Eccentric Australia

Eccentric Australia at a Glance

Capital City:
Canberra

Currency:
Australian Dollar

Language:
English

International Telephone Code:
+61

ISBN-10: 1841622370

ISBN-13: 9781841622378

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About the Author

Steve Parish is Australia's foremost photographer and publisher of Australiana and natural history. He is something of an iconic figure, recognised across the continent for his pioneering underwater photography, commitment to conservation and championing of all things Australian.

Guidebook Updates

Notes from the Author

We're a WEIRD MOB and no one knows it better than us Aussies. Here are a couple of contrasting experiences that will give you a good rounded idea of Aussie Quirk:
 
Indigenous Australians have been close to the awesome magnitude of Uluru for ages. Now everyone is cottoning on to the raw red beauty of this magical place. Sunset viewing of Uluru has tourists flocking from all over Australia and the world to get a glimpse of the red rock shimmering bright crimson in the Northern Territory setting sunset. Tour guides arrive early and lay out tables covered with white tablecloths, canapes and wine glasses. Many first timers are overcome with emotion and burst into a sudden flood of tears at the sight of sunset at The Rock. For me, the rock is a classic piece of Aussie quirk; remote, exposed and weathered, baking in the hot Australian sun.
 
At the other end of the spectrum, upon a lonely country road in Tasmania, a farmer decided to "tart" up his letterbox and create something special; tractor parts, wheels and mower engine bits were brightly painted and the assemblage proudly numbered; it was unique alright. Soon every farm but one had constructed a stunning letterbox that all slowed down to admire. It was some weeks before the final farm erected a letterbox of its own.  When it did, the community was shocked. There, stuck at the top of the pole, was an old, cracked plastic can beneath which hung a sign: "You can all piss off, then!"
 
I enjoy discovering the signs we humans create. One sign on the Eyre Peninsula simply read "Nowhere" and I discovered another sign in Tasmania which read “No where else"!  Mad, eccentric and quirky as this continent is, I wouldn't have it any other way, because it is true — Australia certainly is like "No where else".

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