Downunder Thread

Where would be the must see place in Australia?

Iā€˜m not even sure that Port Douglas is the real world tbh.

You are better qualified than me to answer that. Iā€™ve only been up and down the East coast, Tassie, Victoria and a bit of SA.
No WA, NT or Outback.

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IMO depends on what youā€™re interested in. Saw some great scenery at Bondi Beach, half decent surf break too.

Fraser Island was stunning. So was Hill Inlet and the Whitsundays. That whole section of the east coast, I could retire there. Main beach sunsets at Byron Bay, world class views, swimming with dolphins and body surfing.

Unscenic, but historically important to both the aborigines and the settlers. Now a bustling multicultural city in its own right, I give youā€¦

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Ive been up and down the east coast a couple of times between Sydney and Cape Tribulation, loved it and will do again.
Been to Canberra ,wasnā€™t a fan but the train ride to get there was great,lovely scenery,kangaroos hopping alongside the train.
Iā€™ve also been to Perth,making my way down to Albany and up to Monkey Mia.

All very touristy but feel like i missed out on the likes of Broome,Darwin,Ullaro and god knows how many other such places i think id have loved,maybe places some living in Australia have been keeping from us.:blush:

Katoomba in the blue mountains was pretty special. I would have loved to see the Western just ran out of time before I had to return home for my brotherā€™s wedding.

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Doing a bit of study into Australian history at the moment. Watched The Australian Wars about the conflict between the settlers and the indigenous peoples, and now reading The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes about the countryā€™s history as a penal colony. Itā€™s all pretty violent and brutish, but it explains a lot about where it all came from.
Thereā€™s a street near here named after the notorious Governor of Norfolk Island, Foveaux, who was, according to some, a sadistic murderous thug.
Anyone got any tips for books or documentaries about Aussie history?

Iā€™m curious about why people are fascinated with history. I feel like most people donā€™t care and those that do, proclaim that we never learn from it. In the end, I guess there is no clear answer to the question beyond a bit of insert adjective titillation but I still cannot shake the pointlessness of it somehow.

p.s. is a barbed question but not meant to offend

whats that saying about not knowing your history and being destined to repeat it?

aside from thatā€¦its fascinating. how we got here, people are peopleā€¦you think we are somehow further emotionally evolved than a peasant in a village in the 1300sā€¦think again. stuff like that.

then you have military historyā€¦and what people used to go throughā€¦read up on Henry V and battle of shrewsbury and his arrow in the cheekā€¦read up on william Marshallā€¦much more interesting that any Marvel movie

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And, here we are - take just about any spot you like across the world. It is maybe this quote or sentiment that irks the most - the other parts of your answer I can see to an extent.

Indeed. Human nature doesnā€™t change.

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why?

im sorry if i misunderstandā€¦but its actually a sentiment that is well headed.

just look at Isreal right nowā€¦its amazing what they are doing to Palestiniansā€¦given their history, let alone '39-'45

Because we can never learn.

I guess history is maybe beyond human memory and maybe memory is all that counts. Human memory is by extension, human, it dies with the individual. Social memory is a strange one and and can last longer but Iā€™m not sure it can exist beyond a few generations in general. The most basic of memories, instincts if you will, evolved with us and there wonā€™t likely be a new print editionā€¦

There is a History thread in which we could discuss why itā€™s interesting in further detail.

I am in the process of getting permanent residence in Australia and I am interested in the country, itā€™s society and culture. Learning the history is helpful in understanding the place. For example, the two things I mentioned, the conflict between the aborigines and the settlers, and the fact that the English used it as a penal colony, both affect how Australia is today.

How could that not be interesting?

Canberra is great. The train is probably the worst thing about the place and definitely not the way to travel to it.

You should try Sheilas, Wogs and Pooftas ; Truth Telling; Rigged and The Fatal Shore.

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Yeah, Iā€™m in the middle of The Fatal Shore

You mean youā€™ve reached The Fat stage?

May I ask what is making you plumb for Oz over Deutschland?