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Uncategorized Tuesday, March 13th 2012 at 7:00 pm

Man Spends Over $350,000 Preparing for End of World

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46-year-old Robert Bast of Melbourne, Australia is a seemingly normal guy. He works in Internet marketing dor his day job, has a wife and three children, and runs website Survive2012.com as a hobby when he’s off work. That website, though? It’s about how the world is going to end in 2012, when the Mayan calendar predicted. Also, Bast has spent over $350,000 on preparing for the end of the world. You know, like you do.

He says the end of the world could come at anytime, which is true, if you believe that, technically, anything can happen at any time because you don’t understand the ways of the universe. Bast claims there will certainly be some kind of catastrophe in his lifetime, so he should prepare for it. Not an irrational theory, after all, better safe than sorry, but considering his age of 46 and the average human lifespan, that world-ending catastrophe will happen somewhat soon.

“What is certain is that in my lifetime, there is a strong likelihood that there will be a catastrophe of some kind — the sun destroying power grids, a flu pandemic that kills millions, an asteroid or meteor or comet striking earth or a magnetic pole shift.”

The majority of the $350,000 cost was put into buying a 75-acre plot of land that is 1,5000 feet above sea level (in order to avoid tsunamis and flooding), on which he build a house and bunker. He spent $10,00 on a pickup truck to drive him to the safe spot in case of emergency, and spent $5,000 on stockpiles of food and water, as well as $11,000 on your standard array of survival equipment — batteries, generators, water purifiers, solar power, and gas cookers.

Though Bast has a regular income from his day job that he has been saving money from, in order to fully pay for his safe house, he took a second mortgage on out his regular house, something one wouldn’t want to do unless they’re crazy or actually believe they need to. Bast obviously falls into one of those two categories, at the very least.

So, are you preparing safe houses for when the world ends later this year? Or since the world is ending, are you just going to go with the flow since a safe house probably won’t save you from the planet exploding?

(via CNN Money)

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  • evan

    Wow. I guess 75 acres at 15000 feet would be kind of expensive, with building the mountain and all.
    ;)

  • 1234

    I would like to point out there there are some grammatical errors in this post.

  • http://profiles.google.com/joint.striker joint striker

    The guy is probably crazy and my opinion is a cliché if he isn’t.

  • http://www.facebook.com/2012er Robert Skelton

    I am he. It’s actually one acre at 1500 feet. Still, good land in Australia is very expensive. I’m not mad – it doubles as a holiday home for the family. I’m not mad – NASA has warned that power grids could easily go down in 2012/2013, and scientists say we are well overdue for a flu pandemic. In Scientific American last year they said we have a 50/50 chance of a global catastrophe in the next 30 years. 

    Everyone should wise up and spend a little of money storing food and water. And if the end doesn’t come, you can still eat and drink it. Cheap insurance!

  • Anonymous

    as far as i’m aware, solar flares can only just briefly disrupt power grids.

    worst catastrophe, in my opinion, is the out-of-control breeding of humans. we’re consuming this planet too fast. it’s kinda funny how selfish people can be.

  • Rikard

    The Mayan calender don’t consider leapyears. Meaning years in their calender is shorter, meaning we have already passed 2012 according to the Mayan calender.

  • Dongward

    I agree.  Irrational, selfish behaviour, not unlike scaremongering nincompoops demanding the ‘truth’ about information pertaining to the end of the world in December this year… All in the hope that if, by some crazy miracle, something does occur they can sit in their bunkers and say ‘told you so!’ and ‘I was right all along, daddy!’, now to die slowly or repopulate the earth… lose-lose scenario there methinks.

  • Dracuger

    Its not like the guy is spending the money millions on billboards warning everyone else about the “Rapture” or whatever else stupidity. Hes building him self a retreat/retirement home/safe house bunker, inventing in land in the mountains is not such a bad idea he could always sell it if he needed. He has himself a free vacation spot for you and your family, kids and grand kids.

    I wouldn’t call this guy crazy at all, nor did he spend THAT much money on it 10k for a truck seriously its not like he can’t use that truck for other things. I’ve seen ppl spend 100k on boats that they don’t use. Hes just preparing for the worst, and making it so he doesn’t have to depend on others when crap hits the fan. Recent history has shown that you can’t depend on the Government to bail you out is emergency situations, or has everyone already forgotten hurricane katrina?

    Better becoming in debt for something like this, then that new LED screen u want, or that vacation to Europe for you and your family, or even a sports car that you don’t really need.

    Let the guy be, i’m glad he got recognition for what he’s doing, just sad the tone it was written in, ppl spend a lot more then 400k on stupid things, and this is not one of them.

  • Dracuger

     Robert, its sad ppl are looking at you for being crazy just for being different and having different priories in life. I say money well spent!

    Hope nothing happens and you just have yourself a great vacation spot there for u and your family, and if something does happen in your lifetime hope u’ll be safe with your well planned preparation.

    Its funny when everyone’s talking about “Going Green” and think doing so is buying a hybrid car, or technology that’s energy saving.
    Knowing how to live of the land and preparing ones self to be able to live off the “Grid” is one of the Greenest things you could do, even if you just do it for 1 month outta the year. For 350k you got your self a lifetime of amazing getaways for you and future generations of yours. good going mate! 

  • B.linck

    Per NASA (seen on this very site none the less), there are no increase in solar storm activity during the remainder of 2012.  Also, the Mayan calendar is NOT ending on December 21st, it’s resetting, just like our calendar does every New Year’s Eve…

    The real question is how do we keep from going mad while being deluged by all of the End of the World news tripe.

  • RedHeadedGeek

    I usually don’t post on these comment sections, but thank you for talking a little time to speak about it. It’s nice to hear someone addressing the article about them.

    As a paranoid person, I appreciate your preparedness. As a pessimist, I feel like it’s probably futile in the end. And as a person raised in the country, I’m thinking I might have a good shot at surviving hopefully.

  • HANK

    A VERY CAREING MAN BUT STILL A NUT! SAD VERY SAD!

  • munchies

    The fact that you say  “I’m not mad” twice in your post seems to suggest a degree of diffidence on your part..

  • David McKee

    And I would like to point out that the entire population of this earth could all be placed into the state of Texas with each person having about 1200 sq ft of space.  This overpopulation thing is just another hash Liberal bullsh*t.  The point is to expand into space, colonize other planets, start sucking the methane out of the gas giants to power ever bigger systems and move out into the universe.  Instead the enviro-wackos want to “hunker down”, reduce population (by force if necessary) and “make as little impact as possible”.  I want to leave a freaking huge stamp on the galaxy! Tiny little boring liberal minds.

  • Hey! Where my flashlight!…

    He is as prepared as Woody Harrelson in the movie “2012″

  • Deborah

    That was hilarious. I guess he had the money to spend; if the whole thing never actually gets that bad he always has a sweet place to get away from the stressful apocalypse-lite he must certainly be living in right now.

  • gina g

    First of all ur all crazy god is the only one who knbows u can run but u can’t hide from him so I suggest getten rt with god and not worrying about all the other b.s.

  • http://twitter.com/MetalGodwin Rikard Johansson

    Since when is what a person does with his own money something to hang out in the public domain and bash? You call yourself geekosystem, why can’t this guy be a “geek” about prepping for the end of the world?

  • mitt

    no one deserves to live in texas , lets get that get in first of all

  • http://www.facebook.com/eddie.jacobsen Eddie Jacobsen

    Saying there’s a 50/50 chance is like saying “we don’t know shit”

  • vvbutterflyvv

    i bet he feels silly now….poor guy