredibly difficult to leave. 

The final thirteen chapters form the third part of Bonza Voyage© and concentrate on the individual backpacker experience. Having touched the country as a native, I am keen to tackle it from a tourist perspective and do so by conducting a tour of east coast – beginning in Cairns and travelling south by bus back to Sydney. Along the way, I try to get to grips with (all to no avail) the bizarre world of Aussie Rules football, the ballet at Sydney Opera house, how a town can be called Airlie Beach when it doesn’t have a beach, the Queensland awfully blunt sense of humour and sharing a toilet with thirty four hung-over backpackers on a tiny yacht. Combine that with a heart-stopping skydive, a thrilling scuba experience on The Great Barrier reef, a couple of close encounters with a crocodile and some of the most extravagantly exuberant characters on the planet, and Bonza Voyage really does capture the enchanting spirit of the long distant traveller.