Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Broadway, Kindle Edition, 436 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Travel. Nonfiction. Humor (Nonfiction.) HTML:Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. This time in Australia. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity. Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.… (more)
Media reviews
Boisterous and contagious, Bryson’s writing is a constant affectionate tease aimed at prodding the reader as much as the society and place that he is describing. Bryson loves Australia and he wants you to share his enthusiasm for it. Wherever Bryson is: gaping at a giant stuffed lobster on the
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roadside in the middle of the Australian outback, cursing himself as he tries to snorkel unsuccessfully in the Great Barrier Reef, or admiring Sydney’s harbor he writes with a love and a ruthlessness that only a sibling or best friend would dare to use. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member edgeworth
Bill Bryson is a very readable man. I read "Notes From a Small Country" for my first semester of Year 12 English (thank you, slipping standards of Western Australian public education) and quite enjoyed it. I also flicked through some of the early chapters of "A Walk In The Woods" in my university
In "Down Under" (also published as "In A Sunburnt Country") Bryson travels across a decent cross-section of Australia, taking in Sydney, Melbourne, the Queensland Coast, the northern territory and some good chunks of WA. He is a middle-aged academic, mind you, and therefore his tours are generally geared towards the museum side of things; for example, he visits Shark Bay nor for its whale sharks or beautiful ocean or breathtaking landscape, but rather for its stromatolites, which are essentially living fossils. He also has a tendency to include a large amount of anectodes from motels, roadside stops and the like. While this can often be quite amusing...
"And how did you enjoy your stay, sir?" he asked smoothly.
"It was singularly execrable," I replied.
"Oh, excellent," he purred, taking my card.
"In fact, I would go so far as to say that the principal value of a stay in this establishment is that it is bound to make all subsequent service-related experiences seem, in comparison, refreshing."
"Well, we hope you'll come again."
"I would sooner have bowel surgery in the woods with a stick."
...it also bogs down the pacing and gives a frustrating sense of wasting time. On the same page that Bryson breathlessly tells you there's so much to see in Australia, he complains about his inability to find a decent restaurant in a fly-speck town on the side of a highway.
Bryson is at his strongest when recounting Australian history, throwing in odd bits and pieces whenever appropriate, providing a quick guide to basic facts with plenty of wit and humour. ("Apart from founding Sydney, [Arthur Philip] had one other notable achievement. In 1814 he managed to die by falling from a wheelchair and out of an upstairs window.") Somebody with absolutely no knowledge of Australia could read this book (and it's an easy, entertaining read) and come away with a fairly decent understanding of Australia's place in the world and what we are essentially like. I do enjoy reading what foreigners have to say about us (mostly because it's always positive), and Bryson seems to have the correct impression. One of the major points he reiterates throughout the book is that Australia is curiously ignored on a global scale, of which we're well aware; half-proud of and half-annoyed by.
Minor irritants include Bryson's insistence on perpetuating the myth that Australia is crawling with deadly creatures, and his occassional lack of fact-checking. Well, the only thing I noticed regarding that was his Aum Shinrikyo nuke story in the early pages, which is patently untrue. I don't know whether he just made it up or fell for a bartender's tall tale or what, but jeez, do a little background research. These are small annoyances, however, and on the whole I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Down Under is a reccomended read for anyone with a passing interest in learning more about my perennially overlooked nation.
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library. For somebody approaching the golden years he has a great sense of humour, and a knack for weaving random bits of fact and trivia into otherwise sequential travel narratives.In "Down Under" (also published as "In A Sunburnt Country") Bryson travels across a decent cross-section of Australia, taking in Sydney, Melbourne, the Queensland Coast, the northern territory and some good chunks of WA. He is a middle-aged academic, mind you, and therefore his tours are generally geared towards the museum side of things; for example, he visits Shark Bay nor for its whale sharks or beautiful ocean or breathtaking landscape, but rather for its stromatolites, which are essentially living fossils. He also has a tendency to include a large amount of anectodes from motels, roadside stops and the like. While this can often be quite amusing...
"And how did you enjoy your stay, sir?" he asked smoothly.
"It was singularly execrable," I replied.
"Oh, excellent," he purred, taking my card.
"In fact, I would go so far as to say that the principal value of a stay in this establishment is that it is bound to make all subsequent service-related experiences seem, in comparison, refreshing."
"Well, we hope you'll come again."
"I would sooner have bowel surgery in the woods with a stick."
...it also bogs down the pacing and gives a frustrating sense of wasting time. On the same page that Bryson breathlessly tells you there's so much to see in Australia, he complains about his inability to find a decent restaurant in a fly-speck town on the side of a highway.
Bryson is at his strongest when recounting Australian history, throwing in odd bits and pieces whenever appropriate, providing a quick guide to basic facts with plenty of wit and humour. ("Apart from founding Sydney, [Arthur Philip] had one other notable achievement. In 1814 he managed to die by falling from a wheelchair and out of an upstairs window.") Somebody with absolutely no knowledge of Australia could read this book (and it's an easy, entertaining read) and come away with a fairly decent understanding of Australia's place in the world and what we are essentially like. I do enjoy reading what foreigners have to say about us (mostly because it's always positive), and Bryson seems to have the correct impression. One of the major points he reiterates throughout the book is that Australia is curiously ignored on a global scale, of which we're well aware; half-proud of and half-annoyed by.
Minor irritants include Bryson's insistence on perpetuating the myth that Australia is crawling with deadly creatures, and his occassional lack of fact-checking. Well, the only thing I noticed regarding that was his Aum Shinrikyo nuke story in the early pages, which is patently untrue. I don't know whether he just made it up or fell for a bartender's tall tale or what, but jeez, do a little background research. These are small annoyances, however, and on the whole I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Down Under is a reccomended read for anyone with a passing interest in learning more about my perennially overlooked nation.
