Then, he travels along the Indian Pacific railway from Sydney to Perth to explore the Outback. Yet Australian news, whether political or social, rarely makes headlines in Great Britain or America.īryson tours the famous Sydney Opera house and tries to boogie board with disastrous results. As Bryson points out, Australia is filled with a greater variety of unique species of plants and animals than anywhere else in the world. He describes Australia as a kind of forgotten country, often ignored despite its incredible biodiversity. This is his chance to get to know the “real” Australia. He has visited the country before, but only on book tours, traveling from bookstore to bookstore and hotel to hotel. He explains, first, his reason for writing the book. Bryson tells the story of three trips he takes to explore Australia. The American title is taken from the notable Australian poem “My Country,” by Dorothea Mackellar.
Bryson, best known for his comic travelogues such as Notes from a Small Island and A Walk in the Woods, approaches the subject with characteristic humor, dry wit, and historical digressions from the narrative. Originally published as Down Under in the U.K., the book charts Bryson’s journey through Australia by train and car, his conversations with locals, and musings on Australia’s history and culture. and Canadian title of a 2000 travelogue by writer Bill Bryson. 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.Īustralia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.In a Sunburned Country is the U.S.
The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.ĭespite 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. 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.
His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out.
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