On Day 19 of Alone Australia season three, Ceilidh Marigold’s time in the Tasmanian wilderness came to an unexpected end. Despite building a solid shelter, catching fish with a handmade trap, and feeling emotionally and mentally strong, she was medically evacuated due to an infection, likely from the lake water.
“I’m not ready,” she said after the medical team delivered the news. “I’m gutted that it’s ended. I feel like I just got started. I thought I had it.”
It was a heartbreaking exit for the 34-year-old disability support worker, who had hoped to win the prize money to build a house in Tasmania with her wife and dog. But her journey left a powerful impact — not just on the competition, but on everyone watching.
“Now that my time is up, I hope that I have inspired so many people — regardless of age, gender, sexuality, abilities — you can do this shit. You just put your mind to it and go for it. And you don’t really lose until you actually quit trying.”
After her time on the show, we sat down with Ceilidh to talk about her time on Alone Australia. Here’s what she had to say about her experience.
What was it about Alone that made you want to join the show?
It was a challenge. It was something I always wanted to do since I was a child, just to get out and fend for myself in the Bush.
So I never really had a chance to do that. I did that growing up a little bit, but not like Alone. Not like how that environment will allow me to, you know, be safe, go out and actually be by myself with no help at all.
It was something I always wanted to do.
Viewers noticed how calm you seemed out there. Why did nature feel like home?
I’m deaf and having to communicate with people, that can be a lot of work. But out there, I didn’t need to, and it was nice.
I just felt at peace knowing that, you know, my wife and dog are fine, that everyone’s doing better at home. When you look at the trees and the water, and the animal, you feel right at home.
I just felt like I had to not go against nature. Just go with it and keep trying and not fight it. I came up with a couple of different solutions to get food. So I felt like I was never angry at nature. It was just like, accept and respect where I’m at and just keep trying to be there, cause I want it to stay there.
You built a fireplace, a chimney and a fish trap from scratch. Were you excited to be able to showcase some of the bushcraft skills that you’ve learned throughout your life?
Yeah, I was. I was not about to catch anything on my fishing line and hook like I usually do. But, to be able to build a shelter and a little fireplace — I was a building designer and carpenter by trade — so to be able to that that to make a home lovely and having a plan to smoke my fish — which is what I had planned.
Seeing the traditional Indigenous practices, all the fish traps and things like that, seeing how they are done. I applied that to the creek and it worked!
Describe the moment the fish funnel finally worked.
Kinda shocked. When I saw fish up in that stream, I thought this had to work, but I have to give it a go and try not to get my hopes up.
When I saw the fish, the one fish swimming near the funnel, I was kind of like holding my breath and just waiting to see what happened.
So yeah, I was quite in shock, but extremely happy because when you catch a fish, then you can use the guts to carry on and do other things like use it for bait. So, it’s a giant step into staying there as long as I can.
What surprised you about yourself during the 19 days on Alone Australia?
How brave I was. It’s a scary thing to do, but I knew I could do it. So a lot braver than I thought I was and much more content, which was surprising. And looking back, I had so much fun. Even though there were some really tough times, you just push through them. I really really enjoyed myself.
I think you kind of don’t know what to expect, and you could end up being a bit miserable or cold. But, I was actually the opposite.
You mentioned on the show that your father was a constant presence, and personified with the sea eagle near your camp. Did you feel him there, and do you think he would be proud of your experience?
Yeah, definitely. I knew that he was there just because that was his favourite animal, sea eagles.
I don’t know exactly why, but he was a fisherman himself and a hunter. And eagles go down and catch fish.
So [when I looked up to see] the white bellied eagles sea eagles up in the trees… hanging around watching me doing all the things that I had to do.
A lot of these things he taught me, I applied, and the things I’ve self-taught as I grew up into an adult. Like catching fish without needing fishing line and hooks, something that he would say: “You know you can do anything.:
In a powerful moment early on in the season, you switched off your hearing aid on camera, giving viewers a taste of total silence. Why was that important?
It was really important that that happened.
It’s like, I guess, for the people who don’t have hearing loss, will say “No, that’s scary. Don’t do that. I need to hear”. Whereas, for me, I was born that way. I’m not worried about being completely deaf, so turning it off is sort of like an advantage for me. If I have issues out there, my brain goes racing because I don’t know what the sounds are. And so, I just turned off my problems! Just turned them off and I’m able to sleep.
So I did that every night, and that’s what I normally do at home. Just turn it off and sleep really well, and just hope that my tarp is still there, and get on with a normal day and normal way of life for me.
As the first deaf person to appear on Alone Australia, what are your thoughts on the representation of people with different abilities on these survival reality shows?
You get a lot of people who go, “That’s very unsafe to put a deaf person out there like that.”. Everyone has their ideas about safety when it comes to deafness. To me, I’ve lived this long in my life to be able to do okay. And out there, there were no people, no animals that could hurt me.
It could be that there could be falling trees, but I just positioned myself away so I knew what I had to do to be safe in terms of hearing.
You never seem to shy away from anything. Not everyone has Alone Australia and being a champion BMX rider on their resume. What was it about BMX that drew you?
I think it was the thrill and the adrenaline.
It was such a fun sport and I was never really good at team sports, so independent sports racing with other people was… ohh, being competitive! I think that’s in my nature to be competitive, to have fun, and the speed was great.
When you’re on a bike and when you’re in the air with a bike, that’s what I enjoy. There was a sense of community as well.
It’s kind of like an adventure. On the day, whatever happens happens, from the track until you get to the finish line. So, same as on Alone, you get dropped off on land and you’re like, “Alright, what am I doing now?” Build a shelter. Find some food. You just take it as it comes.
Take us to the moment the doctor told you to tap out.
Well, but prior to that, I kind of thought, well, this is probably bad. It might be my time. But I hoped not, and I had to try to keep positive and hope that something they could let me get on with it and just monitor it. But I knew what was coming.
So, when they were coming, I had to prepare myself. Like “This could be it.” And then it was.
You have to listen to the doctor. Health is my number one priority. To be alive [and to be able] to come home.
Mentally, I was fine to continue. I think I had another 30 days in the bank in my head, even without food, just to keep going.
Would you go back?
Absolutely. I’ll do it over and over again if given the chance.
You wanted the prize to fund a house with your wife and your dog in Tasmania. What is it about Tassie that you enjoy?
We have to settle in Tassie soon. Nothing is stopping us. So we’re going to continue on with our dreams and achieve them.
I just fell in love with Tassie. I went down to get married to my wife down there. I love how cold it is. The nature and mountains, but in particularly the West Coast. And yeah, the wildlife there. So, I’d love to be part of the community down there to keep Tassie as beautiful as it is. And the dramatic weather!
What would you like people to take away from your journey on Alone?
To never give up. Just stay true to yourself.
Never give up on yourself, and really enjoy what you want to do in life. What I did there was something I really enjoyed doing.
So go and do that with your life, whatever it may be. So yeah, be true to yourself.
Never give up.
Alone Australia season three is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
