Why I’m excited about visiting Australia

Most people going to Australia go to the eastern coast because that is where all the major cities are. Few people go to the west, which is exactly why I am doing a road trip in Western Australia.

Here’s why I’m excited about visiting Australia.

The “opposite” experience: Have you been south of the Equator? This is the first time I’m about go there and I’m looking forward to experience summer in February (wish I could go in December/January). Christmas in summer would be something!

The World Cup: The Cricket World Cup is set to be held in Australia when I would be visiting. This is the first time during a cricket world cup that I am going to be in a country other than India that is nearly as crazy about cricket as we are. I am looking forward to that experience. Though I am not sure if a match is scheduled in Perth during my stay there, but even if it isn’t, it would be great to experience the cricket excitement, the Australian way!

The road trip: I have never done a road trip in a foreign country — now that I think about it — not even a significant one in my own country! And this is going to be a mega one — close to 5,000km! Perth to Broome and back. A sprinkling of spontaneous plans are also on the cards.

The company: From some guy I met the year before for a few minutes at an airport halfway across the world to a friend’s friend I’d never met before, I have stayed with pretty random people during my travels. But in Australia, for the first time, I am going to do a road trip with complete stranger(s). If, by chance, we do not get along well, the entire trip gets screwed. One of the main reasons I am a fan of solo travel is because it lets me travel selfishly and I don’t have to consider my travel partner(s) before all decisions I make on the road. But this time, I have decided to take a leap of faith and go ahead with it. 

The lingo: I’m fascinated by the way in which Australians communicate with each other. Did you know they refer to a person from Queensland as “Banana bender” and a big city as “big smoke”! I can’t even imagine why and I’m a little bit skeptical if I should believe this. Well, I’m all set to find out first hand!

The wildlife: Australia appears to have the highest concentration of dangerous creatures in the world. You try wearing a shoe, there could be a redback spider hiding in there. You go to swim in the sea, some shark could bite off your leg and you don’t want to go anywhere near a box jellyfish. And be careful while approaching creeks and river, there could be a crocodile lurking somewhere around there. But since people do live in Australia, I suppose it’s not entirely an uninhabitable place. And I don’t want to go too near kangaroos when I am driving. They apparently jump on cars and damage them!

The pink lake: Someone told me the pink lake near Esperence isn’t that pink anymore. Apparently, the algae (or whatever) that causes the pink colour is damaged and will take some years to revert to its pink glory. However, someone else told me there’s another pink lake near Port Gregory that is quite the pink colour. So, I have my hopes high!

Stromatolites: If you didn’t know what they were, you’d dismiss them as rocks on the seashore. But stromatolites had a major role to play behind my writing this piece and you reading it. Around 2.5 billion years ago, these structures, formed by layers of oxygen-producing bacteria, gradually changed the Earth’s atmosphere from a carbon dioxide-rich mixture to the present-day oxygen-rich atmosphere. This ultimately helped in the evolution of more complex life forms, and ultimately you and me. These are found in Shark Bay in Western Australia.