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LibraryThing member birdsam0610
I wasn’t a big fan of Bryson’s Notes From a Small Island. I found the humour depreciating and his treatment of others distainful. Other encouraged me not to write him off entirely and suggested something closer to home, namely Down Under, a subject I know a lot about as I’m
Firstly, I found Bryson’s treatment of fellow Aussies a lot better- there are only a few he gets snarky with. Maybe this is because of our dry humour- and the fact he would get cut down to size pretty quickly.
I found it highly amusing that he had no concept of the distances involved between cities- Sydney is not two hours away from Brisbane for instance- surely he would have discovered this in his research? (Plus I’d like to know what speed he was doing to suggest Perth to Shark Bay is an eight hour drive- it’s nearly 900 km and our maximum speed limit is 110 km/hr!) Still, kudos for going to places that other tourists would not- such as the Shark Bay stromatolites, Broken Hill, Daly Waters and Canberra. His history of Australia is also very good, especially the explorers, which brought me back to primary school social studies.
If you’re not from Australia, you might find Bryson’s obsession with dangerous and venomous snakes/spiders/whatever a little worrying. Honestly, you can walk down the street here without confronting a deadly snake or spider, plus we do have anti-venoms!
I thought that this was a pretty good travelogue of Australia, even though Bryson did leave some areas out, namely the north west of Western Australia. Maybe he’d like to return? I'd certainly read it.
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Australian.Firstly, I found Bryson’s treatment of fellow Aussies a lot better- there are only a few he gets snarky with. Maybe this is because of our dry humour- and the fact he would get cut down to size pretty quickly.
I found it highly amusing that he had no concept of the distances involved between cities- Sydney is not two hours away from Brisbane for instance- surely he would have discovered this in his research? (Plus I’d like to know what speed he was doing to suggest Perth to Shark Bay is an eight hour drive- it’s nearly 900 km and our maximum speed limit is 110 km/hr!) Still, kudos for going to places that other tourists would not- such as the Shark Bay stromatolites, Broken Hill, Daly Waters and Canberra. His history of Australia is also very good, especially the explorers, which brought me back to primary school social studies.
If you’re not from Australia, you might find Bryson’s obsession with dangerous and venomous snakes/spiders/whatever a little worrying. Honestly, you can walk down the street here without confronting a deadly snake or spider, plus we do have anti-venoms!
I thought that this was a pretty good travelogue of Australia, even though Bryson did leave some areas out, namely the north west of Western Australia. Maybe he’d like to return? I'd certainly read it.
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LibraryThing member brenzi
”Australia is just so full of surprises. There is always something just down the road---a treetop walk, a beach harboring ancient life-forms, museums celebrating improbable Dutch shipwrecks or naked telegraph repairmen, really nice people like Mike and Val Cantrell, a fishing village turning out
I guess I wasn’t really aware of how immense the country/continent of Australia is but that is the foremost thing I took away from this very good and humorous travel book. I don’t know exactly how much time Bill Bryson spent there doing his research but I’m pretty sure it was considerable. He left no stone unturned, so to speak, and covered every corner of Australia from the largest city (Sydney) to its smallest, most remote and impossible to find woebegone backwater. But he finds something joyful and beautiful about every place he visits, whether it be the landscape, the view, the history, the etymology or the people and most of the time it’s a combination of these things. He includes references to oddities that a region may be known for on page after page. This all works very well for him and, therefore, for the reader.
The immense size of the country and the danger of being caught unprepared while in the brutally hot bush country is brought up many times with specific examples of those unfortunate souls who didn’t heed the warnings and paid the ultimate price. The same goes for the danger of various forms of wildlife, including crocodiles, sharks and stinging jelly fish.
He barely touches on the Aborigine history and justifies that because there’s really nothing he can do about it. Since he relates so much of the history of Australia though, this seems like a miscue. My only other slight objection is the lack of maps, or at least the poor quality of the maps that were provided. I love maps and its one of the reasons I try not to read non-fiction that would benefit from maps on my kindle, which is terrible for maps. But in this case, in a regular trade paperback, the quality just wasn’t very good.
This was a very enjoyable read, filled with humorous anecdotes and left me wanting to book my flight to Australia, maybe tomorrow. Highly recommended.
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to see a stricken ship limp home. You never know what it’s going to be but it is nearly always pretty good.”I guess I wasn’t really aware of how immense the country/continent of Australia is but that is the foremost thing I took away from this very good and humorous travel book. I don’t know exactly how much time Bill Bryson spent there doing his research but I’m pretty sure it was considerable. He left no stone unturned, so to speak, and covered every corner of Australia from the largest city (Sydney) to its smallest, most remote and impossible to find woebegone backwater. But he finds something joyful and beautiful about every place he visits, whether it be the landscape, the view, the history, the etymology or the people and most of the time it’s a combination of these things. He includes references to oddities that a region may be known for on page after page. This all works very well for him and, therefore, for the reader.
The immense size of the country and the danger of being caught unprepared while in the brutally hot bush country is brought up many times with specific examples of those unfortunate souls who didn’t heed the warnings and paid the ultimate price. The same goes for the danger of various forms of wildlife, including crocodiles, sharks and stinging jelly fish.
He barely touches on the Aborigine history and justifies that because there’s really nothing he can do about it. Since he relates so much of the history of Australia though, this seems like a miscue. My only other slight objection is the lack of maps, or at least the poor quality of the maps that were provided. I love maps and its one of the reasons I try not to read non-fiction that would benefit from maps on my kindle, which is terrible for maps. But in this case, in a regular trade paperback, the quality just wasn’t very good.
This was a very enjoyable read, filled with humorous anecdotes and left me wanting to book my flight to Australia, maybe tomorrow. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member southerncross116
As a caveat, I have a disclaimer to make on this one, in that I am an expat American, and have been here for (at the time of this writing ) about 3 years now, so I have had a big advantage in exposure to Australian than Bill has. I wished I would have had the book before going through Young, as I
He did miss some nice stories that I am sure he could have used ( for example, Benalla Victoria has a plaque in front of an old saddler's shop where Ned Kelly was apprehended by the law (Benalla is not far from Glen Rowan)... by the law enforcement officer securing Mr Kelly's -well, how do you say it politely ? I suppose the best way is to call it a place where a male can be incapacitated.
