Easter in Australia

Well it’s Holy Thursday and there is no evidence that the Australians are going mad buying drink for tomorrow. I can see the queues in the Spar in Clonsilla in my mind.  A lot of places will be closed here tomorrow but I don’t think the whole country is going to shut down. I hope not.

I got the Ghan train down from Alice Springs to Adelaide last week and it was really cool. Slow, but cool. The train had 41 carriages and was 942 metres long – nearly a kilometre – so I suppose it can’t go too fast. But it was very comfortable and relaxing, even managed to sleep through the night, in a fashion.  

One thing I have learnt about Australia is that rivers frequently don’t have any water in them. See attached, dry river in Alice Springs. Once or twice a year it will flood.  Pathetic excuse of a river really.

I spent last weekend in Adelaide, which looks like you expect a real Australian city to look like – lovely old buildings in the Australian style, and a statue of Queen Victoria.

Except Queen Victoria has the Aboriginal flag flying behind her. Yet again official Australia is acknowledging the Aboriginals but the strange thing is you see very few Aboriginal people out and about. Even in Uluru – all the guides and even people working in the Cultural Centre are white. The black people suffer huge discrimation and terrible health problems – a lot have diabetes, because their bodies are not able to cope with the western diet. Up to 100 years ago a lot were living the traditional life and eating bush tucker. The average traditional diet provided two teaspoons of sugar per annum, and now they are drinking alcohol and eating the crap our bodies had millennia to adapt to.  The story of what was done to the black Australians is a real stain on the country in my opinion. It’s depressing but very familiar – the authorities were taking mixed Aboriginal children from their mothers in the 70’s like they were taking them from single mothers in Ireland.

Anyway, Tasmania is fantastic. I have been in the country since Monday and heading to the city, Hobart, tomorrow. More fascinating convict history. I went to this place called Richmond which has Australia’s oldest bridge – built in 1823! It’s unbelievable what they have achieved in a short period of time. It’s just a shame that so much damage was done to the Aboriginal people.  

I went to a place called Cockle Creek which is the most southern point in Australia you can drive to. And I shit myself the whole way down for fear I would get a puncture – the road isn’t even paved! There are loads of unpaved roads in Australia. Anyway it was worth it when I got there, even though my shoulders were up around my ears.  And despite the fact that I got three massive bites on my legs,  through my trousers. I still don’t know how they got in. It makes me worried for when I go into the jungle. 

I hope you all have a great Easter break. Easter never did it for me as a holiday I have to say – I never understood what it was about. So I don’t mind missing it at home. Am spending Easter Sunday with the old convicts in Port Arthur – can’t wait. Much more meaningful.