My Journey into the Nudist Lifestyle.

THE STAGES

MY TOPLESS SUNBATHING ERA:

When I got out of high school, partying become my priority…and that meant getting myself glammed up…which, in my world, meant a nice, even tan…without the tan lines!

I mean, I grew up in the cold part of Australia (because, yes, that does exist!), at the very bottom, in a town called ‘Geelong’. So, for the most part, that used to mean fake tanning A LOT (the 2000’s version of the over-the-top orange/bronze statue type of fake tanning too!).

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But come Summer and I was off to the beach to enjoy some topless sunbathing to get that even tan!

Jan Juc was my textile beach of preference. A popular surf beach just at the entry of the world-famous ‘Great Ocean Road’.

But, with it being a popular textile beach, the unwanted attention a young woman receives for merely being topless was not something I enjoyed. The objectification and sexualisation of my body made me feel uncomfortable.

I started to notice people staring, gawking and others giving my friends and I dirty looks.

Clearly, our topless sunbathing either made people feel uncomfortable or attracted unsolicited behaviour and remarks.

Plus, Geelong is a big ‘small’ town where you know every other person, and I wasn’t yet ready to bump into people I knew whilst having my boobs out.

So, with that, my friend and I would move further and further towards the more secluded and isolated section of the beach; so that we could sunbathe topless in peace.

So, the public side of slowly getting nude started out rather superficially for me.

But, by this stage of my life, being the wild-spirited, rebellious and carefree girl I was meant that I was already the one always getting naked in the friendship group.

So, when I discovered there was a nude beach not so far from the textile beach I used to frequent, you better believe I was keen to check it out!

MY FIRST EVER TIME AT A NUDE BEACH (IN SPAIN) (2013):

After graduating from university with a triple degree in Economics, Politics and Econometrics, and having completed half of my degree whilst working full-time in a political office…I decided it was a good time to treat myself…

With my first ever trip to Europe!!!

So, in July of 2013, my brother joined me for a month-long trip to soak up a European summer!

We galavanted around the south of France, Milan, London and Spain.

Whilst in Barcelona, we headed down to the beach. As we walked along, it was amazing to me just how normal topless sunbathing was on even the ‘clothed’ sections of the beaches! It was most definitely not like this in Australia. It was so cool!!! And then, I began to notice sections of the beach where most of the sand’s occupants were completely naked! ‘This is my kinda crowd’ I thought to myself.

At this stage, my brother was well-aware of my inclination to sunbathe topless, and whilst he was cool with it, he didn’t necessarily want to see it.

So, he went his way (to the textile section of the beach) and I went mine (to the nude section of the beach).

This liberating experience where sunbathing nude felt so much more normalised and socially acceptable only stoked this love for being nude (well, as nude as I was willing to get at this stage)!

MY FIRST TIME AT A NUDE BEACH IN AUSTRALIA (2014):

Public nudity (without the bottoms) was a somewhat slow progression.

It was around New Years in 2014 and my friends and I had rented a house in Anglesea along the Great Ocean Road.

I had recently heard of a nearby nude beach, ‘Point Addis’, and was keen to get away from the chaos of the house and check it out. Having experienced a nude beach in Spain just a few months prior, I was curious to see what an Australian nude beach would be like. My curiosity was at an all-time high.

One morning, my best friend and I headed off for the day and, from this visit onward, textile beaches slowly became a thing of the past for me.

As two younger women on a beach with both men and women of varying ages, shapes and sizes, it was quite remarkable to be running around (literally) in nothing but a g-string without so much as a glance. It very pleasantly surprised me.

One truly transformative moment on that first visit that has always stuck with me was the moment a gentleman saw that my bestie was struggling to pull me along on the skimboard and offered to help. As I sat on the skim board looking up, I saw two butts jiggling around as they ran full pace and pulled me along in the shallows. And whilst I couldn’t help but giggle at the unfamiliarity and joy of it all, it was, ultimately, the first time in my adulthood whereby a man and I were both naked and it wasn’t a sexual encounter. There was absolutely nothing sexual about it! And, better yet, there was nothing but respect. No sleaziness. No creepiness. Just normality and respect.

It was refreshing! Mind-boggling. Transformational. Honestly, I had walked down a street fully clothed and felt more sexualised and objectified than I did in this moment running around on a beach with my stunning bestie in nothing but our g-strings! It was healing. And, ultimately, it was the real catalyst into my enthusiasm for nude beaches moving forward.

