OUR STORY  ·  BUG BLOCK

An old fisherman, the Queensland bush,

and a lot of itching

By Andrea  ·  Founder, Bug Block

My family and I love the outdoors, we camp, we travel, we chase the wild and beautiful corners of Australia whenever we get the chance. Cape York. Weipa. Hinchinbrook Island. Fraser Island. Moreton Island and beautiful Noosa North Shore. If there's a tent involved and a fish nearby, we're probably there.

And wherever we go, the mozzies find me first.

I wish I was being dramatic. I'm not. While everyone else swats away the occasional bite, I am the designated target — every single time. My body doesn't handle it quietly either. I have an allergic reaction to mosquito and midge bites that turns a single bite into days of swelling, redness, and an itch so relentless it keeps me up at night. Midges in particular are brutal. If you've spent time on the Hinchinbrook foreshore or the North Shore at dusk, you know exactly what I mean.

The fisherman who started it all

My husband fishes. Seriously fishes — the kind that involves long days on the water in places like Hinchinbrook and Cape York when he can, where the insects aren't just annoying, they're relentless. On one of those trips, he got talking to an old local fisherman. The kind of bloke who's spent a lifetime on the water and knows things that never make it into books.

The fisherman's advice was simple: Australian essential oils are powerful. He swore by it. Had used it for years. Said it was the key to not getting bitten.

We took note. And many years later — after I'd spent far too long being eaten alive and feeling guilty about the alternatives — we started to look into it properly. What we found was extraordinary: modern research has confirmed that they are the only plant-based repellents that  matches the effectiveness of DEET. The old fisherman was right all along. He just got there a few decades before the scientists did.

Why not just use the chemical stuff?

I know that's the obvious question. DEET is somewhat effective — I won't pretend otherwise. But Its not the be all and end all and frankly I've never been comfortable with it. I don't want to spray something on my skin that melts plastic. I don't want to have to wash it off before I touch my kids. I don't want those chemicals to be the only thing I smell when the bush produces its own poetry of scent. And frankly, as someone whose skin already reacts to things, adding synthetic chemicals into the mix felt like solving one problem by creating another.

I wanted something I could feel genuinely good about. Not just 'good enough, but actually amazing.

What Bug Block became

Starting with that fisherman's recipe as our foundation, we built something we're really proud of. Bug Block is made from three native Australian botanicals — chosen because they work, and because they smell like the landscape we love.

The blend of Botanicals in BUG BLOCK actually work!

Our blend smells like the Australian bush after rain. Not synthetic, not a weird maybe its something I recognise but the actual, real thing — because that's exactly what they are.

Bug Block can be used as a spray as a balm or a system, because for me I need layers especially on my feet and ankles.

The Spray — Full-body coverage before you head out. Light on the skin, no sticky residue, no chemical smell — just the bush.

The Balm — Targeted protection for ankles and feet, and anywhere the mozzies like to find you first. Rich, skin-nourishing, and precise.

Field tested where it counts

We didn't test Bug Block in a nice, controlled environment. We tested it at dusk on Moreton Island. We tested it in the mangroves at Hinchinbrook. We took it to Weipa and Cape York, where my husband fishes and the insects have absolutely zero mercy. We took it to Noosa North Shore where we watched the sunset over Lake Cooroibah when the midges were out in force.

Field test locations:

📍 Cape York

📍 Cairns

📍 Hinchinbrook Island

📍 Noosa North Shore

📍 Moreton Island

 

If you know those places, you know that's not a gentle test. And Bug Block passed — not just as protection, but as something we actually wanted to use. Something that felt good. Something that smelled beautiful. Something we'd reach for without thinking twice.

That's the whole point, really. You shouldn't have to dread putting on your insect repellent. You shouldn't have to hold your breath while you spray it, or feel like you need a shower straight after. Protection should feel like something you want to do — and with Bug Block, for the first time in my life, it does.

Thank you for being here. Whether you're heading to the Cape, the island, the backyard, or just sitting on the back deck at dusk — I hope Bug Block lets you actually enjoy it.

 Andrea x