- 2 hours ago
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00:25Check this out, I got bush soap!
00:28It would be nice to have a shower, go out on a date with my wife, to hug my kids.
00:33The difference between winning this or not is whether you can bring in food.
00:38And I've got some pretty elaborate ways of doing that.
00:41I'm losing energy because I'm uncomfortable and I need to fix that.
00:46It's been many years since I got out of the army.
00:49Maybe I'm not as mentally resilient as I thought I'd grown to be.
00:56Fuck, what am I doing out of here?
01:00I'm officially tapping out.
01:03We're halfway to the South Pole. We're going to be totally alone.
01:08It's Tasmania, it's cold, it's rain, it's snow.
01:12We're all going to leave changed forever.
01:17Holy fuck.
01:19Yeah!
01:19What is this place?
01:22It's like a can poo from hell.
01:24Mother Nature's kicking my ass.
01:26Oh man!
01:30This experience...
01:31Oh you fucker!
01:33...is just as much a mind game...
01:35Oh my heart!
01:36...as it is a survival game.
01:38Check it out!
01:40$250,000 prize would change my life.
01:44Woohoo!
01:45Woohoo!
01:46It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it comes at a cost.
01:52Holy shit.
01:54Holy shit.
01:56Holy shit.
01:58Holy shit.
02:10How did you get home at tijd?
02:11Horu?
02:12.
02:30I'm not really into gulf, but here goes.
02:41Hit it too far.
02:46This is by far the nicest day, it's just blue all around.
02:59So after a whole bunch of work, my kayak is complete.
03:06Alright, so here's the kayak.
03:08I'm really quite happy with how it looks on the outside.
03:13Good tension.
03:16I'm going to roll her over.
03:19So you can see all of the lacing I did last night.
03:24It took forever.
03:26But it was worth it.
03:28Look at that.
03:31To burn the holes in the side of the tarpaulin, I had to get a fire going.
03:39You can go straight in the middle because you're behaving.
03:41And then I had to heat up the billy handle and then use that like a hot poker to put
03:47the
03:47holes through.
03:49And that worked really well.
03:51Oh, easy peasy.
03:53And then I used inner paracord to lace the edges.
03:59Oh, perfect.
04:01That worked even better than I thought it would.
04:06Man, there's a bloody lot of work in that.
04:11Yeah, but it's going to make a big difference.
04:14I mean, for the first time since being here, I can explore my area.
04:19Troll my line.
04:20All these opportunities just get opened up with having a kayak.
04:26I can't wait to get it in the water.
04:30Okay, I'm just going through for a little preparations.
04:34It's pretty important that this kayak operates as planned because there's a lot riding on
04:40it.
04:41It's going to be heavy.
04:42I'm just grabbing it.
04:52It's a good time.
04:53It floats.
04:55My strategy is to prioritise food above all else.
05:00And I really haven't eaten anything since I got here.
05:05So the kayak to me is a very, very important survival tool.
05:12Right.
05:14I do have to be careful because the bottom of the kayak is just tarpaulin.
05:19So the slightest rub on a rock will slice it and cause a leak and be very, very difficult
05:25to fix.
05:27Getting my butt in is the tricky thing.
05:36Okay.
05:55All right, let me know how that's scraping.
06:00You know, a watch coming.
06:00You know, it's every day!
06:03All right, now I'm floating.
06:10Bloody fishing nods in the lady way.
06:27Ah, that's better.
06:29Get my centre of gravity lower towards the bottom of the bait.
06:42It's stuck.
06:47Dead wood right under my nose.
06:59I want to break free.
07:02Yes.
07:06Oh, stinking.
07:07Oh, stinking.
07:07Oh, stinking.
07:10Oh, stinking.
07:25Oh, stinking.
07:25Oh, stinking.
07:26Oh, stinking.
07:26Oh, stinking.
07:27Oh, stinking.
07:27Oh, stinking.
07:28Oh, stinking.
07:28Oh, stinking.
07:29Oh, stinking.
07:41Good morning.
07:42It was so fucking beautiful waking up to a day of full sunshine.
07:51Guess what?
07:53My shelter was warm last night.
