Waltzing Australia [Paperback]

Cynthia Clampitt (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 22, 2007

Waltzing Australia was born out of a dream—and a journey. After walking away from her corporate career, Cynthia Clampitt headed to Australia, to start over, to write, and to test the limits of what she could do. Waltzing Australia recounts that joyous adventure. It is a story about change and about making dreams come true. But more than that, it is about Australia: the history, legends and art, both European and Aboriginal; the beauty, the challenge, the people, the land. From Sydney to Perth, Tasmania to Darwin, tropics to desert, city to wilderness, Clampitt carries the reader along on an exhilarating grand tour of a fascinating country. With a writing style reminiscent of Annie Dillard, she captures the essence of the land Down Under and invites others to fall in love with Australia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Unafraid to honestly respond to her own emotions, and her surroundings, reading this book is as much about witnessing a person's transformation through close contact with the natural world as it is about the places she visited in Australia.... This is an inspiring book, by an inspiring woman, whose appreciative writing made me want to invite her to my place on her next visit so I can show her the beauties of `my' little pocket of Australian paradise." --Liz Hall-Downs, for The Compulsive Reader

"We see what she sees, meet the people she encounters, and by the end feel like we've not only gained a new understanding of the beauty of this nation continent, but also that we've gotten to know a new friend." --Paula Russell, Paula's Book Talk in Kalön Women Magazine

"Cynthia Clampitt's luminous chronicle of her love affair with Australia resonates to the heart's deep core." --Richard Lederer, Bestselling author of Word Wizard and The Miracle of Language

"Among the Best" Waltzing Australia is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in inspiring, family-friendly books. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; and LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books. --WINNER - Mom's Choice Awards®

About the Author

Fresh out of college, Cynthia Clampitt headed for corporate America. However, though she enjoyed considerable success at two major international corporations, after ten years, it was clear to her that this was not where she belonged. She wanted to write—and she wanted to get as far away as possible from the temptation to remain in the corporate world. Australia was a lifelong interest, and it seemed to be the best, and farthest, place to start over. Clampitt headed for Australia with little more than a suitcase, dreams, and a six-month visa. By the time she left, she had circled and crossed the continent, covering nearly 20,000 miles. Back home again, Clampitt built a new career around her passions of writing, history, travel, and food—though that rebuilding took a few years and a lot of very frugal living. Today, Clampitt is a successful freelance writer, world traveler, and culinary historian. Her clients range from magazines to educational publishers to Colonial Williamsburg. Clampitt has returned several times to Australia, but the sense of adventure awakened during her first visit Down Under has also taken her to Mongolia, Morocco, India, Iceland, Turkey, Tibet, Vietnam, Ecuador, China, and more than a dozen other countries. The dream of starting over came at a price—but the dream has come true.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (June 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419663062
• ISBN-13: 978-1419663062
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 7.9 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,529,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a freelance writer, culinary historian, and world traveler. I have (so far) visited 37 countries on six continents, ranging from Mongolia to Morocco, India to Iceland, Egypt to Ecuador, Canada to Cambodia. My writing life and adventures had their genesis in the trip recounted in my book "Waltzing Australia." That adventure marked the "starting over" of my life, and it brought about a true transformation, changing me from a corporate creature who knew only blue suits and meeting rooms, and who never went on vacation, to a lover of wild places who now considers travel a necessity.

My interest in culinary history is anchored in a family history of food-related employment and enjoyment and my own passion for all things historical. Because I love history and geography, much of my work is in educational publishing, and I have written history or geography materials for every major educational publisher in the U.S., as well as for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. However, I also write about food and travel for magazines and newspapers. Of the two books I'm currently working on, one is a sequel to "Waltzing Australia" (I have made several return trips) and one is a culinary history (most people are amazed to learn how important food has been in the history of the world). If you'd like to read some of my culinary history writing, as well as some of my other interests, you can visit my food/travel blog: http://www.theworldsfare.org

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Lovely little... January 28, 2010

By Karen A. Blood

Format:Paperback

Other reviewers do a nice job with what this book is about. Let me share that it became a chore to read after initially drawing me in with the promise of travel and adventure. It really is just a memoir of descriptive after descriptive accompanied by a good dose of the look and feel of the landscape, with a good bit of redundant language, i.e. "..it was a lovely little town.."

It does cover a tremendous amount of ground about the Australian landscape and botanical facts, and it is littered with some really fun stories along the way. The reader is a witness to her travels, watching her wander about, but there is just.. much that is repetitive. Perhaps if one were planning or reliving a trip to Australia, more of its charm and detail would become accessible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous, compelling and fresh September 28, 2007

By Helen Gallagher

Format:Paperback

What a lovely book: a smart combination of memoir and a fresh view on the usual travel story. No one could write this well about travels in Australia without a true love for the country, its people, and its remarkable landscape. Cynthia Clampitt surprises us with a writing talent and story-telling technique that is tough to master, yet she is consistently compelling to read. She puts her full energy into explaining culture, history, anthropology, animal life, and the rigors of being a woman on a long solo journey. Honestly, I'm only 147 pages into this big book, but could not wait to share my enthusiasm for Waltzing Australia.

Helen Gallagher, author: Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Waltzing Australia January 8, 2010

By Nanette McGuinness

Format:Paperback

After years of dreaming and planning, author Cynthia Clampitt quit her job, packed up her life,and followed the siren call of Australia. Part travelogue and part personal journal, WALTZING AUSTRALIA is the diary of her journey. Clampitt mixes snippets of anthropology, cultural history, geography, natural history, and sociology in a beguiling narrative about her breakout six months traveling on her own through Australia, giving the reader a detailed look at the wonders of the land down under.

Often personal, but seldom deeply introspective, Clampitt's glowing travel diary should inspire all who dream of traveling to a new land, of kicking off the traces of the day-to-day, or simply of visiting the land of kangaroos and koalas.