An ever-growing number of teenagers are flocking to Bali for Schoolies, attracted by free nightclubs and cheap drinks.
Unbeknownst to their parents, many Australian school-leavers are engaging in risky behaviour on the streets of Kuta, some even passing out in public.
Schoolies were spotted partying hard in the bars and nightclubs of the Balinese capital this week, enjoying the low prices and lax rules.
An ever-growing number of teenagers are flocking to Bali for Schoolies (pictured is a Bali nightclub)
Unbeknownst to their parents, many Australian school-leavers are engaging in risky behaviour on the streets of Kuta, some even passing out in public (pictured)
‘I’m with all my friends and we’re all getting f***ed up tonight,’ one Australian teenager told A Current Affair.
Far from the watchful eyes of their parents, out-of-control Schoolies reported visiting multiple bars and clubs on Kuta’s Legian Street and drinking all night.
Alcohol flows freely in Bali and costs a fraction of what it does back home, but it is one of the island’s biggest hazards.
‘For $35 I got at least 15 vodka and Cokes and five of these other things, I’m not sure,’ said one teenager.
Schoolies (pictured) were spotted partying hard in the bars and nightclubs of the Balinese capital this week, enjoying the low prices and lax rules
Drinks can contain poisons like methanol, or contains substances made in backyard labs, warned a local security expert, Richard Flax.
‘The kids really don’t know what they’re drinking some of the time and that’s the problem,’ he said.
The mother of a young Australian who died in Bali four years ago said Schoolies should consider saying home.
As well as methanol, drinks have been known to contain mosquito repellent and arak – Balinese liquor.
Far from the watchful eyes of their parents, Schoolies reported visiting multiple bars and clubs on Kuta’s Legian Street and partying all night (pictured is a Bali nightclub)
Schoolies dancing the night away admitted they did not know what was in their drinks, and reported being offered drugs out in the open.
One teen told of being offered cocaine, magic mushrooms, MDMA, and even Viagra.
Bali’s harsh penalties for drug use are well-known, but sSchoolies seemed unaware of the dangers of another popular Balinese pastime – riding motorbikes.
Motorbikes and scooters are ubiquitous in Kuta, and Schoolies can be seen riding them recklessly from club to club.
Mr Flax warned Bali is not the place to learn how to ride a motorbike, and urged Schoolies to be careful on mopeds.
One schoolie was spotted with a helmet worn backwards, unaware four Australians have died while riding motorbikes or mopeds in Bali since April 2016.
Violence is another problem, despite a heavy police presence of local officers keeping the peace.
On Monday night a group of a dozen shirtless schoolies were filmed trading punches outside Paddy’s Bar on Legian Street.
Other tourists watched in horror as the teenagers brawled in the street, before police arrived to separate the combatants.