Bill also makes the drive from Adelaide to Melbourne seem like breeze ... and you sort of lose sight of just how vast a continent Australia really is (but I suppose that is because most people don't do road trips here). It is something over 10 or 11 hours if I've been told accurately (and it only looks a couple of inches away on a map -go figure).
One particular (for me) poignant part is where Bill describes the area where his friends lived outside of Melbourne, of which I am pretty sure was dead center in last year's horrific bushfires that tore through Victoria. I don't know that he touched on the significance of fires as they are to the Australian landscape; they are every bit a part of this country as tornado alley is to the middle part of the US (another place where I used to live).
There are so many things that one can write about Australia; Bryson's book is great, it is cheeky, and there are even times where you can tell he still has a holiday visit mentality... I started reading this book before I left the US; but really it held so much more relevance after travelling around here. You know one of the things I've heard is that people visiting Oz expect that they'll find Kangaroos hopping down the streets- and the irony is, I actually did, and it obeyed a yield sign and then hung a right before bouncing into the bush ... go figure.
The first thing that I would suggest to readers and potential readers -is to divorce any preconceived notions related to Crocodile Dundee, and Steve Irwin; this place is as complex as it is vast.
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would have had to try finding the pet food/porn s tore -Young NSW is basically one street with shops out in the middle of nowhere (well ok, in the same manner that Dorothy's place in Kansas wasn't near anything - to anyone but Dorothy)... He did miss some nice stories that I am sure he could have used ( for example, Benalla Victoria has a plaque in front of an old saddler's shop where Ned Kelly was apprehended by the law (Benalla is not far from Glen Rowan)... by the law enforcement officer securing Mr Kelly's -well, how do you say it politely ? I suppose the best way is to call it a place where a male can be incapacitated.
Bill also makes the drive from Adelaide to Melbourne seem like breeze ... and you sort of lose sight of just how vast a continent Australia really is (but I suppose that is because most people don't do road trips here). It is something over 10 or 11 hours if I've been told accurately (and it only looks a couple of inches away on a map -go figure).
One particular (for me) poignant part is where Bill describes the area where his friends lived outside of Melbourne, of which I am pretty sure was dead center in last year's horrific bushfires that tore through Victoria. I don't know that he touched on the significance of fires as they are to the Australian landscape; they are every bit a part of this country as tornado alley is to the middle part of the US (another place where I used to live).
There are so many things that one can write about Australia; Bryson's book is great, it is cheeky, and there are even times where you can tell he still has a holiday visit mentality... I started reading this book before I left the US; but really it held so much more relevance after travelling around here. You know one of the things I've heard is that people visiting Oz expect that they'll find Kangaroos hopping down the streets- and the irony is, I actually did, and it obeyed a yield sign and then hung a right before bouncing into the bush ... go figure.
The first thing that I would suggest to readers and potential readers -is to divorce any preconceived notions related to Crocodile Dundee, and Steve Irwin; this place is as complex as it is vast.
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LibraryThing member caras
I wanted to read In A Sunburned Country simply because it was about Australia. I read it mostly in preparation for my trip to the sunburned country itself. While I’m not sure it really prepared me, for reading and doing are to very different things, it was an interesting, humorous, yet incredibly
There were countless very intriguing stories and random facts that if they were to pop up in everyday conversation, you’d probably think to yourself “oh, how interesting…” Still though, it didn’t really keep my attention for all three hundred and four pages. There is no doubt that Bryson is a very good writer for a book so chalk full of facts to be as entertaining as it was, and after all it was a New York Times bestseller, but it was no doubt hard to want to keep reading. While multiple plot lines existed and Bryson ran into all sorts of small conflicts, there wasn’t the suspense that would be found in a fictional novel. So, it is much more likely that there was nothing wrong with the book, more with my taste in books, and specifically, my distaste in non-fiction.
It wasn’t so bad reading a few pages at a time, but I don’t think I would have been able to read the whole thing, if it wasn’t for my interest in the subject matter. I did enjoy the tidbits of knowledge I had on Australia after reading the book, and I am glad I had done so. If some one was looking to find out more about Australia, there could be no better book. However if that person was more interested in reading a good story with plot twists and excitement, they’d need to look for something different.
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factual book and it did get me excited about my travels.There were countless very intriguing stories and random facts that if they were to pop up in everyday conversation, you’d probably think to yourself “oh, how interesting…” Still though, it didn’t really keep my attention for all three hundred and four pages. There is no doubt that Bryson is a very good writer for a book so chalk full of facts to be as entertaining as it was, and after all it was a New York Times bestseller, but it was no doubt hard to want to keep reading. While multiple plot lines existed and Bryson ran into all sorts of small conflicts, there wasn’t the suspense that would be found in a fictional novel. So, it is much more likely that there was nothing wrong with the book, more with my taste in books, and specifically, my distaste in non-fiction.
It wasn’t so bad reading a few pages at a time, but I don’t think I would have been able to read the whole thing, if it wasn’t for my interest in the subject matter. I did enjoy the tidbits of knowledge I had on Australia after reading the book, and I am glad I had done so. If some one was looking to find out more about Australia, there could be no better book. However if that person was more interested in reading a good story with plot twists and excitement, they’d need to look for something different.
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LibraryThing member badrabbyt
he's a talented travel writer, and you have to love the country he's visiting. where else in the world can you find a combination pet food and porn store?
LibraryThing member nohablo
Two weeks into a road trip with Bill Bryson, I would run Bill Bryson over with our car. Then shift gears and back over him.
This doesn't necessarily mean that Bryson is an absolute horrorshow of a writer and/or travel companion. He's bright and sprightly and articulate, with a keen sense of
However, Bryson can also be a grating asshole. His digs at other people - tourists, tour guides, hotel staff, etc - somehow read as pinched and petty and genuinely mean, despite their wit and humor and even his game attempts to leaven them with digs at himself.
