Destination: Australia
Nullarbor Plain, Australia
by Ben Keene | 05.12.06 | 8:27 PM ET
Coordinates: 31 10 S 129 0 E
Approximate length: 1,243 miles (2,000 km)
A scenic ride with nothing much to look at. Well, nothing you’re likely to see from the window seat as you glide along the rails of Australia’s Transcontinental Line. A treeless expanse of limestone south of the Great Victoria Desert that once formed the bed of an ancient sea, the Nullarbor Plain is crossed by the single longest straight section of railroad track in the world. But for all its monotony, it’s not altogether lifeless. Lacking any surface water, the Nullarbor’s semi-arid terrain nonetheless supports well over 1,000 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and vascular plants.
—.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World.
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Yahoo! BuzzThe Australia Tourism Ad Controversy: ‘Has the World Gone Mad?’
by Michael Yessis | 03.24.06 | 11:04 AM ET
Now that the Canadians have joined the Brits in objecting to Tourism Australia’s “Where the bloody hell are you?” campaign, and the U.S.-based American Family Association is poised to make its concerns known, Australians are asking themselves, “Is the ‘bloody hell’ ad campaign a growing embarrassment for Australia? Or is it the greatest marketing ploy of all time?” The comments are flowing on both sides at the Sydney Morning Herald news blog.
Great Barrier Reef Takes 30-Mile Hit From Cyclone Larry
by Michael Yessis | 03.20.06 | 11:46 PM ET
Experts say the damage inflicted on the Great Barrier Reef by Cyclone Larry on Monday may last for 20 years. “[T]he worst damage is limited to a fraction of the sprawling, Japan-sized reef network—and it’s far from the places where nearly two million tourists a year gaze in awe at the coral’s vibrant colors and fish life,” according to an AP report. Northeast Australia may not be out of harm’s way just yet. According to another AP report, a new storm, Cyclone Wati (pictured), is brewing in the Coral Sea.
Australian Residents, Tourists Brave Cyclone Larry
by Michael Yessis | 03.20.06 | 12:19 AM ET
The storm reached Category 5 status just before making landfall Monday near Innisfail, Australia, a popular jumping-off point for travelers heading to the Great Barrier Reef. Meteorologists say that Larry’s winds reached up to 290 kilometers per hour (about 180 miles per hour), making it one of the most savage storms ever recorded. Preliminary reports indicate a lot of property damage but no fatalities. CNN, among others, has details. It’s too soon, however, to tell how the Great Barrier Reef fared.
The Bloody Good Saga of Tourism Australia’s Latest Advertising Campaign
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.06 | 10:20 AM ET
Tourism Australia recently debuted a new advertising campaign that turns on the slogan, “Where the bloody hell are you?” Very cheeky. Very Australian. And quite offensive to the ears of the members of Britain’s Broadcast Advertising Clearance Center. (With an uptight, bureaucratic name like that, it probably doesn’t take much to offend.) Last week, the group banned the campaign from the country’s televisions because it uses the word “bloody,” which, according to The Age, is the 27th most offensive word to the BACC. That’s behind bollocks (No. 6), bugger (No. 21) and sodding (No. 24).
Bradley Murdoch Found Guilty of Murdering British Backpacker
by Michael Yessis | 12.13.05 | 10:43 PM ET
Peter Falconio was killed four years ago in Australia’s Northern Territory, near the end of an around-the-world trip, during a drive from Alice Springs to Darwin. A jury concluded Tuesday that Bradley Murdoch, a mechanic from Broome, was guilty of the crime. The Australian, among many news outlets covering the events, has a report about Murdoch’s conviction and a detailed story recapping the crime.
Italy Ranked Number One “Country Brand”
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.05 | 11:56 AM ET
Australia took the runner-up spot, and the United States rounded out the top three in a recent global survey conducted by FutureBrand and its sister company, public relations firm Weber Shandwick. It also named China as the “most improved” country brand.
Melbourne Man Jailed in Frequent Flyer Scam
by Michael Yessis | 11.23.05 | 10:15 AM ET
Austin Perrott took advantage of computer system irregularities to amass 17.6 million frequent flyer miles on nine different airlines. Today he was sentenced to six years in jail.
Meet ‘Australia’s Forrest Gump’
by Michael Yessis | 08.18.05 | 9:55 PM ET
Boing Boing has news today of Alan Waddell, a 91-year-old man in the middle of a quest to walk every street in Sydney and its suburbs. He joins a few other peripatetic travelers who have taken on entire cities, including Phyllis Pearsall, who walked 3,000 miles in London while compiling the “Geographer’s A-Z Street Atlas,” and Francine Corcoran who conquered the streets of Minneapolis.
The Politics of Travel Warnings
by Jim Benning | 08.01.05 | 11:38 AM ET
The Seattle Times’ Carol Pucci asks a great question: Why did the recent London bombings result in only a “brief and restrained” travel advisory from the U.S. State Department, while the terrorist attack in Egypt prompted a much more strongly worded advisory? Could it be—gasp—that politics are involved? It’s not a new question, but it’s as relevant as ever. Any traveler who has spent more than a few minutes studying State Department pronouncements for various countries could come up with numerous perplexing inconsistencies.
Planet Theme Park Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
by Michael Yessis | 07.20.05 | 9:52 PM ET
Lots of news in our ongoing effort to chronicle the world’s transformation into a giant theme park. Boing Boing reports that a Michigan man named Wally Wallington is reconstructing Stonehenge in his backyard. Discovery Channel Canada has the video. Across the Atlantic in Kent, England, the BBC has word that work has begun on Dickens World, a theme park based on the “life, times and books” of novelist Charles Dickens. The park is scheduled to open in April 2007. No word on whether the laborers are exploited children.
“Shab bekheir, buenas noches and good night”
by Michael Yessis | 07.05.05 | 9:30 AM ET
When You’ve Launched a Guidebook Company Celebrating Bohemian Charm, Should You Fly Business Class?
by Jim Benning | 04.29.05 | 10:47 PM ET
We recently noted here that the New Yorker’s travel-themed issue included a profile of Lonely Planet and its founders, Tony and Maureen Wheeler. That article has turned out to be one of the most provocative stories about world travel and travel publishing in years, prompting conversations among travelers around the globe. Among the most discussed elements of the story: the fact that the Wheelers often fly business class and shacked up in a $400-a-night room on a recent visit to Oman; that when a child beggar in Oman gave Maureen the bird, she responded in kind; and Maureen’s remark that Lonely Planet doesn’t seem as real to her as it once did.
Tony Perrottet: the Michael Jordan of Travel Writers
by Jim Benning | 04.01.05 | 12:16 AM ET
How’s that, you ask? The author of Route 66 A.D. is the first travel writer we’ve heard of to land a real-life footwear endorsement deal. That’s right. Michael Jordan-style. At least sort of. Nike didn’t come calling with plans for an “Air Perrottet” sneaker or billboards of the writer bravely touring the ruins at Ephesus. But Rockport recently offered to pay him to wear their new line of travel shoes and do readings in places like the Macy’s shoe department. He jumped at the chance.
Carey in Japan
by Michael Yessis | 12.13.04 | 5:40 PM ET
Australian novelist Peter Carey’s next book focuses on a trip to Japan he took with his 12-year-old son Charlie. Their mission: to explore the worlds of manga and anime. Travel + Leisure’s Amy Farley quizzes him about his trip in the December issue. “Wrong in Japan,” the book about the trip, comes out next month.