Down Under (book)

Down Under is the British title of a 2000 travelogue book about Australia written by best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson. In the United States and Canada it was published titled In a Sunburned Country, a title taken from the famous Australian poem, "My Country". It was also published as part of Walk About, which included Down Under and another of Bryson's books, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, in one volume.

Summary

Bill Bryson describes his travels by railway and car throughout Australia, his conversations with people in all walks of life about the history, geography, unusual plants and animals of the country, and his wry impressions of the life, culture and amenities (or lack thereof) in each locality.

In a style similar to his book A Walk in the Woods, or William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways, Bryson's research enabled him to include many stories about Australia's 19th-century explorers and settlers who suffered extreme deprivations, as well as details about its natural resources, culture, and economy. His writings are intertwined with recurring humorous themes, notably, in the chapter Crossing Australia he makes constant reference to drinking of urine to survive, as was done by many 19th century explorers. He jokingly adds, about a certain explorer "...I daresay he drank some of his own urine" and "They drank their own and their horse's urine"

Synopsis

The book consists of three parts.

1. Into the Outback

The first part of the book mainly describes the journey taken by Bryson aboard the Indian Pacific railway from Sydney to Perth. He is accompanied on this journey by a young English photographer named Trevor Ray Hart. The author describes his experiences on the train, the places the train passes through on its way to Perth such as the Blue Mountains and White Cliffs. The author also supplies plenty of humor in the form of historical accounts of early explorers and settlers of Australia.

View of Jamison Valley from north escarpment, outside Katoomba: Three Sisters far left; Mt Solitary left of centre; Narrowneck Plateau, far right, all part of the Blue Mountains region

Surfers Paradise as seen from Currumbin beach

2. Civilized Australia (The Boomerang Coast)

This section of the book starts off with historical accounts from the time when Australia was discovered and goes on to illustrate how the Australians built a dynamic and prosperous society from a modest and unpropitious beginning. The rest of this section is devoted to the author's account of what he considers to be Civilized Australia.

3. Around the edges

This part of the journey covers the Great Barrier Reef, Alice Springs and the mighty monolithic rock Uluru.

A panorama of Uluru around sunset, showing its distinctive red colouration at dusk.

References