07:56It was so warm, I got to take off my band, which is amazing.
08:02Because my horrible itchy thighs aren't terribly horrible and itchy.
08:09Sleeping naked in the possum fur is ridiculously fabulous.
08:15How glamorous.
08:16How glamorous is that?
08:21Not your normal idea of suffering away on alone.
08:31Remember how I couldn't do up my pants today?
08:39Guess what?
08:40I can do up my pants.
08:43Kind of.
08:45All right.
08:46It's not the most comfortable doing up at the decks, but they stay up.
08:54So the good thing about that is my pants do up.
08:59The not so good thing about that means I have lost a metric fuck ton of weight.
09:05I reckon I'm coming up on 10 kilos.
09:08For me to fit into these, it means I'm almost losing a kilo a day.
09:14That's a lot.
09:15That's a lot I don't actually want to lose.
09:19Like I came in thinking I've got 30 kilos to lose.
09:22And I knew that I would burn a whole bunch of calories making this shelter,
09:27but I can't sustain that.
09:33I feel so, so, so glad I came in with the strategy that I did, which was to just blast
09:43the shelter right away.
09:47I'd be so sad right now if I had all of that work ahead of me.
09:53Shelter's the number one thing, number one priority in survival.
09:58But now it's time to go out and actually find some food.
10:02Oh, that's so exciting.
10:05I'm going to eat something today.
10:08That's what I'm doing today.
10:10Today I'm going to eat something.
10:11I'm going to eat something.
10:26That's wasn't expected.
10:39Dry bag.
10:46Right, so, I'm interested to know what happened there.
10:50Obviously.
10:57It's critical that I get this kayak fixed.
11:07The biggest threat for me here is starvation.
11:11I need some bloody food.
11:33Morning, everyone.
11:35Guess what day it is.
11:38Double fucking digits.
11:42And you know what?
11:43Have a look at this.
11:46Blue sky.
11:48We got a blue sky day today.
11:53So today, we're going to go hunting for yabbies.
11:57Yo beauty!
11:59Let's go.
12:01Let's go.
12:02Let's go.
12:03Let's go.
12:04Let's go.
12:05Woo!
12:05Woo!
12:05Woo!
12:06Woo!
12:07Woo!
12:11Wow!
12:12Look at this.
12:13Isn't this just incredible?
12:15We've gone like two metres.
12:16And look how pretty it is.
12:23What a rainforest paradise.
12:26Look at that.
12:29It is a dream.
12:31It's a dream!
12:35Oh, bloody check this out.
12:40Have a go at that.
12:42There's a bloody waterfall here.
12:44It's not big, but it's bloody awesome.
12:47And it's perfect water for yabbies.
12:50This is it.
12:51We're going to park up here for a bit.
12:53Try and get some yabbies and that in there.
12:57See if I just put that right in the middle there, nice and slow.
13:02And let that sink down.
13:06Hopefully there's a yabby under that rock ledge there or somewhere.
13:10And he's going to get a scent of that tasty seafood and come running out.
13:17And then I'm going to pounce.
13:21I love this place so much.
13:24So much.
13:26My time in the army left me with PTSD and anxiety.
13:30And it's taken me many, many years to sort of, you know, work out the triggers.
13:36It's so intense.
13:38I'm not big on busy, noisy places.
13:42I get anxious when I see ambulance or fireys, you know, sirens.
13:47Come on.
13:48And when I'm out in the bush, there's no stresses.
13:51There's no triggers.
13:52There's no anxieties.
13:54For me, being in nature is the best thing for my mental health.
13:58It's not looking good here, guys.
14:01Maybe that bait isn't enticement enough.
14:03He's a bit scared.
14:04So what I'll do is just try and feel around with me hands.
14:20Nah.
14:21All right.
14:23Let's get out of here.
14:26Don't even care about the food.
14:28Well, I do, but I'm not even disappointed.
14:32Just angry.
14:34Nah.
14:38Surely if we keep having this positive vibe and good attitude, working hard, good things will happen.
14:47It will.
14:48I know it will.
15:17It's an audience never.
15:18But I will be liking this.
15:19I want to bet while you're watching it.
15:21Don't forget it.
