A funny book about the authors travels in Australia.

Putting in Thegoaliegirl's Travel Narrative bookbox.

6of8 was kind enough to bring the Travel Narratives bookbox to today's BCinDC meetup. I had a couple of travel books to swap into the box, and this was one of the ones I took for myself.

The thing I enjoy most about reading travel narratives is the chance to vicariously experience things that I simply would not do myself. There are certain places that I don’t expect to ever visit, and styles of travel that I consider too uncomfortable or inconvenient for me to bother with, but I still can share these because others are willing to go there and do that, and then write about it. In this case, exploring the Australian Outback by hitchhiking is certainly not something that I’m ever going to do (though I would be interested in visiting some of the places described). Fortunately, Horwitz has done so and provided this entertaining record of his adventure.

Aside from the descriptions of the Outback and those that call it home, this is also a glimpse into the culture of one of the most sparsely populated regions in the world. This narrative isn’t as funny as the one presented by Bill Bryson (“In a Sunburned Country”), but it provides a broader look at the people of Australia, one that is both entertaining and educational.

Two things about this account stand out, both of which may (or may not) have changed since this account was written almost thirty years ago. The first is the incredible amount of alcohol consumed by those Horwitz meets along the way, and the related levels of intoxicated driving he describes. Even in an area as sparsely populated as the Outback, it seems like a recipe for carnage on the roads. In addition, the descriptions of the race relations here are noteworthy. The attitudes expressed here may not have been typical, but are disturbing nonetheless. It would be interesting to have a more contemporary account to compare to this one, to see whether either of these issues has changed since the mid-1980s.

This book is both a travel narrative and a bit of a time machine, providing us with a glimpse into the character of rural Australia during the 1980s. While it is certainly entertaining, it is also a useful instrument for evaluating the changes in that culture over time. And for those of us who simply haven’t got the nerve to hitchhike through the Outback, this is the next best thing.

Adding to thegoaliegirl's Travel Narrative Bookbox as it moves on to its next stop.

Selected from the Travel Narrative book box.

Tony Horowitz is an American living in Sydney Australia with his girlfriend and working as a reporter. He has a case of wanderlust and wants to hitchhike through Australia. Kind of a crazy thing to do considering it is summer and the interior of Australia has a lot of empty land in it. He goes anyway and mostly has a good time. He starts in Sydney which is in New South Wales, north into Queensland, west into the Northern Territory, south into South Australia, along the coast into and around Western Australia, ending in Darwin, Northern Territory. He doesn't give us a lot of information, just brief accounts of each place and the amusing and interesting anecdotes, observations and history. A good deal of the charm is in the characters he meets while traveling. He has a droll and amusing voice, I found his book interesting and entertaining, I enjoyed it.

I am listing this in the ABC VBB.

This book was selected from the ABC VBB by JennyC1230. I hope to get it in the mail today.

Mailed as requested. It is on its way.

Thanks for sending to me from the ABC VBB. This looks like a fun read. I enjoyed Tony Hawks: Around Ireland with a Fridge. This looks similar so I'm looking forward to reading it. Sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination. ;-)

My Review: Hitch-hiking is an interesting way to travel through Australia. Tony seems to have gotten a taste of life and culture from the many different parts of Australia. I had heard that Australians drank a lot of beer, but it's really true according to this book. Australia is one of the countries I would truly love to see, although not via hitch-hiking.

If you have found this book, welcome to Bookcrossing and thank you for taking the time to let us know about its journey. Feel free to enjoy the book and pass it along to a friend, neighbor, family member or co-worker, or simply leave it somewhere for another lucky reader to enjoy as you did! This book isn’t your type of read? No problem, don't feel obliged to read it, just be kind enough to help it on its journey.

Sending this wishlist book to CollectorKerri along with a VBB book. Enjoy the RABCK!

Received while I was on vacation last week. Thanks for the bonus RABCK, JennyC1230!

Just finished this interesting look into mid-‘80s Australia. There was a stunning amount of drinking and driving and the casual and malevolent racism was just horrendous. Like ResQGeek said, it would be interesting to see how things are different or the same today.

At the moment, the book is waiting for someone to choose it from the Nonfiction Virtual Bookbox.