But, just in general! Bryson does seem to genuinely love Australia with a palpable childish warmth that somehow uncurls his perpetual sneer and softens the usual grating edge of his bitching ('cos really, let's be honest. Bill Bryson = professional bitcher). So! IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY! Probably the least teeth-grinding of Bryson's books!
LONG, INVOLVED SIDENOTE: reading Bryson's section on the Aborigines evokes a kind of greasy discomfort. Bryson seems squeamish and picks pretty patchily and reluctantly at the history of the Australians towards its Aborigines. It's an absolutely rank history, with some genuinely genocidal moments - which, to his credit, Bryson notes - but Bryson does a lot of hedging and ends the discussion with an impenetrable shrug and a shake of his head. All, 'This elephant in the room. Something ought to be done about it!' Bryson works up the same level of moral fury re: some plants. I mean, it's understandable: the issues surrounding Austro-Aboriginal relations are still volatile and still very much alive; but all the same, it feels like a bit of gip. Bryson's too ferret-y and bright to not give this a fairer shake.
This doesn't necessarily mean that Bryson is an absolute horrorshow of a writer and/or travel companion. He's bright and sprightly and articulate, with a keen sense of
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curiosity and an endearing-if-infuriating geek's fanaticism about plants and animals and historical minutiae. However, Bryson can also be a grating asshole. His digs at other people - tourists, tour guides, hotel staff, etc - somehow read as pinched and petty and genuinely mean, despite their wit and humor and even his game attempts to leaven them with digs at himself.
But, just in general! Bryson does seem to genuinely love Australia with a palpable childish warmth that somehow uncurls his perpetual sneer and softens the usual grating edge of his bitching ('cos really, let's be honest. Bill Bryson = professional bitcher). So! IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY! Probably the least teeth-grinding of Bryson's books!
LONG, INVOLVED SIDENOTE: reading Bryson's section on the Aborigines evokes a kind of greasy discomfort. Bryson seems squeamish and picks pretty patchily and reluctantly at the history of the Australians towards its Aborigines. It's an absolutely rank history, with some genuinely genocidal moments - which, to his credit, Bryson notes - but Bryson does a lot of hedging and ends the discussion with an impenetrable shrug and a shake of his head. All, 'This elephant in the room. Something ought to be done about it!' Bryson works up the same level of moral fury re: some plants. I mean, it's understandable: the issues surrounding Austro-Aboriginal relations are still volatile and still very much alive; but all the same, it feels like a bit of gip. Bryson's too ferret-y and bright to not give this a fairer shake.
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LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
Australia is a terrifying and wonderful place. At least, that's the conclusion I came to after reading Bryson's hilarious travel narrative about his exploration of the country/continent (it's complicated). I knew Australia was huge, deadly, and endlessly fascinating, but I did not know the extent
Bryson writes about Australia with obvious love and reverence, and is quick to point out all the quirky charms that make the place great. I feel like I would love traveling with him, since we both share a fondness for seemingly boring novelty museums and kitschy tourist traps. He traveled through the big cities, like Sydney, but also explored the barren and lonely outback, where you can drive on the same stretch of highway for thousands of miles and literally not see anything but the flat desert land around you (I can't even fathom that, being from California). But Bryson somehow makes it all seem beautiful, which I love. He also delves into the strange, and often hilarious, history of the founding and exploration of Australia. Another thing I liked was his discussion on the Aboriginies, the indigenous people of Australia, who unfortunately have been virtually ignored in history books, media, policy, etc. not only in Australia but everywhere else in the world. However, I am lowering my grade for this book by half a star because I think this topic deserved a whole chapter or two instead of a few pages here and there (and because Bryson took a few too many jabs at overweight people, which I thought was in poor taste).
I have the edition with the added appendix on the Sydney Olympics, which was pretty interesting. Everything seemed to go extraordinarily well, especially when you consider the Winter Games that just happened in Sochi...
All in all, a very entertaining and humorous book that shows what a fascinating place Australia is. I'm excited to read more of Bryson's stuff.
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of any of these things until I read this book. It made me want to pack my bags and go on my own adventure across the country, even though I hate the heat, am terrified of bugs, and have next to no backpacking or camping skills. Bryson writes about Australia with obvious love and reverence, and is quick to point out all the quirky charms that make the place great. I feel like I would love traveling with him, since we both share a fondness for seemingly boring novelty museums and kitschy tourist traps. He traveled through the big cities, like Sydney, but also explored the barren and lonely outback, where you can drive on the same stretch of highway for thousands of miles and literally not see anything but the flat desert land around you (I can't even fathom that, being from California). But Bryson somehow makes it all seem beautiful, which I love. He also delves into the strange, and often hilarious, history of the founding and exploration of Australia. Another thing I liked was his discussion on the Aboriginies, the indigenous people of Australia, who unfortunately have been virtually ignored in history books, media, policy, etc. not only in Australia but everywhere else in the world. However, I am lowering my grade for this book by half a star because I think this topic deserved a whole chapter or two instead of a few pages here and there (and because Bryson took a few too many jabs at overweight people, which I thought was in poor taste).
I have the edition with the added appendix on the Sydney Olympics, which was pretty interesting. Everything seemed to go extraordinarily well, especially when you consider the Winter Games that just happened in Sochi...
All in all, a very entertaining and humorous book that shows what a fascinating place Australia is. I'm excited to read more of Bryson's stuff.
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LibraryThing member bookmagic
I just never get tired of traveling with Bill Bryson. So far I have hiked the Appalachian Trail and toured England. Now I have followed him to Australia in another humorous travel memoir.
Australia, home of the Great Barrier Reef, the ten most poisonous snakes, and the most lethal variety of
I can personally affirm that to stand before an audience of beaming Australians and make even the mildest quip about a convict past is to feel the air-conditioning immediately elevated.
Bryson travels the coast of Australia to it's most populated cities, soaking up the beauty and culture of the country. He writes about the building of the Sydney Opera House and how the man that first imagined it, Eugene Goosins failed to see his dream realized.
