[NOTE: We traveled in Australia and Tasmania back in early 2012, using a rental car and our own devices to get around. Recently, World Expeditions asked us to write about … Read more
First of all, there’s a lot more to love about Australia than to hate. In fact, I really can’t think of anything I truly hate about Australia. Mild disapproval, in the true tradition of Anglo temperament, is about as strong as it gets.
Loves
1) The people. The friendliest people ever encountered in all our travels. And, although they’re as disgusted with American foreign policy as the next guys, they don’t make it the basis for all conversations. They’re usually more interested in where we come from, how we can live in such cold, and why we drink such weak ass beer. Then there’s the ubiquitous, “mate.” Love it.
Australia, as some know, was founded as a penal colony. Unlike the United States, the first people to come here were not colonists or people fleeing oppression in Britain. They were people bringing oppression from Britain. The Port Arthur convict site is a memorial to misery.