"AUSTRALIA – Defined by distance and isolation." Australia by tiabunna

Australia Travel Guide: 44,913 reviews and 113,570 photos

Recently, I was at a social gathering and chatting with a mate of many years. I don’t see him often enough, but during our yarn it turned out that he’s planning a trip to Hungary with his wife: the first time he’s returned since he became a refugee after the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. It’s a long way. He also spoke of the migrant camp he and his family were placed in when he arrived here, and how they had to come to terms with the ‘relaxed’ Australian approach to doing things. As I listened to Miklos, I knew that his story was the ideal entry point for this page, because it is so typical: Australia is a melting pot of humanity, isolated by distance from most of the inhabited world and, in many cases, arriving because of circumstances in countries they left.

From a glance at a map, it’s not immediately obvious that Australia sits in the same (numerical) latitudes as the northern part of Africa. The 40S latitude runs between the Australian mainland and Tasmania – 40N runs through central Spain and southern Italy and the latitude of Melbourne approximates that of Algiers and Tunis. In Australia’s north, Darwin and the top of Cape York lie only about 12 degrees from the Equator. In the context of Africa, the region between the latitudes of Darwin and Melbourne includes the Sahara and some very dry country – and so it is in Australia.

The most benign climate is on or near the coasts, so it is unsurprising that most people live on the coastal fringes, in the State capital cities. Canberra, the national capital is newer, somewhat smaller, and is the largest inland city. Although Australia was developed largely on rural industries and natural resources, it now is the most urbanised large country in the world. But to see the cities is not to see Australia – they simply are the most populated parts.

With a population similar to that of Calcutta (about 20 million) spread unevenly around an area of nearly 7.7 million sq km (roughly equivalent to Europe less Russia), most of Australia is far from crowded. Yes, even distances within Australia can be as significant as those from the rest of the world: Perth is often quoted as the world’s most isolated city, it is closer to Singapore than to Sydney and there is 2000km of mainly desert between it and Adelaide, the nearest city.

Australia also can be a country of extremes, because of its size. As I write this, southern Australia is having a drought which has lasted seven years: the north of Queensland is having floods!

What is in my Australia page? For a start, I propose to focus on the sorts of general issues which might be relevant to visitors, maybe later I’ll get more into ‘places to consider visiting’. Probably more than any other of my VT pages, I expect that this will be a page which continues to be updated frequently.

The heading photo? Laughing Kookaburras, probably the most loved of all Australian birds. They’re found across most of the country.

NB: Latest update to airlines tip in "Transport" 30 October 2007.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Relaxed lifestyle and largely unspoiled
Cons:A long way from most other places
In a nutshell:Whatever else, still a great place to live.

Intro Updated Oct 31, 2007
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (31)

Break the drive - stop for a 'cuppa' - Australia

Driver Reviver Stations Local Customs (5)

Australia’s long distances are conducive to boredom and drowsiness. This has been recognised as a major cause of road... more travel advice

Watch out for signs such as these - Australia

Cattle on roads Local Customs (5)

Australia had a long tradition of droving cattle over long distances – that is now past, thanks to modern transport.... more travel advice

Brisbane, seen from a ferry on the river - Australia

Brisbane – Capital of Queensland Things to Do (9)

Brisbane is the capital of the State of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city. It is growing rapidly and sprawls... more travel advice

Sydney's Harbour Bridge - maybe do the 'top' walk? - Australia

Sydney – Australia’s Oldest City Things to Do (9)

Sydney is Australia’s oldest and largest city and the capital of the State of New South Wales. It is busy, bustling and... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (7)
See All Regional risks #2 – Becoming a global...
Transportation (3)
See All Getting around cities and surrounding...
Favorites (2)
See All Early colonial days to present

What to Pack (4)
See All A "don't pack" tip: Quarantine!
Tourist Traps (1)
School holidays
Been to Australia?
Share your travels with the world!

Comments (17)

Reply
- Report abuse
scottishvisitor May 3, 2009 at 1:47 PM

Hi George I did like your infos on Australia :) Hopefully when we retire we will visit but it maybe only a wee bit!!
Reply
- Report abuse
deecat Sep 13, 2008 at 3:02 PM

George, you are to be praised for such a helpful, informative, and, thank goodness, interesting page. Outstanding warnings. Found the information about the cities to be excellent.
Reply
- Report abuse
Paul2001 Jan 12, 2008 at 5:06 PM

A very well written page with excellent pointers on an Australian visit. I only saw a couple of snakes in Australia and both times they slidered off.
Reply
- Report abuse
TheWanderingCamel Nov 5, 2007 at 2:41 AM

Back for a catch-up - and apologies for the odd doubling up. Building nicely! leyle
Reply
- Report abuse
JLBG Oct 30, 2007 at 10:53 PM

I usually do not care that much at general (country) pages and I even less care about introduction. Your Australia page is an exception! Everything is informative and interesting and the intro is an absolute must read! A great page! Thanks George!
Reply
- Report abuse
Nemorino Oct 29, 2007 at 2:57 PM

Me again, just checking back to read all the new tips and updates you've added since my last visit to this page on March 11. Glad to see more of your fine hot-air-balloon photos.
Reply
- Report abuse
globetrott May 25, 2007 at 2:01 AM

an interesting page, George ! Driver Reviver sounds like an interesting idea. I wish the sea wasps would take care of the crocodiles...
Reply
- Report abuse
y_lyn May 2, 2007 at 5:29 AM

Love reading your travel pages... By the way, which part of Australia do you like best? I had only been to Perth so far...
Reply
- Report abuse
dimilag Apr 17, 2007 at 10:38 AM

Excellent page. Fantastic introduction. I 've read your text with one breath. As we are planning on visiting Australia sometime next year i am going to use all the information that you provide to us. New VT Friend. Thank you also for your rating. Dimitris
Reply
- Report abuse
Ekaterinburg Mar 24, 2007 at 6:15 AM

Fascinating page and I was surprised by the urbanisation stats. I've read your explanation but wonder if it's anything to do with the 'wildlife' outside of the cities ? Those Kookaburas are delightful :))