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Australia is massive, and very sparsely
peopled: in size it rivals the USA, yet its population is
just over eighteen million - little more than that of the
Netherlands. This 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 at least fifty thousand years.
The harshness of the 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 their traditional way of life (albeit with some
modern accoutrements), speaking their own languages and
living according to their law (the tjukurpa). 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 system in which,
supported by dole cheques and other subsidies, they often
fall prey to a destructive cycle of poverty, ill-health and
alcoholism. 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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