1st Stop on Australian North BJJ Tour

Blog #1: Australian North BJJ Tour

Hello fellow BJJ Travelers! I am so excited to start my blog.
My name is Rob, I am a 38 yr old white belt. I have been playing BJJ for about 1-1/2 years and i am in love with it. I was born in Canada but i am also Australian and so it is in the remote Australian North Outback where my BJJ Globetrotting journey begins.

I am currently here: Karratha, Western Australia

In July of this year my contract at work ended and i decided the next chapter of my life would be a long journey “backpacking around the world doing jiu jitsu and stuff”………..so using facebook I found out that there were BJJ Gyms located all over Austraila’s north (Karratha, Tom Price, Newman, Port Headland, Broome, Darwin, Mount Isa….and the list goes on). I decided then to become a backpacker (or camper really at this stage) and pack my swag (aka an austrlian single man’s tent) and pack my ute (truck) with some essentials and get going. This is the path i intend on taking over the next couple of months; it should allow me to visit Karratha, Port Headland, Broome, Darwin, Mount Isa, Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane (at least).

As side I should tell you that its Australian Winter this time of year; which means that the north is the most comfortable place to be (dry season, hot days & warm nights). And i’m basically in search of seeing Crocodiles in the wild; because I don’t actually think you’ve seen the outback until that happens, hahaha. I’m also on the hunt of living next to pristine beaches & visiting gorges and waterfalls where possible, and of course the ultimate desire of finding awesome places to play Jiu Jitsu.

My journey starts in Karratha where there are 2 BJJ Gyms. Renegade Karratha and Karratha Jiu Jitsu.

Renegade is my home gym that I must leave so i am proud to present it to the BJJ community. It is an affiliate of Australian Elite Team (AET) who is one of the largest BJJ clubs in Australia. Renegade has teams in Adelaide, Brisbane and Karratha. It’s headquarters are located in Melbourne. Each group offers MMA, Jiu Jitsu, and a great kids program….a big hit because bullying is a big issue in Australia.

The club offers something for everyone; there are three childrens classes (anti-bullying and two Junior programs) as well as a fundmentals and advanced adult BJJ & self defence class. They also offer an MMA and nogi class. The owner & head coach staff is Camerin Coles; Cam has been doing Jiu Jitsu in remote North Australia for years and his passion for the sport is clear to see.
The club is extremely welcoming and friendly and enforces a feeling of community and encouragement for anyone to learn. A great thing they do is they introduce and aplaud in and out every visitor. Along with the trecherous “Circle” for big events (birthdays, weddings, babies and leavers)……. I will miss this club forever! Oss.

The other BJJ club in town is Karratha Jiu Jitsu. It is run by 4s Purple Belt Brian Thompson and it is an affiliate of a club in Perth. I spent the last 3 weeks here and it was a superp experience. The smaller class sizes resulted in a lot of one-on-one attention that i was greatful for. I really liked the focus on fitness via BJJ specific warm-up drills which left you exhausted; and then similarly reinforced again during the technique portion of the class (after being clearly explained). By the time i’d get to rolling I wasl always good & fatigued. I was super glad i visited with the other club in Ktown (its the BJJGlobetrotter way!).

Sorry i don’t have any personal photos of Karratha this time. I took the one below in hopes of showcasing the beach and the large Iron Ore wharf in the background. I will do better haha. It is a great place to visit. What i like most besides some of the best people is the fringing reefs that can be found around the islands. It is here that i’ve swam with more sharks and turtles than I could ever count and once I was lucky enough to swim beside a Dugong (sea cow) which to me was the most spectacular and beautiful underwater experience i’ve had yet. To find out more about karratha look here: https://www.karratha.wa.gov.au/

A bit more about me:
For the past 1-1/2 years i have been lucky enough to visit 4 Countries where i’ve trained Jiu Jitsu (Japan/New Zealand/Australia/USA). Every time I visit a new club I am blown away by the opportunity to experience different styles; and new friendships made. It is for this reason that i have joined the BJJGlobetrotter Movement and I hope the joy of doing this never ends for me . Until next blog (BROOME); OSS!