15:30Let me go.
15:30I want to bet I put a mouse on andeme and push it.
15:34It will really give me someiggly
15:52So we got that chopper flying over and I thought it was like super exciting and now I'm just
16:01getting mad PTSD triggers I don't know why I don't know if it's like like someone's hurt or like
16:11fuck PTSD is a fucking shit
16:26it's like crazy panic attack
16:31huge waves of emotion
16:40oh
16:41oh
16:47oh
16:59far out
17:01fuck
17:05oh
17:06oh
17:07oh
17:11oh
17:13oh
17:23oh
17:25oh
17:27oh
17:28oh
17:31oh
17:31oh
17:31oh
17:32oh
17:32oh
17:34oh
17:46ah
17:47far
18:10Jesus, well, that's what a fucking PTSD panic attack looks like.
18:19Do you ever want to say one?
19:12Fuck.
19:20Yeah, so I don't know, it took me a long time to realise I had PTSD and it's not a
19:33good feeling.
19:34It's just something that I believe will never go away.
19:40I haven't had one of these attacks for a while, maybe six months.
19:53Obviously things are a bit more severe out here with the emotions and what's going on.
20:04That's weird.
20:05It's fucking weird and it's hard to work out.
20:09Like you've just got no control over your emotions at all.
20:15It's like the most saddest, horrific thing has ever happened.
20:19But nothing has happened.
20:22That's how your body reacts.
20:26So yeah.
20:30There it is.
20:31Post-traumatic fucking stress disorder.
20:35New beauty.
20:41Wow.
20:42That was crazy.
21:00Helicopter.
21:02Coming to get me.
21:16So at night I've been hearing some pretty crazy noises around my tent and I'm super interested
21:21to know what it is so I've come out the back here behind my shelter and I'm gonna look for
21:26say like little diggings or any like scat that can sort of indicate if it's a possum or a wallaby.
21:34I'm not hunting them.
21:36I would never hunt a possum.
21:38I'm just really curious to be honest.
21:42I've got up a few times in the night to try and see them but they're elusive little critters here.
21:52So this is a great little animal track you can see.
21:56There's no leaf litter here and there's sort of like a little highway coming up and through.
22:02So I'm gonna follow this along and see if I can find anything.
22:10It's surprising to me how beautiful this place is to me now.
22:16When I first got here I was just like ehhh.
22:20What have I done?
22:22What am I doing here?
22:26Still can't get over the forest here in Lukawita.
22:29It's just so different to mainland Australia.
22:32And it really excites me as an ecologist that there's so many different landscapes and habitat types
22:40and there's always more to learn.
22:48So I found some poo.
22:51And sometimes that's the best way to know what's around is to look at the poo.
22:55And I'm pretty sure this is a Bennett's wallaby.
22:59And then over here we've got like a little possum poo.
23:03I can't really tell if it's a ring-tail or a brush-tailed possum but you probably don't care.
23:13Only the ecologist can get excited about poo, hey?
23:20When I hike, I go into nature and I look around and I experience and I absorb the beauty.
23:29And I love learning about it and understanding it.
23:35So for me this is a longer game than just the survival experience.
23:42For me this is a lifelong experience.
23:46And I'm actually really relieved that I've found my own path and I've walked my own path while I've been
23:55out here.
23:56And I don't want to be hunting possums and killing them, you know?
24:05That's not how I interact with nature.
24:06And I want to be true to myself.
24:08Even if that does mean that I can't stay out here as long as I'd initially planned.
24:14I'm okay with that.
24:15I'm really okay with that.
24:19Yeah.
24:20I'm really proud of myself for doing that.
24:25Really proud.
24:42All right, friends.
24:45The day has come.
24:47If I don't start eating, I am going to get pretty sick.
24:52And I know they tap people for losing weight too quickly.
24:56So I need to go out and find some food.
25:00The simplest option is sausage bases.
25:05I want to get a whole bunch and chop them up and put them in a pot and cook them.
25:12Now, it says you can eat them raw as well, honestly.
25:16Try eating a toothbrush.
25:17That's what it's like.
25:21So maybe if I boil the shit out of them for a whole day, they'll turn to mush and I
25:25can eat them.
