Traveller’s Tales: The Red Land
A dusty red haze hangs in the rays of the rising sun. The empty chill of a barren night is stolen by the yellow heat of the day. The colours of red dust and rock change as shadows slink across the landscape. For centuries others have been standing in this same spot, experiencing the same sunrise above the same rock in the middle of an arid and flat land that runs for thousands of miles in any direction. However, to some visitors, it is just a rock in the middle of the Outback of Australia. To me, it is much more.
Australia; a continent, country and island, all in one. Go for the feeling of soft sand between your toes and to wear the salty ocean water on your skin. Stay to explore the mountains, the rainforests, the cliffs and the desolate Outback where only the most versatile of animals can survive.
To say you’ve “seen” Australia because you spent a few days around the Opera House in Sydney, or had a “shrimp on the Barbie” in Melbourne would be like saying you could climb Mount Everest because you made it through a Medicine Hat winter.
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and with such a contrasting landscape and culture it can be daunting to plan your trip Down Under. Where to start? What to do? Is it really worth it to see the Great Barrier Reef? Is P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way a real place? I’ll stop you before you get carried away and ignore the last question so not to disappoint. Rather, let me give you some insight into the cities I called home.