...while passing through customs at Sydney Airport, he was found to be carrying a large and diversified collection of pornographic material, and he was invited to take his sordid continental habits elsewhere. Thus, by one of life's small ironies, he was unable to enjoy, as it were, his own finest erection.
It is writing like this that had me laughing out loud through much of this book. As for Bryson's exploits into the outback... well you just have to read this for yourself. He doesn't just write about the history and the sights, he gets to know the people and while making me laugh, almost manages to make me feel that I too went to Australia and had the adventure of my life. He really does his research and the book is packed full of facts and stories. Brilliant fun!
rating 5/5
reread- someday
recommend- most definitely!
Australia, home of the Great Barrier Reef, the ten most poisonous snakes, and the most lethal variety of
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spiders, jellyfish, and octopi. It's outback is so large that a Japanese cult may have set off a nuclear explosion, not suspected until four years later. Australia was first inhabited by the British as a place to send convicts. But this is not how they wish to be known.I can personally affirm that to stand before an audience of beaming Australians and make even the mildest quip about a convict past is to feel the air-conditioning immediately elevated.
Bryson travels the coast of Australia to it's most populated cities, soaking up the beauty and culture of the country. He writes about the building of the Sydney Opera House and how the man that first imagined it, Eugene Goosins failed to see his dream realized.
...while passing through customs at Sydney Airport, he was found to be carrying a large and diversified collection of pornographic material, and he was invited to take his sordid continental habits elsewhere. Thus, by one of life's small ironies, he was unable to enjoy, as it were, his own finest erection.
It is writing like this that had me laughing out loud through much of this book. As for Bryson's exploits into the outback... well you just have to read this for yourself. He doesn't just write about the history and the sights, he gets to know the people and while making me laugh, almost manages to make me feel that I too went to Australia and had the adventure of my life. He really does his research and the book is packed full of facts and stories. Brilliant fun!
rating 5/5
reread- someday
recommend- most definitely!
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LibraryThing member felius
I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson, and this book is one of the reasons why. It's laugh out loud funny - I had the lucky experience of hearing him read out his description of cricket radio commentary to an audience in Hobart - it had the audience in stitches despite that fact that most of us would have
If you were planning a trip to Australia and looking for a travel guide then you'd want to supplement this book with something more orthodox - but it's worth reading anyway, whether you're planning to visit or not.
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read it before.If you were planning a trip to Australia and looking for a travel guide then you'd want to supplement this book with something more orthodox - but it's worth reading anyway, whether you're planning to visit or not.
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LibraryThing member JessicaMichaelides
I am a huge Bill Bryson fan, and this is my favourite book of his.
I'm Australian myself actually, and I can testify that reading (and re-reading and re-reading) this book is a guaranteed to brighten up your day. He is hilarious! Bryson's obvious affection for Australia/ns more than makes up for any
Read this book. Just do it, ok?
I'm Australian myself actually, and I can testify that reading (and re-reading and re-reading) this book is a guaranteed to brighten up your day. He is hilarious! Bryson's obvious affection for Australia/ns more than makes up for any
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off-the-cuff slightly insulting observations.Read this book. Just do it, ok?
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LibraryThing member bnbooklady
Bryson jumps right in with a brief introduction to the history of Australia, beginning with the history of colonization and the fact that Britain orginally used Australia as a prison camp. Interesting, right? As he explores Australia from the big cities to the desolate outback (it gets really hot
In a Sunburned Country taught me about people, places, and things I’d never heard of before, including a number of snakes, spiders, and insects who could kill me with a single bite, and it provided a beautiful, dangerous, occasionally frightening escape from the “real world.” I didn’t even mind that Bryson took a turn for the serious to explore Australia’s treatment of its indigenous people, the Aborigines, because he did it with great intelligence, insight, and depth of feeling.
And that just goes to show you that travel writing doesn’t have to be vapid, reliant on jokes about poop, or filled with convenient and stereotypical epiphanies. It can be substantial and educational, and it can assume a certain level of intelligence and worldliness from its readers, and still be wonderful and successful and widely read.
Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
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there, by the way) and discusses the social and cultural history of Australians and its scientific significance (Australia has more species of plants and animals found only in one place in the world than any other location), Bryson works in anecdotes from his personal experiences and misadventures down under, and that’s why I love him so much. His narrative agility and his ability to weave research into story so deftly is unparalleled, at least in travel writing, where so many books feel like “Day One: Went to X, Did Y, Saw Z; lather, rinse, repeat.”In a Sunburned Country taught me about people, places, and things I’d never heard of before, including a number of snakes, spiders, and insects who could kill me with a single bite, and it provided a beautiful, dangerous, occasionally frightening escape from the “real world.” I didn’t even mind that Bryson took a turn for the serious to explore Australia’s treatment of its indigenous people, the Aborigines, because he did it with great intelligence, insight, and depth of feeling.
And that just goes to show you that travel writing doesn’t have to be vapid, reliant on jokes about poop, or filled with convenient and stereotypical epiphanies. It can be substantial and educational, and it can assume a certain level of intelligence and worldliness from its readers, and still be wonderful and successful and widely read.
Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nicolewbrown
Bryson bases the title of his book on the famous and much beloved Australian poem "Core of My Heart" by Dorothea Mackellar where she states that "I love a sunburnt country/A land of sweeping plains,/ Of ragged mountain ranges/ Of droughts and flooding rains." It pretty much sums up Australia. And
Australians are the nicest group of people you are likely to meet. They have no history of having a revolution or a despot leading their government or of anything really bad. Which is how they get forgotten so easily. But the true forgotten people are the indigenous people of Australia the Aborigines. They traveled to Australia by boat when people weren't really using boats to travel and somehow made it to Australia some 60,000 years ago. And they are the oldest living continuous culture. For a long time after the whites arrived, it was okay to kill them or lynch them without consequence. Then in June 1838 in Myall, some cattle were rustled and then blamed on the Aborigines. They gathered the men, women, and children up in a ball and played with them for hours before killing them with rifles and swords. The city was outraged and put the men on trial and was at first acquited but a second trial found them guilty and they were then found guilty and hung. This, however, did not end the violence against the Aborigines it just made it go underground. And this was by no means the worse atrocity committed to Aborigines. It just happened to be the only time that whites were brought to trial and found guilty for it. There's not much to see in Myall. Most people go there to hunt for minerals. The events there long forgotten.