25:31No.
25:34Nothing is going to soften that shit.
25:38That is just...
25:41not edible.
25:43Well, I guess if nothing else,
25:45I'll be able to drink the water and there'll be some nutrients in that.
25:50I think.
25:57I've never said I was an expert survivalist.
26:00And I'm not.
26:01And I know I'm not.
26:05You know, I don't have all the crack skills.
26:08But I was thinking about it and the thing that I do have is,
26:12I am completely comfortable in wild nature.
26:17Totally and utterly comfy.
26:20Like I have an innate sense that it's all going to be okay and I'm going to figure it all
26:24out.
26:25I don't question it.
26:27Because I feel at home.
26:29Oh, a little bit more.
26:31So I absolutely think I have what it takes to win.
26:35There we go.
26:36Suddenly that unappetising looking broth is delicious.
26:54It's kind of revolting.
26:58You ever see the cat when it's eaten something and it just doesn't like it?
27:01And it goes.
27:07Yeah.
27:09That was okay.
27:11No, it wasn't.
27:11It was horrible.
27:13But it's all I've got.
27:14So it has to be okay.
27:28My belly does not like that sausage soup.
27:33This close to hurling.
27:37Oh.
27:41Oh.
27:51Oh.
27:56Oh.
27:57Oh.
28:08I don't know.
28:48I have nothing to throw up, just some water.
29:18It doesn't taste any better coming out than it did going in.
29:23Alone Australia is brought to you by Kia.
29:26Experience the ultimate human endurance as 10 contestants battle to survive alone in the Tasmanian wilderness.
29:33With the winner taking home a prize with $250,000.
29:59It's in the tree.
30:01There's three of them.
30:04What are they?
30:08Malay.
30:19It's impossible.
30:21I think it's a whole family, aren't they?
30:30Can you go see it?
30:33There we go.
30:35Can you see it's light on the tree?
30:38There he is.
30:42One little possum.
30:51A little possum.
30:59A little family of possum.
31:06That makes me happy.
31:12I'm really happy that I finally, finally worked out who my neighbours were.
31:21It's just nice now when I hear them, I'll be able to think of them and be like, oh yeah,
31:26that's my little possum family up in the tree, having a nipple.
31:32I love that there's three of them, just like Elsie, me and Juno, like my little family.
31:38I am missing them and I would love to be with them.
31:44But this is what I'm doing right now and I just have to keep pushing just for a little bit
31:50longer.
31:53A little bit longer.
32:19And there's some little possum noises.
32:22And there's trees just past the campfire.
32:32I probably should go and have a check.
32:34Because I'm actually feeling hungry.
32:52The critters always disappear so quickly as soon as you flick your headlamp on.
33:02Oh, back to bed.
33:05Oh, back to bed.
33:21But I'm not going to get out of bed again, because last time we did that, he snuck off.
33:39Good morning, everybody.
33:41Last night was interesting.
33:43It hardly rained at all last night.
33:45So the critters are really active.
33:48There's like a little glider or a little possum moving around the camp through the night.
33:53I've had a little bit of success finding some plants to eat.
33:58But it's been a while since I've had some meat.
34:00And I won't be able to stay out here much longer unless I start catching critters and eating them.
34:06So the plan is start trapping possum.
34:11I think I'm going to build a kind of box trap with a flap door.
34:16The sun's out.
34:18I think there's total blue skies from what I can see.
34:20So let's go for it.
34:24Possum trapping today.
34:31I feel my experiences as a vet will make a big difference to my survival in the wild.
34:36I know a lot about animals, their environments, their temperaments, their personalities, their usual routines.
34:45If any critters want to come down to the cove where it's a possum for a drink or to graze
34:51on some of that mossy stuff down there,
34:53they're going to come past here, which is super open.
34:57And it is going to go straight down this path.
35:01So we might just put the possum trap about there, I reckon.
35:07I've trapped feral cats in the conservation area of my place a few times.
35:11I've trapped cattle before.
35:13I've trapped pigs.
35:15So I'm confident that I can do vastly better than the average person.
35:22I'm really looking forward to using my extra knowledge and trapping skills to make a difference and really get ahead
35:28in the game.
