On an Ocean Cliff in Australia – Fighting Fear and Winning

Since travelling to Australia a few days ago and planting myself in New South Wales, I’ve quickly come to notice that this country is full of nature that I am not going to waste. Getting outside in Australia is synonymous with living Down Under, I think. Unexpectedly, my first day of exploring the outdoors in this island country I found myself facing head on a lifelong fear.

My host Jess and I drove to one of the two beaches just minutes from her house, where we walked a short distance on silky dark yellow sand toward a cliff arising out of the sea. “This is nothing,” Jess said as she placed a bare foot on a rock and stepped up. Although I have a pretty severe fear of heights, I knew I could manage to climb around the lower part of this cliff.

Approaching the cliff

Unfortunately, Jess immediately and quickly began to climb higher on the thin, flat shards of wet sandstone, and I followed, gripping the small wet rocks with my bare feet. Moments later I stared down at a wide and deep chasm separating one side of the cliff from the other as the waves of the ocean crashed through. Turning around would be too difficult. No choice existed but to maneuver around this rocky ravine. Jess tiptoed up the face of the cliff, quick and happy. “I’m afraid of heights,” I whispered after her. Struggling against my rapidly accelerating panic, I forced myself to not envision tumbling into the rocks lying below.

After hours-long minutes we made it to the other side of the gorge and stepped down onto a mercifully flat surface, where my heart began to untighten. “Don’t worry,” Jess said, after I divulged my fear of death by falling, “there is another way down.” Now I was able to smile and enjoy my time outside in Australia, swimming in the relief of knowing that I would never, ever again in my life have to grab at thin slabs of wet rock with my toes and fingertips to avoid falling backwards into a rocky hole filled with ocean.

Short-lived triumph

Merrily we walked along a flat area of the cliff toward the other end, where an easy, sloping exit would allow us to glide happily down to the sand below. We reached the end of the flat surface, looked over the edge and froze. The ocean had washed my safe exit away. Before us lie nothing but billions of boulders scattered about, with no way of navigating from one to the other. “I am so sorry,” said Jess, stifling just a little bit of a laugh.

With no options whatsoever, we made our way back to the chasm, walking quickly just to get it over with. As we reached the sprawling ravine, a wave crashed into its rocks and shot water into the air. I wondered if the Repatriation of Remains clause in my insurance would cover the expense of wiping me off the jagged boulders. “Just don’t look down,” Jess said. “Okay,” I squeaked. With one eye glued to the top of the cliff and the other to her feet, I followed her every surefooted move, all the while hoping I would not step onto a slippery piece of stone that would send me tumbling.

After far too long we reached the end and jumped down into the sand. As we left the cliff behind us, I realized that on my very first day after travelling to Australia, I had twice in thirty minutes survived one of my worst fears. Now I’m quite interested to discover what spending more time outside in Australia will bring.

A picturesque reward for facing my fear