The only time that they ran into rude or otherwise uncooperative Australians was in a little town in the Northern Territories called Darwin. But a museum there more than made up for any inconvenience they received from the locals. It contained an exhibit of the tragedy of Cyclone Tracy which came through in 1974 and leveled the place. Included was a recording made by a priest of the cyclone which is very eerie and creepy. The cyclone flattened nine thousand homes and killed sixty-four people. Also included were stuffed animals from the area's diverse background that can probably kill you with the crocodile "Sweetheart" a male crock that killed fifteen boats before being accidentally killed when being moved to another area. He was seventeen feet and seventeen hundred pounds. But what he came here to see was the dead box jellyfish that was on display. It is the most dangerous creature known to man. The sea snake is also an interesting animal in that it is an inquisitive creature with a sweet nature but cross them and they can kill you three times over. This is a nation where 80% of the world's most venomous plants and creatures live. Also, animals and plants not native to the area have a way of thriving and trying to take over. For example, the rabbit that some Englishmen brought over to hunt and got loose and overtook Australia eating up foliage in the process. On top of that, the prickly pear was introduced to the Northern Territory and nearly took up every available space until it was destroyed.
Australia is a vast and empty land filled with all sorts of things and people as this book shows. But a huge portion of the land has not been explored not to mention the plants and animals that haven't been cataloged. This book is part travelogue, part history story. You'll be traveling down a road in Canberra or Melbourne, or Alice Springs, or any number of small tiny towns he stops to overnight while driving to different cities and he'll wander down a side street and discover some unknown place or about some unknown people like the Prime Minister who in the 1960s wandered out into the surf of the Queensland and disappeared and how those of Queensland is crazier than a bag of cut snakes. But that people of Queensland feel they are misunderstood by their fellow Aussies. To me, it seems like the Florida of Australia. Where crazy things happen all the time for no discernable reason. Also included is a series of articles that he wrote about the Sydney 2000 Olympics, which is highly entertaining. I really loved this book and give it five out of five stars.
Quotes
After years of patient study (and with cricket there can be no other kind) I have decided that there is nothing wrong with the game that the introduction of golf carts wouldn’t fix in a hurry. It is not ture that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavours look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. I don’t wish to denegrade a sport that is played by millions, some of them awake and facing the right way, but it is an odd game. It is the only sport that incoporporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as the players—more if they are moderately restless. It is the only competitive activity of any type, other than perhaps baking, in which you can dress in white from head to toe and be as clean at the end of the day as you were at the beginning.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 105-6)
No, the mystery of cricket is not that Australians play it well, but that they play it at all. It has always seemed to me a game much too restrained for the rough-and-tumble Australian temperament. Australians much prefer games in which brawny men in scanty clothing bloody each other’s noses. I am quite certain that if the rest of the world vanished overnight and the development of cricket was left in Australian hands, within a generation the players would be wearing shorts and using bats to hit each other. And the thing is, it would be a much better game for it.
-Bill Bryson (In A Sunburned Country p 108)
“Are bushfires a big worry?” “Well, they are when they happen. Sometimes they’re colossal. Gum trees just want to burn, you know. It’s part of their strategy. How they outcompete other plants. They’re full of oil, and once they catch fire they’re a bugger to put out.”
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 162-3)
I often use alcohol as an artificial check on my pool-playing skills. It’s a way for me to help strangers gain confidence in their abilities and get in touch with my inner wallet.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 242)
When even camels can’t manage a desert, you know you’ve found a tough part of the world.
-on the Outback Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 245)
I don’t know why, but every Olympics these days has a mascot. Moscow had a bear called Mischa. Nagano had cute snowflake creatures. Atlanta, I believe had a person being shot on a street corner.
-Bill Bryson (In A Sunburned Country p 319)
A cynic might conclude that our policy toward drugs in America is to send users either to prison or to the Olympics.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 324)
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yes, Bryson realizes that the line is sunburnt and he made it sunburned. Its a play on words. He does get sunburned once during his time there. This review is hard to write because, like Australia, this book covers a vast amount of interesting stuff. It's hard to know where to start.Australians are the nicest group of people you are likely to meet. They have no history of having a revolution or a despot leading their government or of anything really bad. Which is how they get forgotten so easily. But the true forgotten people are the indigenous people of Australia the Aborigines. They traveled to Australia by boat when people weren't really using boats to travel and somehow made it to Australia some 60,000 years ago. And they are the oldest living continuous culture. For a long time after the whites arrived, it was okay to kill them or lynch them without consequence. Then in June 1838 in Myall, some cattle were rustled and then blamed on the Aborigines. They gathered the men, women, and children up in a ball and played with them for hours before killing them with rifles and swords. The city was outraged and put the men on trial and was at first acquited but a second trial found them guilty and they were then found guilty and hung. This, however, did not end the violence against the Aborigines it just made it go underground. And this was by no means the worse atrocity committed to Aborigines. It just happened to be the only time that whites were brought to trial and found guilty for it. There's not much to see in Myall. Most people go there to hunt for minerals. The events there long forgotten.
The only time that they ran into rude or otherwise uncooperative Australians was in a little town in the Northern Territories called Darwin. But a museum there more than made up for any inconvenience they received from the locals. It contained an exhibit of the tragedy of Cyclone Tracy which came through in 1974 and leveled the place. Included was a recording made by a priest of the cyclone which is very eerie and creepy. The cyclone flattened nine thousand homes and killed sixty-four people. Also included were stuffed animals from the area's diverse background that can probably kill you with the crocodile "Sweetheart" a male crock that killed fifteen boats before being accidentally killed when being moved to another area. He was seventeen feet and seventeen hundred pounds. But what he came here to see was the dead box jellyfish that was on display. It is the most dangerous creature known to man. The sea snake is also an interesting animal in that it is an inquisitive creature with a sweet nature but cross them and they can kill you three times over. This is a nation where 80% of the world's most venomous plants and creatures live. Also, animals and plants not native to the area have a way of thriving and trying to take over. For example, the rabbit that some Englishmen brought over to hunt and got loose and overtook Australia eating up foliage in the process. On top of that, the prickly pear was introduced to the Northern Territory and nearly took up every available space until it was destroyed.