35:31Time for a bit of a break before I make a mistake.
35:35Holding the axe the wrong way up or something.
35:39But it's coming together.
35:41And I'm pretty sure it's going to work, which is great.
35:49I think on the whole I feel like I'm doing really well out here.
35:53I guess the only thing I dislike is not having my family around.
36:02It would be nice to have a date that he's finished on.
36:05To know that after 40 days or 60 days, your family are going to be back with you.
36:13It's hard not knowing.
36:23I mean, I'm happy to stay out here.
36:25You know, but the longer I'm away, the harder it is on them.
36:36Dear God,
36:38I want you to have my family in my absence.
36:42Keep them safe and happy.
36:44Amen.
37:07So, I just figured out why this thing sunk.
37:12The water is leaking in just here.
37:16Let's see that.
37:19So, these folds, I just need to pull these folds up to the same height as the water level.
37:23So, I can fix that.
37:30All right, that's looking a lot better.
37:34It's like an easier job than I expected.
37:42I'm just about to attempt kayak expedition number two.
37:46Hopefully, with no sinking this time.
37:50Wish me luck.
37:57Uh-huh.
38:07Uh-huh.
38:08Uh-huh.
38:14Uh-huh.
38:42Oh, it's beautiful.
38:46Absolutely beautiful out here.
38:50As soon as you just hit the water, it's just quiet, peaceful.
38:55There's no water coming in.
38:57It's dry on the bottom.
39:00Like, that is a massive achievement.
39:03It's bloody great.
39:06Bloody great.
39:11Yeah, this is the biggest highlight of my journey so far out here.
39:25Just saw a little ripple on the water there.
39:29So, I'm going to do a little bit of fishing.
39:31Okay.
39:35Super deep whiz-bang diving lure check.
39:45Probably quite deep underneath me here.
39:51You know what will happen?
39:52I'll hook a fish.
39:52I get so excited I'll pull my fishing rod up and I'll fall in.
40:09This paddle already weighs a ton.
40:14Yeah, due to the weight of the paddle, he's using more energy than I was expecting.
40:20Plus, I'm doing a constant sit-up the whole time.
40:23So, my seating position's not great.
40:27My stomach muscles are burning.
40:30Absolutely burning right now.
40:37Come on, fish.
40:38It's not that hard.
40:39Just swim up to it.
40:41Open your mouth.
40:42Bite down.
40:44It becomes a pop-up.
40:52All right.
40:56Now, I'm just going to look at my surroundings closely for recce purposes.
41:03So, there's two things I really need.
41:06One is to scope out some new animal habitat, specifically possums.
41:12And second, different vegetation that I can choose from because this place is very low on edible plants.
41:23Oh, this looks like an island there.
41:26Is that an island?
41:29Pine trees on it.
41:32I think I'm going to jump out.
41:35Ah, look for resources.
41:47Sheesh.
41:48Slippery.
41:57Cute little island.
41:58but I think the extra grass here is because no animals come out here and graze it.
42:08So that's a bit disappointing.
42:12It's bloody barren hours around here.
42:17There's absolutely no sign or food at all.
42:25Time to scurry away.
42:28There's my tail between my legs.
42:35Alone Australia is brought to you by Kia.
42:39Experience the ultimate human endurance as 10 contestants battle to survive alone in the Tasmanian wilderness
42:45with the winner taking home a prize with $250,000.
43:11Good morning, everyone.
43:15Today is day 11 and there's a blue sky and the sun is out and it's going to be marvellous.
43:23How's that for waking up the neighbours bright and early?
43:30You know, obviously yesterday had that panic attack and I could have just gone, no, that's
43:35it, I'm out of here.
43:36But I have learnt that it does go and it gets better.
43:42So, we're still here, we're still cracking on.
43:49Oh, you know what?
43:51It's moving.
43:53The line's moving.
43:56Okay.
43:58Relax.
43:59Don't stuff this up.
44:10I can see it.
44:13Why?
44:15Why?
44:17There's the bait.
44:20It's a fish.
44:22It's a bloody...
44:23Oh, I want to jump.
