Australia

It’s almost as far from the east to west coast of Australia as from the east to west coast of the United States. So I was surprised when my daughter was planning a trip to SCUBA the Great Barrier Reef (off the northeast coast) and some native Australians told her she also needs to visit the south coast, the west coast, and the northwest coast. I suppose it’s like saying you can’t experience the United States by just going to New York, you also need to see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and San Francisco. Fortunately, since we are traveling virtually, we can cover the various regions of Australia without a lot of extra driving or flying, and since Australia is an English speaking country, we don’t have to wait for translations.

Here are my notes on traveling the six states of Australia without leaving home. My top recommendations are Man from Snowy River and Rabbit Proof Fence, but I enjoyed everything here. Feel free to send more suggestions via Chat as I know this doesn’t even begin to cover the diversity in Australia.

New South Wales

· The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough (my favorite light read ever. I’ve probably read this short novel a dozen times just because I needed to take a break.)

· Bittersweet (another Colleen McCullough novel with some World War I history from New South Wales)

· The Sydney Opera house from Google Streetview – take a walk around.

https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/sydney-opera-house/KgGPW2YWtcHpBg?hl=en&sv_lng=151.2135034733324&sv_lat=-33.85845058282505&sv_h=8.999&sv_p=-13.299999999999997&sv_pid=opBj2MqN2Mk4yX5QdZPYDw&sv_z=1

Northern Territory

· Crocodile Dundee (If I remember correctly, the first movie is the best and will show you more of the Northern Territory than the second or third. Also if I remember correctly, movies from the 80s were not as careful about respecting diversity as they are now. Summary: fun movie, not socially aware.)

· Australia (Sweeping movie about World War II in the Northern Territory)

· A Cry in the Dark (Known as Evil Angels in Australia and New Zealand – Did they do it or didn’t they?)

· Wild Australia (You can find this six-part documentary on YouTube. The Wetlands and Desert episodes are about the Northern Territory.)

Queensland

· The Thorn Birds (another Colleen McCullough novel; this one is probably her most famous and even had a television series at one time.)

· Wild Australia (again on YouTube. The Reef and Rainforest episodes cover Queensland.)

· Chasing Coral (what’s going on in the Great Barrier Reef – available on YouTube.)

South Australia

· Chain of Evidence by Garry Disher (Yes, reading mystery novels from other cultures counts as traveling in that culture. Most of Garry Disher’s novels are set in Victoria, but I was looking for something set in South Australia.)

· The Jeff Corwin Experience: Reptiles in Australia and Tasmania (I think I saw this on Netflix but it’s not there anymore. You might be able to find it used on Amazon.)

Tasmania

· The Hunter starring Willem Dafoe. It has 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and I found it dark but meaningful.

· Lion/A Long Way Home (I watched the movie based on the book and I admit this is more an India story than a Tasmania story, but Saroo Brierley grew up in Tasmania.)

Victoria

· Man from Snowy River (This was the truly big movie from Australia in the 1980s and has amazing photography of the Australian countryside. Of all the Australian movies listed here, see this one.)

· The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. (This is a fun book especially for someone who knows and loves people who are not neurotypical.)

· Wild Australia (again on YouTube. The Bush and Coast episodes cover Victoria.)

· Quigley Down Under (Considering I haven’t seen this since 1990, I just remember that I enjoyed watching Tom Selleck in a new setting.)

Western Australia

· Rabbit Proof Fence (Wow, this was a powerful movie! I can’t decide which I recommend more, this or Man from Snowy River. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for.)

· The Light Between Oceans (A 2016 movie based on a 2012 novel set off the coast of Western Australia.)

· Secrets of the Dead: Irish Escape (Interesting story from Australia’s history as a penal colony.)

· Japanese Story (A 2003 movie set in desolate country in Western Australia.)

· Red Dog (2011 Australian film based on an actual red dog known for wandering Western Australia)

The Crazy Tourist has twenty galleries covering travel in Australia. See https://www.thecrazytourist.com/?s=australia

Finally, when this pandemic is over, it might be possible to plan a trip to Australia using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Australia and throughout the world.

(Photo credit to https://geographical.co.uk/people/cultures/item/3455-uluru-closed for the picture attached to this blog.)