We’ve been trying hard to come up with a good summary of Australia, based on our 10-day, 2-city tourist experience over the Christmas/Boxing Day (which is a bigger day than Christmas Eve apparently) holidays and the lazy days that pass between the “Holiday Eves.”
We noted that Australia was:
Family friendly (family pricing for almost everything- museums, public transportation the zoo etc.; had great kids menus at every dining establishment, kiddie toilets in public restrooms and hotel rooms that could actually accommodate a family of five—a welcome treat after China’s obsession with the king bed only hotel rooms!)
Laid Back. Chalk it up to being the ultimate beach culture, but we really did hear, “No worries,” uttered more times than we could count each day. People boarded the bus barefoot (and some guys without shirts), others hung out at coffee shops (there was once on every corner) and enjoyed leisurely strolls in the park. When we decided, last minute on the ferry back from Taronga Zoo, to attend the Children’s Christmas Mass that evening we didn’t have time to change: but we fit right in. The girls wore their Hannah Montana t-shirts to one of the most liturgical Christmas services we’ve ever attended, but where in good company with others shod in rubber Haviana flip-flops. The laid back dad-of-three who stood beside us in the standing-room-only crowd at St. Mary’s Cathedral rocked a toddler who literally had chunks of supper in his tussled locks!
Unique. In their cuisine: from the Vegemite they smear on their bread, to their milky “Flat White” coffee (a cross between a latte and cappuccino, although those were also on most alfresco café menus.) In their landscapes and climates: that are so varied from coast to coast. Australia has animal species that amaze and astound, and are above all completely unique to Oceania.
In tune with the Outdoors. There are so many activities to be done outside: swimming, surfing, bush walking (the Aussie word for hiking). Even less rigorous activities, like leisurely strolls can happen in lush leafy parks just steps away from the business district. Fruit bats and ibis share the space with beatniks rolling doobies on the park benches, while local office workers take a quick noontime stroll, and vacationing families make a day of it with a picnic blanket and some grub. Because of the gaping whole in the ozone above Australia, Australian government has launched skin cancer prevention campaigns: you can see cautionary billboards all over and people have heeded the warning. They use every kind of sun protection: big brimmed hats, sunglasses, long sleeve swimwear and high SPF sunscreen. (You can always tell the who the tourists are, our friend Steve advised, just look for the lobsters… those rosy skinned vacationers who underestimated the strength of the Aussie sun!)
The Girls Model
Sun-Protection: Floppy Beach Hats
