Australia : True Stories of Life Down Under (Travelers' Tales) [Paperback]

Larry Habegger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000 | Series: Travelers' Tales Guides

For the hundreds of thousands of visitors heading to Australia for the 2000 Olympics - a collection of stories.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Australia's like an open door with the blue beyond," wrote D.H. Lawrence. "You just walk out of the world and into Australia." Who better to show you the wonders Down Under than Pico Iyer, Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Bruce Chatwin, Tony Horwitz, and a host of other travel-writing luminaries?

This evocative volume of Travelers' Tales provides a vibrant introduction to the country and its people. Visit well-known sites like Bondi Beach and Uluru (Ayer's Rock), get lost in the outback, forage for platypuses, slog through billabongs, walk along ancient song lines, and land on a deserted island for a Robinson Crusoe adventure that will make you think twice about leaving home. You'll even receive advice from Tim Cahill on learning to speak Australian:

"Most of us flaming septics (septic tank rhymes with Yank) visiting Oz either shoot through like the Bondi tram or muck about playing silly buggers and never properly apprehend the lingo. I was pondering this phenomenon one day while demolishing several dozen stubbies ... at a rubbity (dub-pub) in the town of Coen, whose quaint motto is "Eat Beef, You Bastards."

Whether you're heading to Oz to see the sights in Sydney, adventuring in the outback, or scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, True Stories of Life Down Under will show you that there's much more to Australia than Vegemite and Foster's beer. --Jhana Bach

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales Guides; 1st edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885211406
• ISBN-13: 978-1885211408
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Minnesota in a family of seven children, all boys until the last one. After graduating from Dartmouth College I began to travel (I wished I'd been doing it while in college!) and found that writing about my experiences helped me understand the places and cultures I was encountering. I also discovered that newspaper and magazine editors responded as well, and that's how I got started working as a freelance writer. Not long after that I hooked up with James O'Reilly to write a series of mystery serials for the San Francisco Examiner, one of which ran for 104 episodes over five months. We then began writing travel stories together and in 1985 started a syndicated column, World Travel Watch, that has appeared in newspapers in five countries. In 1993 we founded Travelers' Tales with James's brother Tim O'Reilly, and since then we've published some 100 books. I teach workshops on the art and craft of the personal travel story on a regular basis: for information go to LarryHabegger.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun from Down Under, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Australia : True Stories of Life Down Under (Travelers' Tales) (Paperback)

This collection of travel writer's accounts of their experiences in the land of kangaroos is amusing and informative. From an explanation of why Aussies call Americans "seppos" (a legacy of the rhyming slang of convicts, seppo means septic tank and tank matches Yank)to adventures in the Outback and quite a lot else, this is just a fun book to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading on Australia, November 16, 2004

By 

Virginia Allain "retired librarian" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Australia : True Stories of Life Down Under (Travelers' Tales) (Paperback)

If you are planning a trip to Australia or wish you could, this book should top your reading list. It's not a travel guide, it collects 39 articles or book excerpts from diverse sources that get to the heart of Australia.
You hear first-hand accounts of back packers, travel writers (Paul Theroux, Bruce Chatwin), Australians, adventurers, vacationers, and just ordinary people. Such a wide selection lets you see Australia from many angles from the food to the people to the animals and the landscape. This is so much more in-depth than a guidebook could possibly be.
Read the harrowing account of a woman canoer who survived a crocodile attack, experience learning to surf at Bondi, ride after brumbies in the Snowy Mountains, etc. Not all stories are heroic, as these are real people writing their impressions of a country and its amazing animals and hardy people. Each gives their own viewpoint which makes for fascinating reading.
The selections vary from 5 to 20 pages, making it a great book to dip into when you don't have extended reading time.
I highly recommend this book. After living in Australia 3 1/2 years, it brought back many memories of a wonderful country and showed me why I need to travel there again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Adventure!, December 8, 2010

By 

Nancy Lee Damron - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Australia : True Stories of Life Down Under (Travelers' Tales) (Paperback)

This book contains a variety of stories by people who have visited and lived in Australia. It is an interesting compilation and very informative. I have read other Travelers' Tales and all are excellent. I highly recommend this book.