Magun's Compass
Learn from the Travel Experiences of Others
|
Even if you are not emigrating, you are probably just as apprehensive
about the land you are approaching. "What is Australia?" you ask. It is the world's largest island and smallest continent. It has a huge red centre, with symbolic Ayers Rock -- Uluhru -- the largest monolith on Earth. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living coral in the world, and the snowfields of The Great Dividing Range are greater than those of Alpine Switzerland. But don't tell them that they are the biggest braggarts, and remember that a "Pommy Bastard" is a term of endearment. Many youngsters, under 26, even choose to take a whole year out and apply to Australia House for a working visa. Fewer funds are needed if you can work your way around the continent, and it can be a good experience to muck in with other nationals. The vast central plains are desert, or semi-desert, and nearly always deserted. The thought of the spirits of Aboriginal ancestors blowing across measureless miles of their dreamlands, might be compared to a remark made by Marco Polo on a Gobi Desert crossing, in 1274:
|
.| |