Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Ya, ya, ya

My Aussie experience had not been an easy one.I visited all its states except for Tasmania which was on fire. When I flew over the continent from Perth to Sydney, most of the land appeared to be burnt orange in colour with some green on the two coasts. Majority of the continent is indeed uninhabitable.The term "outback" covers vast land that is not the coastal region.  

Like Canada, it is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. It is also diverse in cultures. If Canada can be described as an autumn country, Australia is mostly a summer country. It has a lot more youths than Canada, and yet it is aggressively trying to attract young labourers from all over the world to work on its farms and mines by granting working tourist visas.Like the Bible would say, "The harvest is great but the labourers are few."

If I were to pick a favourite Aussie city, it is a toss between Brisbane and Perth. Both cities have a river running through it, moderate climate, a deep harbour and beautiful sand beaches. Their transportation systems are well organized, much better than that of Vancouver. There are a lot more bikes on the road yet very few dedicated bike lanes and hence less traffic congestion. Their city planners have made provisions for population growth and urban expansion years ahead and it is evident in the infrastructure.

Most of the famous Aussie landmarks might have been overrated especially the natural ones such as the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock. I do however have a particular fondness for the man-made landmarks such as Sydney Opera House and the planned city of Canberra. In terms of wildlife, I did not have any close encounter with the kangaroos, koalas, emus, wallabies, etc. One thing that is abundant everywhere in Oz is flies. I swear I must have swallowed hundreds while visiting various national parks.

 Even though Oz is an English-speaking country, the Australian language is hard to understand. As with other young countries in the world, Oz is in the process of carving out a national identity that its people would be proud to call their own. It seems to me that Aussies are more sports-oriented. Not many Aussies know all the verses to their national anthem; cheers on Australia Day (Jan 26th) "Aussie Aussie Aussie/Oie Oie Oie/Ya Ya Ya" were heard loud and clear everywhere.