Bec, which is not her real name, was living in an Australian coastal town that she loved, in a job she was happy in, until a man in the surf assaulted her.
But, she says, that wasn't even the worst part: that was what came next, as she navigated the court system in regional Australia while dealing with her aggressor.
Ultimately, the man who assaulted Bec was charged and convicted, but because of the size of the community the pair lived in, Bec felt that she had no option but to move away.
Speaking to triple j hack using a different name to protect her identity, Bec says people in small towns like hers need more support from police and the courts system.
"There's no anonymity, essentially, in a small town," she told triple j hack.
"You feel like you've got a target on your back, anywhere you go."
In 2022, Bec was surfing a break near her home in a town where she had lived for several years.
"I was on a wave, and he kind of dropped in and cut me off, and physically retaliated," Bec told hack.
"So he turned around and hit me while we were on the wave, and pushed me into the water and was abusing me."
Bec says bruising and scratch marks soon showed on her body.
"The more I thought about it, the more, kind of, not okay with that behaviour I was."
She reported the incident to police, and the man was later charged.
As the matter progressed through the courts system, Bec says she would run into the man again and again.
She says these encounters, whether at the supermarket or elsewhere, had a similar tone.
She says the man would swear at her, saying things like, "you better f**king give up you dog".
Soon, Bec says her friends and partner were drawn into the situation as well.
"It was almost like the initial assault was starting to pale in comparison to what was happening afterwards," she said.
Bec says, as the interactions became more frequent, she started taking steps to try to keep herself safe.
"I wouldn't surf at the same spot, I wouldn't go to certain venues," she said.
She even started swapping cars with friends, to make it harder to be identified.
"I was worried he would hurt me again."
Regional courts
While awaiting a trial date, Bec also filed an application for an interim restraining order — something which the Magistrate's Court in her state granted, for 12 months.
In October 2023, the man was convicted of an assault charge and fined $800; he was later found not guilty of three breaches of the restraining order.
Reflecting on the process, Bec says there were additional challenges going through the courts in a regional area, including the court not sitting as regularly as it might in a bigger town or city.
"Being in a regional area, it's such a more drawn out process than it needs to be," she said.
Another factor, Bec says, was that, through the legal proceeding, she had to deal with the offender inside the courthouse too, as he ultimately opted to represent himself in the matter, including cross-examining her.
The restraining order was also not extended beyond the initial 12 months, although Bec says she had applied for an extension, after the man allegedly chased her down in a carpark and jumped in front of her car.
In the end, Bec says she felt she had no option but to leave town.
"For me, that was just the right choice."
"I'd been making these kind of decisions, not really living a free life … everything I did went through this lens of my physical and mental safety."
Bec resigned from a job that she loved and relocated with her partner.
"This is what I've been driven to do, if no one else can protect me."
Bec says, after the experience, she was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Also in regional Australia, in Mackay in Queensland, Jules Thompson from Broken Ballerina Inc works with people escaping family and domestic violence.
She understands the challenge of escaping violence on a personal level too.
"I was one of those victims, and I had to relocate with my little boys and go to refuge and start my life all over again," Ms Thompson said.
"You can get lost in a city, whereas in a smaller town, it makes it very difficult."
Ms Thompson points to a recent case, where the domestic violence order for one of her clients was reduced from 100 to 30 metres, because they were in a small town.
More broadly, she says the system needs to change.
"The laws need to change," Ms Thompson said.
"They need to be brought into 2025, they're archaic ... until the magistrates actually punish the perpetrators and set an example and go, 'we are not tolerating domestic violence' nothing is going to change."
Women's Legal Services Australia board chair Elena Rosenman believes the systems to support remote and rural women are not at the level they deserve.
"It shouldn't be the case that the systems and processes differ wildly within states," Ms Rosenman said.
"While a system on the surface should look the same, really, women in regional and rural areas are experiencing unique challenges."
Ms Rosenman said while accessibility of services in regional and remote areas had improved in the years since the COVID lockdowns, systems were still not adequate, while providers were also often caught up in the economic and employment issues that affect regional areas.
Back to Bec, now living in a new location; she wants change, and says the system as it's set up is failing.
"It's honestly so much more awful than I thought it was going to be," she said.
"I don't even know if I would have gone through the process if I had known how long it was going to take and how rough it was going to be."
