Knowing nothing of Australia except the lager-ad cliches of sun and surf, ockers and sheilas, kangaroos and didgeridoos, Mark McCrum arrives Down Under. Hitching, flying, by Greyhound and by train, he makes his picaresque way around the vast brown land. From royalist hippies to republican cattle-ranchers, from Queensland jillaroos to Indo-Chinese immigrants, from Perth millionaires to desert Aboriginals, he meets modern Aussies of every kind. 'Infused with the spirit of Australia: breezy, accepting, humorous' The Times

Mark McCrum's rich and varied travel book witnesses at first hand a South Africa in the throes of historic change.

2002-10-11 Cheap and cheerful

...Writer Marc McCrum travels around Australia, starting in Sydney and working his way around in an anti-clockwise direction.

First thing to note is that this is not really a guide to the sights and attractions of Oz, it's more a guide to the people, their lives and their opinions, that the author meets on his journey. Pretty soon the recurring theme of Aborigines drinking away their 'social' payments turns into the main focus of the book.

I'd have preferred to have read more about other aspects of Oz life, but as a wannabe Oz immigrant I have learned a hellova lot about the interaction between the Aborigines and the more recent arrivals. Useful information indeed for anyone planning to move down under.

Considering the price and the 300+ pages it's a good buy, though I'd have to admit it wasn't what I was expecting.