44:25Oh, he's really keen, this one.
44:31Come on, come on.
44:33Oh, no, me rod's too long.
44:35Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
44:38No, no, no, no.
44:40Whoa, whoa, whoa.
44:41Yes, yes, yes, yes.
44:43Oh, stop, stop, don't lose it.
44:46Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, yeah.
44:51Yeah.
44:51Yeah.
44:54Wow, what a start to the day.
44:56Day 11.
44:57Woo-hoo.
44:59We're having trout for breakfast.
45:02I'm going to soup this whole thing.
45:06It's crazy, like, one minute is just super insanely tough and challenging
45:13and pushes you to your limits.
45:19Looking real good.
45:20And then the next minute, it's just absolute paradise.
45:28Look at that.
45:30Ha, ha, ha.
45:32Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm!
45:39Bones!
45:43Mm, I'm happy today.
45:49I really am. So good.
45:58But thinking about home a lot.
46:01Yeah, I guess just missing the old life a little bit.
46:07It's funny how the mind can change so quickly.
46:12Start thinking about home a little bit and then you're like,
46:15yeah, but then another moment you're like, yeah, I'm going to win this.
46:21I'm going to stay for like a hundred days.
46:26It's hard.
46:27It's control the mind.
46:31The highs are incredible, but I'm not very good at managing those massive lows.
46:58It's time for a final troll on the way home.
47:13Oh, well, that trip wasn't a roaring success, really.
47:18I've been working my butt off a whole range of different ways
47:21and really haven't brought in a decent mouthful of food.
47:25Through the gap here.
47:28When even the kayak, yes, I get to fish,
47:31but I'm burning calories when I fish and it's not producing any fish.
47:35Come on.
47:37So I'm actually wondering whether to change strategy
47:44and just switch to who can starve the longest
47:47and not burn calories,
47:50just be extremely stingy with what calories I burn.
48:00Let's get this out of the way, shall we?
48:19When I found out this was going to be in Tasmania,
48:23my biggest fear was it was going to be like this,
48:25a starvation competition.
48:28And that's why I did everything I could to put weight on.
48:32And there's a good chance that that will be the biggest thing
48:36I could have done to win this.
48:40It's not about giving up.
48:42It's about you've got to be smart here.
48:43Like, you've got to look at what's available.
48:45At the moment, there's jack shit available.
48:52So the smarter move, on a scale of frenzied activity,
48:57get as much food as you can to sit there and do absolutely nothing.
49:01At the moment, for me,
49:04I'd probably have an extra kilo or two
49:06if I'd sat there and done nothing.
49:07Now, obviously, that wouldn't have worked
49:09because I needed to find out
49:11that there's nothing out there that I can eat.
49:14So, but because I'm rapidly coming to that conclusion,
49:18then I'm going to go down to this end of the scale,
49:21which is minimise energy expenditure.
49:49I'm going to go down to this end of day 11 today.
49:55And I've learnt a lot, really, a lot about myself so far.
50:04A lot about what my mind needs
50:10as much as I love peace and quiet and being alone.
50:16I just don't have enough distractions to keep my thoughts at bay.
50:23Stop my mind from wandering off.
50:28Give myself a rule
50:32that if you're going to tap, you tap in the morning.
50:39So, I'm just going to see what the morning holds,
50:42see what happens throughout the night.
50:49I just want to leave this place on a good note
50:52with a big smile
50:55and not go down into a deep, dark hole.
51:07Good morning!
51:09There's no way I can eat that.
51:13Yeah, baby!
51:14An eel!
51:15Oh, now I've got to eat it.
51:18If it gets infected,
51:20it could be the end.
51:22And that knife's out.
51:24Shit!
51:25Fuck!
51:27Fuck!
51:43If you or someone you know needs support,
51:46contact Lifeline 131114.
51:50Text 0477 131114.
51:54lifeline.org.au
51:57Beyond Blue
51:581-300-224-636
52:01beyondblue.org.au
52:04Open Arms
52:05Veterans and Families Counselling
52:061-800-011-046
52:11openarms.gov.au
52:131-800-011-046
52:13Set EV 06-400-115.au
52:131-700-335-435
52:131-800-435