Age: 51

Profession: Off-Gridder and Former Police Officer, QLD

Tamika is the daughter of a bushman. That means hunting, fishing, camping and exploring were the way of life throughout her childhood. Now an off-gridder, Tamika has lived sustainably for the past decade, growing or foraging half of the food consumed by her family.

She’s giving up the comfort of her gypsy wagon and taking on the Alone challenge with what feels like ten lifetime’s worth of skills gained from an eclectic cross section of occupations and experiences. She’s a former Australian bowhunting champion, police officer, scuba diving instructor, disability worker, national parks ranger, fly fishing rod maker, farmer, tattooist, and has over twenty years practicing permaculture and herbal medicine.

A plant-based chef and author, Tamika has been a vegetarian for over eight years, eating plant-based only for the past five. Hunting and killing an animal ‘that looks after its young’ will be the toughest test for Tamika–physically and emotionally–but she’s deliberated and resolved to pick up her bow and arrow one more time to wholly embrace the Alone experience. If Tamika can inspire someone to take their first step towards connecting with nature, she’ll count that as her win.