Last weekend I attended my first Australian bachelorette
party (or “hens night” as they’re known here) for the fiancée of one of Hayden’s
co-workers. I’ve seen hens parties out and about in the city before, and I’m
always a bit shocked at the sheer number of girls in attendance; it seems like
it’s more common here to invite every casual acquaintance and distant female
relative rather than a small group of friends. I was getting picked up in
Kogarah, a suburb a few kilometres down the road from my house in Sutherland,
and when a neon pink bus pulled up there was no mistaking: this was my ride. As
I got on board, I instantly noticed that every single girl had taken the “burlesque”
theme to the extreme in corsets and fishnets, while I looked like a Victorian
governess in comparison in my floral party dress. Shit. Luckily I don’t think
anyone could see me too well due to the fog machine working overtime in the
corner, and we continued down the Princes Highway to Darling Harbour for the
booze cruise.
The boat ride lasted a few hours, with dinner served by
shirtless “firemen” and “police officers”. A few of the girls were really nice,
and we spent a bit of time up on the top deck watching the city go by while a
couple of meters away some of the servers competed to see who could do the most
push-ups during their dinner break. Not a bad way to pass the time on a Saturday!
