We have just returned from a delightful, informative trip to Australia.  We started with a visit to see our dear friends in Brisbane, Bronwen and Sep, in their fabulous new home, which they designed and built with every conceivable amenity, combining sustainability and elegance.  We had the great pleasure of meeting some of their family, and saw many of Brisbane’s highlights.  The perfect start to a terrific trip!

We met our Road Scholar group in Sydney in early November and started a 4-week journey to see as much of Australia as possible.  Since Australia is almost as large as the continental US, we did not see everything, but we saw A LOT.  

In Sydney we walked across the Harbor Bridge, seen by many television viewers as the start of New Year celebrations world-wide.  We visited the Taronga Zoo (where we focused on animals native to Oz), and saw a performance at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre (where we also had a wonderful tour of the entire facility).  We went to Bondi Beach to see the surfers, and learned about the RSL (Returned Services League), which is a bit like the VFW clubs in the US.  

Next, we flew to Perth on the west coast, and started our visit in the beautiful Kings Park, which looks down over the city and the Swan River.  We visited the Swan Bell Tower and had a chance to try ringing the bells (the way it’s done on Midsomer Murder episodes!).  We saw nearby Fremantle, learned about mining and agriculture in Western Australia, and moved on to Rottnest Island, where many Aussies vacation and visit the quokkas (small marsupials, very cute) who live there.  Last, a quick trip to the Perth Mint, where we saw a gold pour to create a gold bar.  

From Perth we boarded the India Pacific train and began our 40+ hour trek across the Nullarbor (“no trees”) Plain into Adelaide, South Australia.  Interesting to go for 2 full days and see virtually no towns or signs of civilization.  Adelaide is a charming city, bounded by mountains.  It is the only freely-settled colony of Australia (not a spot to drop off convicts, as other settlements were).  

In Adelaide we started learning about the Aboriginal people in Australia – their history, culture and connections to the land.  In some ways their story is similar to that of Native Americans, and there is a lot of discussion about the past and what is done to honor and respect the original dwellers on the land. 

We took a ferry from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, and yes, we saw more marsupials (kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and wombats) as well as sea lions, raptors, dingoes and echidnas.  We also visited a eucalyptus distillery and learned a lot about this tree, which can be found all over Australia in various forms. 

Coming back to Adelaide, we spent a few days learning more about South Australia –  sheep farms and shearing, other types of farming (including vineyards), mining and other industries, art, and how the State of South Australia is governed.  

Then, on to the Northern Territory, which is relatively close to Asia.  NT was a pioneer outpost, and is relatively undeveloped.  As we arrived, tropical rains were falling and people were readying for monsoon season.  We visited Kakadu National Park, with its incredible biodiversity (birds and plants of all types, with wetlands/crocodiles and a rain forest) and Aboriginal rock art.  We spent some time in Darwin, learning about its WWII history and the bombs that fell on it during the largest single attack on Australia.  

To see more of the NT, we left Darwin on the Ghan train (named after the Afghans who built the train line).  We headed south into the center of Australia, looking for wild camels (when the train line was built, the camels that had hauled construction materials and workers were set free, and many now roam central Oz) – we only saw one, racing along next to the train.  We had a stop and left the train to see Katherine Gorge, which was stunning (and has great significance for the Aboriginal people of that area).

  

After a day and night on the Ghan, we reached Alice Springs, which is just about the center of Australia, and developed due to the need for an overland telegraph line to connect Oz to the world.  Due to its location and the remote, sparsely populated areas around it, Alice Springs developed 2 innovative programs that served (and still serve) the people of the Outback:  The School of the Air and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  

Since 1951, the School of the Air has been providing education to children in the Outback, first through two-way radio and now through computers.  The School covers 521,000 square miles (that’s twice the size of Texas), and averages 120 students at any one time.  

The Royal Flying Doctor Service provides emergency and primary care health services throughout Australia, with 900 patient contacts daily.  Since its founding in 1928, the RFDS has expanded, and now has 23 air bases, 87 aircraft, and numerous other resources to provide health care to Australians.  

After a night in Alice Springs, we headed into the Outback again, to see Uluru, Kata Tjata and other rocks and geological formations with sacred significance to the Aboriginal people of the area.  

Then on to Cairns and its Tropical Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.  Some educational lectures about each of those features and then we were off to snorkel (for the first time!) at the Reef – it was amazing.  The next day was a visit to Kuranda – a mountain retreat surrounded by the rainforest.  We took a skyrail over the canopy of the rainforest and leaned more about all the flora and fauna living within it.  

Finally, a flight back to Sydney and then a long flight home.  

It was incredible to see so much in less than one month – and to learn so much.  

Australia has an interesting history, and amazing diversity of geography that includes grasslands, mountains, deserts and rainforests.  The life forms in these environments reflect the isolation, and the external influences, over thousands of years.  We found that protection of the environment is a priority throughout the country.  Australia is relatively dry overall, so conservation of water and other resources is also a priority.  

Australia has a fun vibe and the people there enjoy a laugh, even as they poke fun at themselves.  We heard many times during our trip that fairness and mateship are highly valued by Aussies, and that seems to be true.  

Australia was built in large measure by the hard work of convicts and self-made men, which might explain why the Aussies we know look skeptically upon authority, and like to make their own decisions.  

Australia – what a great place.  We’d go back in a minute!

— Mary Anne McDonald