Australia
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| Introduction
to Australia
Australia is massive,
and sparsely peopled: in size it rivals the USA, yet its population is
just twenty million. It is an ancient land, and often looks it: in
places, it's the most eroded, denuded and driest of continents, with
much of central and western Australia – the bulk of the
country – overwhelmingly arid and flat. In contrast, its
cities – most of which were founded as recently as the
mid-nineteenth century – express a youthful energy.
The most
memorable scenery is in the Outback, the vast desert in the interior of
the country west of the Great Dividing Range. Here, vivid blue skies,
cinnamon-red earth, deserted gorges and other striking geological
features as well as bizarre wildlife comprise a unique ecology
– one that has played host to the oldest surviving human
culture for up to seventy thousand years (just ten thousand years after
Homo sapiens is thought to have emerged
from Africa).This harsh interior has forced
modern Australia to become a coastal country. Most
of the population lives within 20km of the ocean, occupying a suburban,
southeastern arc extending from southern Queensland to Adelaide. These
urban Australians celebrate the typical New World values of material
self-improvement through hard work and hard play, with an easy-going
vitality that visitors, especially Europeans, often find refreshingly
hedonistic. A sunny climate also contributes to this exuberance, with
an outdoor life in which a thriving beach culture and the congenial
backyard "barbie" are central.While visitors might eventually find this Home and Away lifestyle rather prosaic, there are opportunities – particularly in the Northern Territory – to gain some experience of Australia's indigenous peoples and their culture, through visiting ancient art sites, taking tours and, less easily, making personal contact. Many Aboriginal people – especially in central Australia – have managed to maintain a traditional lifestyle (albeit with modern accoutrements), speaking their own languages and living according to their law. Conversely, most Aboriginal people you'll come across in country towns and cities are victims of what is scathingly referred to as "welfare colonialism" – a disempowering consequence of dole cheques and other subsidies combined with little chance of meaningful employment, often resulting in a destructive cycle of poverty, ill health and substance abuse. There's still a long way to go before black and white people in Australia can exist on genuinely equal terms. |
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