Australia is a vast and empty land filled with all sorts of things and people as this book shows. But a huge portion of the land has not been explored not to mention the plants and animals that haven't been cataloged. This book is part travelogue, part history story. You'll be traveling down a road in Canberra or Melbourne, or Alice Springs, or any number of small tiny towns he stops to overnight while driving to different cities and he'll wander down a side street and discover some unknown place or about some unknown people like the Prime Minister who in the 1960s wandered out into the surf of the Queensland and disappeared and how those of Queensland is crazier than a bag of cut snakes. But that people of Queensland feel they are misunderstood by their fellow Aussies. To me, it seems like the Florida of Australia. Where crazy things happen all the time for no discernable reason. Also included is a series of articles that he wrote about the Sydney 2000 Olympics, which is highly entertaining. I really loved this book and give it five out of five stars.
Quotes
After years of patient study (and with cricket there can be no other kind) I have decided that there is nothing wrong with the game that the introduction of golf carts wouldn’t fix in a hurry. It is not ture that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavours look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. I don’t wish to denegrade a sport that is played by millions, some of them awake and facing the right way, but it is an odd game. It is the only sport that incoporporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as the players—more if they are moderately restless. It is the only competitive activity of any type, other than perhaps baking, in which you can dress in white from head to toe and be as clean at the end of the day as you were at the beginning.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 105-6)
No, the mystery of cricket is not that Australians play it well, but that they play it at all. It has always seemed to me a game much too restrained for the rough-and-tumble Australian temperament. Australians much prefer games in which brawny men in scanty clothing bloody each other’s noses. I am quite certain that if the rest of the world vanished overnight and the development of cricket was left in Australian hands, within a generation the players would be wearing shorts and using bats to hit each other. And the thing is, it would be a much better game for it.
-Bill Bryson (In A Sunburned Country p 108)
“Are bushfires a big worry?” “Well, they are when they happen. Sometimes they’re colossal. Gum trees just want to burn, you know. It’s part of their strategy. How they outcompete other plants. They’re full of oil, and once they catch fire they’re a bugger to put out.”
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 162-3)
I often use alcohol as an artificial check on my pool-playing skills. It’s a way for me to help strangers gain confidence in their abilities and get in touch with my inner wallet.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 242)
When even camels can’t manage a desert, you know you’ve found a tough part of the world.
-on the Outback Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 245)
I don’t know why, but every Olympics these days has a mascot. Moscow had a bear called Mischa. Nagano had cute snowflake creatures. Atlanta, I believe had a person being shot on a street corner.
-Bill Bryson (In A Sunburned Country p 319)
A cynic might conclude that our policy toward drugs in America is to send users either to prison or to the Olympics.
-Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country p 324)
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LibraryThing member StephMWard
Absolutely hilarious! Even though the author gets seriously sunburnt and runs into terrifying creatures, he somehow still makes you want to visit Australia. I'd recommend (and have recommended) this book to anyone planning a trip down under. A pure joy to read...I was sorry to reach the last page.
LibraryThing member blondestranger
Bill Bryson paints a charming picture of Australia. Emphasizing the remoteness of the country and the lack of attention the rest of the world gives to the culturally rich and interesting people that Aussie's are - I can't wait to go!
LibraryThing member Deb85
In this book, Bill Bryson inter-weaves tourism and history with personal experience and a boundless curiosity about everything, giving a humorous and wide-ranging view of Australia. He bemoans the fact that in 1997, the New York Times ran only 20 articles having anything to do with Australia while
"The fact is, of course, we pay shameful scant attention to our dear cousins Down Under, not entirely without reason, of course. Australia is, after all, mostly empty and a long way away...Above all, Australia doesn't misbehave. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner." (pp. 1-2)
Bryson had come to love Australians through book promotion trips there, but had not had much chance to see the "real" Australia. His goal is to explore the outback, but he takes many side trips onlong the way to things like the Giant Worm Museum, The Kelly Tree, and the Mineral Resources Administration. He also explores the major cities of Australia, following wherever his inquisitiveness leads him. Ultimately, the country is so large that he has to finally stop. He would really like to the the Bunble Bungles, but it would be another 1,600 miles just to get to the turnoff...
At times a bit of a dry read, but Bryson's overall humor and wealth of information made it worth it. I found his description of a cricket match amusing enough to actually laugh out loud, causing me to have to back up and read it to my husband because he wanted to know what was going on.
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running 120 on Peru. He sets out in this book to educate himself as well as the rest of us."The fact is, of course, we pay shameful scant attention to our dear cousins Down Under, not entirely without reason, of course. Australia is, after all, mostly empty and a long way away...Above all, Australia doesn't misbehave. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner." (pp. 1-2)
Bryson had come to love Australians through book promotion trips there, but had not had much chance to see the "real" Australia. His goal is to explore the outback, but he takes many side trips onlong the way to things like the Giant Worm Museum, The Kelly Tree, and the Mineral Resources Administration. He also explores the major cities of Australia, following wherever his inquisitiveness leads him. Ultimately, the country is so large that he has to finally stop. He would really like to the the Bunble Bungles, but it would be another 1,600 miles just to get to the turnoff...
At times a bit of a dry read, but Bryson's overall humor and wealth of information made it worth it. I found his description of a cricket match amusing enough to actually laugh out loud, causing me to have to back up and read it to my husband because he wanted to know what was going on.
