Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2016 | Page 50

Holiday scene

A taste

of Australia
Our first invitation to visit was some
four years ago and we decided to stay
for five weeks and sample precisely
what the heading of this article suggests.

By Terry
Willey

Despite the fact that Australia is the sixth
largest country in the world with a land
mass of over 7.5 million square kilometres,
its distance from the Northern Hemisphere
kept it for many years out of reach for
visitors.
However, these days, Australia can be
reached from the UK within 24 hours –
although admttedly, that can still be an
arduous and tiring trip for many.
In fact, upon hearing a flight deck
announcement when we were entering
Australian air space for the very first time.
I enquired of the stewardess: “That’s
Appuldurcombe
House
wonderful,
we will shortly
be there then?”
To which she replied: ‘’Yes, we should be
50

arriving in just over 4 hours’ time!”
I never really envisaged visiting Australia
for this very reason, until my eldest son
met an Australian girl in London and took
up work in Sydney, to where he has now
emigrated and is happily married.
Our visit coincided with a Test Match
taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground,
for which we were fortunate enough to
obtain tickets. Despite witnessing our
national team well and truly beaten, the
atmosphere was electric with over 20,000
people attending this wonderful stadium
along with the former Australian Prime
Minister Bob Hawke who was a VIP for
the day. An interesting character, he was

immortalised by the Guinness Book of
Records for drinking 2.5 pints of beer in 11
seconds! Directly below the VIP box were
ardent Australian cricket fans chanting
his name who, much to my amazement,
passed up to him on a large pole a pint of
lager, inviting him to consume it in one - a
request to which he duly obliged!
It is said that Australia has more than
10,000 beaches and that it would take
nearly 30 years to visit them all. Our trip
would certainly not have been complete
without visiting Bondi which is a short drive
from my son’s Sydney house. He advised
that it would be best observed by taking
the coastal walk from the neighbouring

www.visitilife.com

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