The Impression that I Get

Our view of Australia was a backpacker one, far from the backpacker trail.

It was Australia’s outlandish cost that drove us away from hostels and bus tours altogether. We drove our tent up the Great North Road (convict trail) and along the Great Ocean road. We camped with families on holiday, worked with small town locals and lived with a lovely family on their farm for more than a week. Yes, the cities we visited were extremely impressive and they sandwiched the real meat in our bbq adventure. We took in the wilderness like never before in my life (and I’ve been through vigorous camping training trips with Steph before). Living in the great outdoors in Australia’s outback, coastlines, rainforests and mountains was a true adventure. This was one of the greatest memories for me.

“If one way is better than another, that you may be sure it is nature’s way.” - Aristotle

The other greatest experience was spending time with my Mom and Dad after being so far away for so long. It was made especially wonderful because I got to spend almost two weeks with them around the holidays in a cozy home for most of the time, rather than a hotel room (However, we did enjoy the free drinks at the Marriott while they lasted, just ask the lounge staff).

The final thing that made Australia so enjoyable was the people. Depending on your opinion of what is important, I think Aussies go around the world as ambassadors who can casually demonstrate that they have discovered a certain key to lifestyle happiness.

You will cross paths with Australians almost anywhere you travel on planet earth. Yet Australians love to portray a casual disregard for everything around them, while no-one accidentally achieves a lifestyle as relaxed as theirs.

I think that key might come from mother nature which has a huge influence on the Aussie attitude. The natural world here is a harsh and unforgiving influence. And the raw wilderness is never far outside the suburban limits, on this oldest-of-all continents. Australia's key to happiness may come from their embrace of this wilderness at their doorstep. Their easy-going portrayal of life while travelling abroad comes after already climbing mountains and taking in stunning adventures close to home.

'In Australia, you realize how big nature is. And how humans are mere ants in the world.' - Stephanie Burke, 'Well I've run out of wine.'

'No worries' - There is indeed very little to worry about here as an outsider. The weather is perfect, the beaches are beautiful and the people are so incredibly friendly.

And so Australians are traditionally believed, not least by themselves, to be outdoorsy, sporting types, more comfortable wrestling crocodiles than spreadsheets. But it's an image that may change. According to a recent survey, Australians revealed their technology dependence, spending almost 80 per cent of their waking hours consuming some variety of media. There are 105 mobiles for every 100 people in Oz, second only to South Korea. Australians also now work some of the longest hours in the developed world and less than one in 10 Australian Dads take any paternity leave - even though they are entitled to 12 months' unpaid leave.

Americans and Europeans are often struck by Australians' easy-going, laid-back manner.

Sometimes Australia is mistakenly assumed to be like a bimbo - it looks gorgeous but there isn't much going on up top. This is of course untrue. In truth Australians read more books per head than the US and the UK. Around half of people over 15 read books at least once a week, and almost 80 per cent of children aged 5-14 read for pleasure outside school hours.

It's a pity that books in Australia, like many products, are too expensive because of a government ban on importing cheaper volumes produced abroad. Just go into any supermarket and you will be stunned to see prices eclipsing UK and EU markets by up to 150%. Although the country's vast resources allow many goods on the shelf to proudly dislay an 'Australian made' logo, Australia seems to have created an extremely expensive marketplace for itself by shutting out countries who can produce goods more efficiently. In any case, we were lucky to make ends meet thanks to some very friendly people who could handle our company. If not we probably would have had to leave and never see so much.

Altogether Steph and I were massively impressed by Australians and their lifestyle, especially how they pull this off in Melbourne and Sydney. Sydneysiders will tell you that Melbourne is rubbish, and Melbournians share the same feelings about Sydney. In turth they are both brilliant because people seem to embrace the world's beauty while leading today's 'real world' jobs - the best of both worlds.