On touching down in Perth at the start of our trip I did say ‘I could live in Australia’. That could have been nearer the mark than expected.
The advice given to us by our travel agent when we were in Sydney was to leave on the next available flight or risk being stranded because international flights were soon to stop in an attempt to restrict the spread of the Coronavirus. Tasmania, our next destination, was already insisting travellers isolate for 14 days. Our visit there was for just five days, so not an appropriate onward journey. Sites in our final destination, Melbourne, were closing their doors too. This was especially disappointing as we were due to visit our friends in Australia, Diane and Eric, for the first time on their home ground.
Our trip was to be a one-time visit due to the distance, which is why we planned to cover so much ground. However, we enjoyed the country so much that we would like to go back, picking up in Sydney where we left off.
While being an English speaking nation and driving on the left side of the road had big benefits, it was the Australian culture and humour, coupled with such a diversity of sites across this huge continent that made the trip so enjoyable.
During our three weeks there we were also becoming accustomed to their art of shortening words. ‘Would you like some Chardy or Savvy b’, were examples when requesting a glass of wine. Or maybe one would like a bevo (bevvie to us in the UK). If we had ventured to the supermarket we might have been asking for an avo (avocado), a sanga (sandwich), or an OJ (orange juice).
If we had made it to Tassie (Tasmania) we will have had to call into a servo (service station), and made sure we didn’t get our rego (registration plate) noted by the traffic police as we drove around the island. After a night drinking we could have called in for a Maccas (McDonalds), or if it was a really heavy night what better than a dirty kebab? (Thanks for the crash course in shortening Adrian.)
What really threw me though was seeing a sign at a pub in Perth warning that ‘thongs’ could not be worn at the venue after 7pm. I thought that was very liberal until I found these were flip flop footwear in our version of the language and not very brief swimwear.
The only disappointing aspect we came across was buying some Aboriginal items that, although designed by indigenous people, were actually made in India or China. This was such a shame as tourist products can attract a higher price and it would have been good to see these particular items made in their country of origin.
Australia has certainly had its problems with the bush fires, compounded by media reports giving the impression there was not much left to see in the country. We found this to be far from the reality. Kangaroo Island, for example, although hit badly by the fires was still open for visitors to enjoy and learn more about the area and its animals.
In our three action-packed weeks we saw some wonderful and unique sites, met some nice and helpful people, and had many laughs. The virus has added to the tourism industry’s woes, but we hope to be some of the tourists to return to experience this great continent in the future.
And finally, on a lighter note…
Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2020