After such a transformational, refreshing and positive first experience at this beach, I kept coming back. Point Addis became my nudie stomping ground.

This visit was a pivotal point in my nudist journey.

And whilst I didn’t take off my bottoms for some months (somehow believing that I could still keep that ‘sacredness’ of my body in tact if I just kept my bottoms on), that, too, would change in time.

And, that’s the thing…it was all in time. There was no pressure to do anything I didn’t feel comfortable with. There was no pressure to fit into the category of ‘nudist’. I was just going along with my curiosity and what felt good for me in the moment.

THE GROWING INTEREST IN NUDE DESTINATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:

Having had such positive and empowering experiences at nude beaches thus far, my desire to seek them out on my travels grew.

My 2015 return to Europe saw me solo backpacking for 7 months…and it would be these 7 months that completely transformed me, my outlook and the course of my life.

I went out of my way to search for nude destinations. I would go to the information centres and ask about nearby nude beaches.

I bared it all on the nude beaches of Lokrum and Jerolim whilst in Croatia, the nude section of the ‘English Garten’ whilst in Munich, Germany. I organised a women’s nude circle whilst staying with an off-grid community in Portugal…

And then there was Montenegro…and, more specifically, ‘Camp Full Monte’.

MY FIRST TIME AT A NATURIST CAMPSITE (2015): MY FIRST NUDE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

Social nudity was never something I intentionally sought out…but it sure found me!

About 5 months into my backpacking trip, I basically ran out of money. Along the way, I had met other backpackers that had stretched out their trips and their money by ‘WOOFING’. Many of them raving about it because it truly took you off the beaten path…and that it did!

WOOFING stands for ‘Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms’ and is a non-profit movement that links visitors with organic farmers, promotes an educational and cultural exchange and builds a global community conscious of ecological farming practices.

I wasn’t ready to go home. So, I decided to look into WOOFing for myself.

Whilst in a quaint little hostel on the Croatian island of Korcula, I jumped onto the website and scrolled through the various options. Many were farm jobs, picking fruits etc.

Then, I came across what, at the time, I misread as an ‘eco-clothing’ brand in Croatia. ‘Perfect!’ I thought to myself, and I very quickly applied.

A few days later, I received a response from the hosts confirming my application for a five night stay. I was so excited! In exchange, I would receive free board and free food. But, but, but…

…as I read on, and to my complete surprise, I had, in actuality, applied to help out at an ‘eco clothing-OPTIONAL’ campsite in MONTENEGRO! Namely, ‘Camp Full Monte’.

‘Ummmm….what?!!!’ was my initial reaction. I didn’t even know such places existed up until this point! But as I let it digest, I became curious and excited. Plus, it was going to take me to a new country…and, I loved being naked on a nude beach, right?

But, why did I still feel a little nervous? As I reflected, and as is the case for many of us, it’s the unknown.

So, on … I put on my backpack, got a bus across the border to Montenegro and made my way into the mountains near Hercig Novi.

From the bus stop in Prijevor, I walked along a dirt road for a bit until I reached a small gate at ‘Camp Full Monte’.

The gate opened, and then there was Steve, in nothing but his work boots, a tool belt and a big smile.

Honestly, I was taken aback. I don’t know what I was expecting; I was at a nudist campsite after all. I guess it was just the unfamiliar, something new, something totally uncommon…but he was just so nice and casual.

As he welcomed me onto the property, I followed behind him carrying my 20kg backpack…a little in awe that here this gentleman was, having casual conversation with me, pointing out bits and pieces around the campsite, and I was just staring at a bare bum!

And then I met Steve’s wife, Denise, who was also in the nude. And as we got chatting, I very quickly forgot that they were nude!

It just felt so…NORMAL!

As the days went on, I mowed the lawn in the nude, picked veggies in the garden in the nude, had dinner with other visitors in the nude, worked in the nude and had many conversations with others in the nude.

And whilst I had been to nude beaches many times by this point, this was truly the first time I was experiencing the ‘social’ aspect of the lifestyle. Doing the everyday things in the nude whilst interacting with others who were also nude.

It was SO damn empowering. It was intoxicating.

