Down Under

This book by Bill Bryson is about his travels in Australia [Down Under]. When I had read reviews on Bryson’s writings [online] & they hinted on his being a humorous style, I got tempted to order his books.


This book is a mix of author’s travels, many past anecdotes, general idea about life in Australia. Bryson seemed very fond of museums & national parks & have extensively seen as well as described them. Also he read quite a lot of books on Australia by local/non local authors, read local newspapers, and that became a source of many stories of past as well as present life in Australia. Was pretty interesting actually!



I specially found the history regarding this continent gripping. I mean how it was discovered by the English, and then subsequently occupied [They seemed to have occupied so much of land during the colonial times, not something expected out of a country sized so small]. And I couldn't believe this, but the first English occupants of this continent were those out casted from the mainland [England] for some petty/serious crime committed by them. So basically they were sent to live here as a punishment. [England was getting rid of the second class people in a way]. And it was quite difficult to start a modern civilization here in the barren blazing desert. Having done that today Australia is quite developed & yet quite disconnected to the rest of the world.


Apart from the big n small cities/beaches author also travelled in the Australian outback [Also called the Bush]. He took an Indian Pacific Rail from Sydney to Perth & then a 4 wheeler journey in Queensland & northern Australia. Miles n miles of desert & forbidding emptiness which he has described quite well. I always wonder how these authors get words to explain the beauty of nature. I mean when I see something picturesque or something which is so beautiful that it touches you, I find it so difficult to actually pen down how I feel. I faced it while writing my blog for Laddakh trip. But here Bryson & Dervla in my previous book, have so effortlessly penned down the beauty they are experiencing. For instance the way he has described his feelings on seeing the Ayers rock was to quite an extent similar to what I was at the Pangong Tso. Totally Impressed!


Reading about the way aboriginals were treated once the continent was occupied is in a way sad. I mean those people have inhabited the continent since long long time & they were very happy the way they have been living. And one fine day a ship load of people arrive & they consider themselves superior & advanced & civilized & start killing the indigenous people living there. Why? What rights? That’s more or less what happened. Today the aboriginals are very few compared to the “white” Australian & are still barely able to keep up with the pace of civilization. They were never treated with equality & seems like even today the situation has barely improved.


Author has also explained the indigenous flora n fauna in quite detail. It’s quite informative that way & and the details are just enough to keep you engaged & not bore you with unnecessary information. Interesting fact to note is that there seems to be so many species of plants n animals here which cannot be found anywhere else. Also there are many species which were spotted but could not be spotted again. And in fact people wonder that there might be species going extinct and maybe will become extinct even before they have been discovered. Now that’s an intriguing thought!


Actually he has made sure that we get to know about each and every dangerous species lurking around there making it an absolutely unsafe place to be roaming around in. But then on the other hand he has also described the magnificence of the beaches/great barrier reef/vast barren desolate outback is such depth that I find it all worth the risk.


And last but not the least; the style was surely humorous, with many anecdotes & his hilarious comments. I loved it.


Another awesome book, which was a pleasure to read & which made my morning office commutes enjoyable. I think except for the hot humid weather of Australian desert, I am quite tempted to visit the place myself.