AUSTRALIA – “A Tale of Two Countries”
What do Americans really know about Australia? Do they picture Paul Hogan wandering through the Outback holding a Koala and oil can of Fosters while listening to ACDC? Perhaps, it’s Nicole Kidman dining on kangaroo steak and a bloomin’ onion while drinking Shiraz in the shadows of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge? Regardless of ridiculous stereotype, I wanted to better understand the energy and people of Australia during a recent trip to the land of Oz. What I found along the way were gregariously friendly and resourceful people that were proud of their beautiful country. Many Americans probably romanticize Australia as this wild and exotic place down unda’; and certainly, that wouldn’t be too far from reality. However, I found that Australia and the USA have more in common than they might care to admit.
THE BIG BOWL
Australia is a vast topographically bowl-shaped continent that is roughly the size of the United States. About 90% of the population lives along the fertile coastline, where near-perfect weather provides unparalleled opportunities for outdoor play. The beach communities just south of the capital city of Sydney exude a laidback Californian energy, while the downtown business center is a thriving hub of Asian and European business and trade. Although tourists swarm The Rocks and Circular Quay areas, locals find plenty of visitor-free peace in the countless unique neighborhoods spread throughout the area. Whether meandering along the harbor beneath the stretched sails of the Opera House, or leisurely strolling amongst the cliffs and ocean-fed community pools that stretch between Coogee and Bondi beaches, visitors and residents alike, easily find blissful appreciation for the outdoors in their metropolitan area.
Sydney Opera House
The Outback forms the central “bowl” of Australia and is one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet. The oldest recorded fossilized fish was found there, because ironically, this parched land used to be the bottom of the ocean. Shrubs and scrub trees sketch shadows of artery-looking flash flood paths across the Martian red soil. This is where 10% of Aussies make their home and where the indigenous Aboriginal communities settled over 45,000 years ago. The Aboriginal people have survived in this inhospitable environment by uniting together to live in harmony with it. As if a symbol of their spiritual strength and fortitude, Uluru is one of the only mountains to rise above an otherwise flat Outback horizon. Although its sandstone layers have been eroded by punishing winds, the iron deposits that form Uluru’s core have made it resilient to being overtaken.
Sunrise at Uluru
SURVIVING TOGETHER, OR DYING ALONE
During a bus ride to the dusty little town of Alice Springs, our driver told us a very interesting story about a flowering bush called the Eremophila. Although known for its ability to thrive in the Outback environment, the fruit and seeds of the bush are unable to germinate by themselves in those conditions. With limited resources, the emu finds sustenance eating the fruit of the eremophila. It just so happens, that when the seeds pass through the emu’s digestive system and are expelled in its feces, they are provided with the protection and nutrients to germinate and propagate the plant. Eventually, camels were brought to Australia to help travelers survive their journeys across the Outback. However, when the camel eats the fruit of the Eremophila, he also consumes the leaves, branches, and eventually destroys the entire bush.
Red Kangaroos on Kangaroo Island
Australia and the USA may be on opposite sides of the globe, yet they both have had historical struggles with their indigenous populations. I saw it in the eyes of homeless Aborigines who sat along the streets of Alice Springs, and I heard it in contentious complaints from an older Australian about an Aborigines woman and her children who were permitted to ride for next to nothing on our pricey and luxurious Ghan train. It wasn’t until I returned home that I was able to clearly see the parallels with Native Americans in the USA. Although European settlement brought great opportunity and economic growth, they showed little respect for those cultures that were there before them. Just as with the Native American, the Aborigines were marginalized and left behind economically. How can we hope to foster global unity, if we can’t even unite as individual countries? We are better able to survive when our communities work together, rather than compete against one other. It’s important we understand that we are ALL guests here, and there’s no room for camels.