And this was the point in my nudist journey that took me much deeper into the lifestyle. A point beyond merely visiting nude beaches and into the more ‘social’ and interactive aspect of the lifestyle.

MY FIRST TIME VISITING A NATURIST RETREAT IN AUSTRALIA (2016):

After my experience at the naturist campsite ‘Camp Full Monte’ in Montenegro, I was hooked.

A couple of my girlfriends and I spent New Years’ Eve in Byron Bay and then made our way up to Noosa for a few days. They decided they wanted to go back to Byron and I decided I wanted to stay on in Noosa, so I booked myself into a hostel for a few days…

But, I had already spent half of 2015 in a hostel, and after a couple of nights, I was over it. So I searched for some nearby accomodation…and, lo and behold, a naturist retreat popped up! Noosa Edge was the name (now closed). With a cave and pool that somewhat resembled that of the ‘Playboy Mansion’…I was sold!

So, curious (and a little desperate) to experience a nudist retreat in my homeland, but a little broke at the time, I called up my brother and begged him for enough money to reserve two nights at Noosa Edge.

As soon as I had the money, I confirmed my reservation.

Rainer, a quirky German who owned the retreat, was coming into town and offered to come and pick me up from the hostel.

During my stay, I met some amazing people, had some really insightful conversations and actually came to find out that the retreat I was staying at, whilst nudist, was also more of the ‘erotic’ kind. Rainer hosted adult parties and had a ‘BDSM’ room for those who might enjoy dabbling in these kinds of activities.

And it was these very conversations and interactions that were the catalyst for me starting what we all know now as ‘The Nude Blogger’.

STARTING ‘THE NUDE BLOGGER’ (2016):

‘The Nude Blogger’ (TNB) was born from a desire to share my more ‘taboo’ or ‘quirky’ experiences with the world in the hopes of cultivating more tolerance and less judgement of those who choose ‘different’ lifestyles.

My motto has always been… INSERT HERE

It was born on a car ride from Noosa to the Gold Coast, with my partner who I had just met at the time. He had picked me up from Noosa Edge Nudist Retreat and was curious about my experience there. Not being a nudist himself, and never having been exposed to the lifestyle, he could feel and hear my enthusiasm and passion about my more recent discovery of the lifestyle. He said, ‘why don’t you write about it in a blog? I’m sure people would be interested to hear what you have to say on the topic (especially because it is so taboo)’…

And, a few weeks later, ‘The Nude Blogger’, as a name, was born (thanks to him again!).

So whilst he wasn’t a nudist himself (and really still isn’t after all these years), he has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter.

I worked behind-the-scenes on what TNB was to be for a few months before revealing it to the public…

And, in October 2016, I launched TNB on Instagram (since deactivated in June 2024 at 186,000 followers).

It definitely felt vulnerable to be sharing such a candid and ‘taboo’ journey so openly with my family and friends…but the purpose I have always felt behind TNB is so much bigger than me, my resistance and any fears I might have around it.

And as my involvement in the nudist lifestyle grew, my blog also organically evolved to focus more on the nudist lifestyle.

Upon signing up to do my ‘Yoga Teacher Training’ in January 2016, I had the intention to teach naked yoga classes…similar to the impromptu women’s nude circle I had organised in Portugal a few months prior.

I gained my accreditation in October 2016 and, in 2017, I hosted my first mixed naked yoga class. In 2018, I hosted my first women’s naked yoga immersion.

Naturally through my blog, I advocate for the nudist lifestyle…but as the years have gone on, I have also taken on more of an activist role. Actively fighting against the closure of nude beaches, going up against the big social media platforms, baring it all on national television…

Don’t get me wrong, much of this can still feel a little daunting at times, but I always come back to my ‘WHY?’…

My WHY has always been the driving force behind my perseverance, resilience, motivation and determination…because, trust me, when you are in this field of work publicly talking about something that still has so much stigma around it, you had better be ready for some setbacks and uphill battles (and this is still relevant almost 10 years on!).

But, the positive transformation and empowerment I have personally experienced by getting involved in the lifestyle is more than enough reason to continue championing this lifestyle and advocating for more spaces for others to be able to experience it.

And I can only hope that my work and continued advocacy for the lifestyle may continue to inspire others to get out there and experience it for themselves; and to educate those who may be uneducated on the topic so that there may be more acceptance of our lifestyle in the wider community.