Place 2: Uluru/Oz outback...

Anyone who says that Australia has no culture obviously hasn't done their homework. Aboriginal culture is one of the oldest in the world (over 50,000 years) and when you consider the extreme and hostile landscape the Aborigines have endured and adapted to, in addition to the rampant opposition and prejudice they've suffered it's pretty incredible that they even still exist at all.

I spent a month on the east coast of Australia in 2006 and had an amazing time. Unlike many of my contemporaries who dreamed of travelling to Oz for the beaches and sunshine, the country had never really appealed to me, and the only reason I went was because my best pal was out there visiting family and it didn't cost any more money to extend my plane ticket (I was travelling around Asia). I'm so glad I did as I found it to be a really special place. The sheer size of it alone beggars belief and the variation in the natural environment is remarkable, with a tropical climate further north and the more stereotypically arid desert elsewhere. As someone who loves animals, I found the possums, koalas and kangaroos delightful, but was slightly more disturbed by the realisation that nearly all insects are supersized. Seriously. Obviously, the spiders were huge (and very scary), but even things like crickets were about quadruple the size they are here. Brrrr!

I went to quite a few political talks and lectures whilst in Sydney, as my friend was involved with lots of activism, and was surprised to note that before all lectures, the speaker would acknowledge that the land they were on (i.e. Oz) was not their land, and that it was the Aboriginal peoples. Maybe I was just mixing in liberal circles, but I thought that this recognition was vital and wondered how widespread the practice was.

I travelled up the east coast and did lots of the typical backpacker trips, but didn't go to the outback. Before I arrived, I didn't really see the appeal in going to Uluru (Ayers Rock), but now I wished I'd gone. Travelling up the coast, I saw some spectacular landscape and find the outback absolutely devastating. As a rule, I don't have much desire to return to a place I've already been - there are too many other wonderful places to explore! Even if you've had the time of your life, I don't think it'll compare. That's my reasoning anyway. This time, I'd return, avoiding the hordes of gap-year backpackers (18-30 for middle class kids - bleugh), and head straight out to the wilderness...

I really recommend the film 'Rabbit Proof Fence'. It's about the 'stolen generations' of Aboriginal children who were taken from their families during the 19th/early 20th century by the government. The history is harrowing, to say the least. I also read Bill Bryson's 'Down Under' whilst I was there, which gave some good background info on the country, plus some very upsetting but very important descriptions of the Aboriginal experience after Europeans arrived. Christ... our "pioneering" legacy is shameful.

One more thing: I have never, ever seen sky as blue and stars as bright as I did whilst in Oz. Incredible. I took the picture below whilst walking in the Blue Mountains - look at the glorious colour of the sky! The Blue Mountains were just spectacular - but I've written enough, so that's a story for another time...