Bungee jumping

Bungee jumping, or ‘land diving’, was first filmed by David Attenborough’s BBC film crew on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu in 1950, where the natives used a simple vine tied around their ankles and jumped off a cliff as a test of their manhood. This activity is also known in Mexico and is said to have originated from the Aztecs.

The extreme sport of bungee jumping (or bungy jumping) entails having a long bungee, or elasticised rope, attached to your ankles or body and then jumping off a tower, bridge, cliff overhang or similar tall structure and freefalling until you almost reach the ground, then bouncing back like a yoyo at the end of its string! The thrill of the fall gives the jumper a huge adrenalin rush which is a feeling sought by many an adventure seeker. There’s also the reverse bungee where people are catapulted into the air from the ground! You can bungee forwards, backwards, blind-folded, from a handstand, in tandem and many other ways. You can even ride over the ledge on a BMX bike if you like!

Fancy a go? Bungee jumping is available in Cairns, far north Queensland, and on the Gold Coast. Don’t forget to book ahead though or, if time is short, you might be disappointed.