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
This was entertaining, laugh out loud funny in places, but slightly dated - it was published in 2000. Bryson's main points - that Australia is huge, largely empty and even largely unmapped/investigated - are made over and over. It was quite a long book and I was glad to get to the end of it. It
I wish he had actually spoken to some Aborigines though, rather than merely describing them as looking "beaten up", and discussing how badly they have been treated with other white men.
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didn't really make me want to go to Australia, but I am much better informed about that country than I was, and it was worth reading for the paragraphs on cricket alone.I wish he had actually spoken to some Aborigines though, rather than merely describing them as looking "beaten up", and discussing how badly they have been treated with other white men.
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LibraryThing member manadabomb
This book greatly upset me. I'm upset because Bryson has numerous books out and this is the first I've ever heard of him. Upset because he's a very good writer and I've never read his work before! Where have I been??
In this book, travel writer Bryson makes it his mission to chronicle the little
Bryson is enough of a geek that I can relate, finding museum after museum to wander about in, getting giddy joy from rocks and plants and just being in the moment during the days of driving and not seeing another soul. But it's not all fun and games. Bryson gives insight into the plight of the Aborigines, their past of not being real people to the white man, and their present of not being real people to the white man. He ponders over how the Aborigines appeared in Australia at all and elaborates on how Australia was populated (most people know the penal colony history).
I do want to visit Australia now. Even if it does want me dead.
In this book, travel writer Bryson makes it his mission to chronicle the little
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paid attention to Australia. I took particular interest because my grandma is from Queensland and I have family there, but have never been there. Sad. After reading this book, well, I'm not sure I ever want to go. How can a country so beautiful want so badly to kill people? Between the horrendous heat and emptiness of the country, the amount of deadly critters in the water (including shells that attack you) and the amount of deadly animals on land (the majority of the world's most deadliest snakes and spiders are Aussies), Australia doesn't seem to want visitors. Despite all this, Bryson depicts an incredible country full of life that cannot thrive elsewhere. Full of history that is rarely acknowledged and full of people that are kind, cheerful and welcome you.Bryson is enough of a geek that I can relate, finding museum after museum to wander about in, getting giddy joy from rocks and plants and just being in the moment during the days of driving and not seeing another soul. But it's not all fun and games. Bryson gives insight into the plight of the Aborigines, their past of not being real people to the white man, and their present of not being real people to the white man. He ponders over how the Aborigines appeared in Australia at all and elaborates on how Australia was populated (most people know the penal colony history).
I do want to visit Australia now. Even if it does want me dead.
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LibraryThing member dele2451
A humorous and informative account of an American writer's meandering through the territories of Australia. Mr Bryson's collection of observations on the colorful, unique and often-overlooked aspects of Aussieland's rich history and its many spectacular natural wonders, should be automatically
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issued to anybody who purchases passage to the land Down Under (or anybody else who wishes they could). What sets this apart is the eclectic mix of information: history, botany, geography/cartography, meterology, gastronomy, current events, sociology, geology, zoology and, of course, comedy. A great summer read. Recommendation: If you aren't already familiar with the word "antipodean", look it up before you start the book--Bill appears to be quite fond of the term. Show Less
LibraryThing member IllanoyGal
A delightful book about a delightful country. Bill Bryson takes you on a journey through Australia with stories about the interesting things that his curiosity led him to find.
LibraryThing member Bagpuss
I love Bill Bryson! So far I've read Notes from a Small Island, Notes from a Big Country, The Lost Continent, Neither Here Nor There, Shakespeare and the African Diary – Down Under is my favourite so far! I must confess I don’t know a great deal about Australia (apart from the stuff everyone
The only criticism I can level at the book has absolutely nothing to do with the content – but rather the font used. I think it’s peculiar to the publisher, Black Swan, as my mother-in-law loved Joanna Trollope and they have the same font but I find it rather crowded! Not that it would ever stop me from reading more of his works… although I’m still to pluck up the courage to pick up my nemesis Short History of Nearly Everything! One day…
If you’ve never read Bill Bryson before I urge you to give him a try!
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knows) and I don’t suppose I’ll ever get to visit due to cost and also my fear of flying. This book is just fantastic because Bryson talks not only about the things one knows – or thinks one knows – but also about the more obscure things that only someone who has travelled the country or lived there would know. As usual it had me laughing out loud and I felt I really got a good insight into the country. I seldom re-read books, but I’m fairly certain I’ll pick this one up again one day. Fantastic stuff. The only criticism I can level at the book has absolutely nothing to do with the content – but rather the font used. I think it’s peculiar to the publisher, Black Swan, as my mother-in-law loved Joanna Trollope and they have the same font but I find it rather crowded! Not that it would ever stop me from reading more of his works… although I’m still to pluck up the courage to pick up my nemesis Short History of Nearly Everything! One day…
If you’ve never read Bill Bryson before I urge you to give him a try!
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LibraryThing member mattmallard
Excellent book that is very funny and subtly packed with good information. Bryson writes of his love of Australia as a BIG, beautiful, welcoming, and wonderfully strange country that is packed with undiscovered wonders around every corner. Having traveled there myself for an extended period of
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time, I would say that Bryson's overall experience, especially on a cultural level, synced up quite closely with mine. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrgan
A shaggy-dog travelogue, all random bits and musings, incomplete and oddly outlined. But no matter—Bryson is a tremendously entertaining writer, so even when his anecdotes aren't A material, even when he writes about the tritest little bits of his travels, he puts out a damn readable book.
LibraryThing member iayork
Good Ol' Aussie Sense Of Hunor: Bryson really captures the essence of Australia by detailing his experiences and interactions in different places throughout the country. Using humor or strange conversations, he conveys the attitude and friendly personalities of the the Aussies. While spending long
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passages describing too many historical details that he might only find interesting, he dives deep into the culture and history of a country most people know nothing about. Seeing as I just moved here, this introduction was perfect to welcoming me here. :) Show Less
LibraryThing member nog
Some really amusing stories, both historical and personal, are included here. Bryson gives some of the early explorers a hard time, skewers the city of Canberra, obsesses about the many lethal animals, etc. It's all pretty good-natured fun.
Subjects
Awards
Original publication date
2000