Bella Scipione

Jan 15 2023

I have always been a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. This is often a controversial philosophy that some people abide by while others do not. It can be a phrase that brings comfort, letting people know there is a bigger picture or plan for all of us. On the other hand, it is a phrase that is contradicted with the implications of free will and determinism. And while our life is ultimately a series of choices in which we have power and control of, the phrase that ‘everything happens for a reason’ is a statement that every effect has a cause. The cause is the reason. Not a backward-looking reason, but a forward-looking reason, a way that the effect fits in a story – your own story.

G and I’s entire journey across Australia so far has been a story in of itself. We have had to deal with many bumps along the way, ones that have challenged our ability to act and react in certain situations. However, every cloud in the sky and missed bus has lead us to exactly where we’re supposed to be. Our trip down South has brought us so many new mates and experiences that would not have happened if we had continued driving up North. Here is a recap of our last weekend.

We spent Saturday with our Swiss mates. Nick and Pirmin are two guys that have been added to our list of people that feel like home. Nick and Pirmin have convinced us to add Switzerland to our bucket list of places for future trips. On Saturday afternoon, the four of us relaxed in our hostel’s jacuzzi and enjoyed lunch together. Our hostel had a huge kitchen, so Nick cooked us up some pasta carbonara. G and I were impressed with the amount of people utilizing the kitchen and filling the space up with various smells unique to different cultural foods. Hostels are an incredible way to bring people together from all parts of the world, so we really appreciated that this hostel’s kitchen allowed people to come together and cook meals central to their home countries. This hostel in Surfer’s Paradise was probably the best hostel we have ever stayed at.

After our routine nap, we got ready for another night out on the ‘strip’, as I called it. We started the night like we did Friday with a pregame outside with music, cards, drinks, and mates. G and I met some nice British boys named Corey and Will and went out to the club, Asylum. Asylum, once again, did not disappoint as we spent hours dancing and singing along to the DJ’s insane set. DJ Tigerlily is a female artist from Sydney, Australia, and probably one of the greatest DJs I have ever seen perform. After her set, the four of us walked down to the beach and admired the waves crashing under the moonlight. It was about 130am when we started to head back home, but decided to make an obligatory stop at Macca’s before hand. We said goodbye to Will and Corey and had an early morning ahead of us.

Our Sunday started with absolutely no plans in mind. G and I’s only task of the day was to return our rental car to Brisbane by 10am. We outlined various plots for the next five days before returning to Sydney on Friday. Many of the people we met at our hostel in Surfer’s were either journeying up North or down South, via the Greyhound bus. Since G and I no longer had our own car, we decided to do just that and book a bus ticket from Brisbane to a coastal town called Byron Bay. We waited at the airport for the bus most of the morning and were excited to finally have a set arrangement for the rest of our travels. However, I neglected to pay attention to detail (again), and didn’t realize we had to go to a bus stop that was not located at the airport. We missed our bus and sat on the streets of Brisbane frustrated that our plans failed again.

G and I sat and thought of ways to get us down to Byron Bay. As tired as we were, we didn’t want to waste another day and not enjoy the little time we have left in Australia. We decided to bite the bullet and spend money on another rental car to get us to Byron for the next two days. The two hour drive back down to New South Wales was so beautiful and brought me a new sense of optimism that I was worried was fading away. As soon as we arrived to Byron, I knew our day had turned itself around.

Byron Bay is home to Australia’s most easterly point and iconic Cape Byron lighthouse. The region is known for its spectacular beaches, unique shopping and dining experiences, and vibrant community spirit. G and I had only heard good things from Byron and were excited to spend a few days enjoying all that the coastal town has to offer. We went out for dinner last night at a small taco place called, Costa Taco. The chicken tacos were so tasty and exactly what we needed. We wanted to scope out the beach, so we walked down only to find ourselves at Byron beach club. G and I were prepared to have a chill, early night in, but when we came upon the beach club we noticed an event was about to take place. Sure enough, an artist called Elderbrook was performing. Elderbrook is an English EDM artist and G and I had actually seen him perform back home last September, as the opener to my all time favorite artist, Odesza. We were both stoked that he was performing, especially since we had no idea.

Before the show started, G met a boy from Perth, Australia named Elliot at the bar. Elderbrook is one of Elliot’s favorite artists so I made sure we all got a front row spot for the entirety of the show. The bar filled with people and became immediately energetic and lively. People were jumping, dancing, and singing with their hands in the air, grooving through every song. The guy next to me had to be one of Elderbrook’s greatest fans, as he was screaming at the top of his lungs and swaying his hips side to side, with a bright smile on his face. As much as he kept bumping into me, I couldn’t blame him for the joy that was radiating off of him. We stayed up front until the very end of the set and couldn’t believe how incredible the performance was. G, Elliot, and I were all stunned by how the stars aligned and we were all placed in a space completely out of the ordinary. This was our reminder that everything happens for a reason.

P.S. Bella’s blogs has officially passed over 3,000 all-time views, and I want to thank everyone again for reading along. I sometimes struggle during my writing, so I could not do this without you and appreciate the constant love and support. xx