Australia

Let's face it...that long haul flight is certainly worth it.

Not only that, any Australian will gladly tell you that there is so much more to see and do than what you just see in the brochure!

That's why it's so important to get your travel plans sorted out properly - whether it's Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, or even the Great Barrier Reef - Australia has it all!

Title : Aboriginal Art (World of Art S.)
Author : Wally Caruana
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Lovely little paper back book about Australian Art

I bought this book for my son as a reference guide for his GCSE Art. The original at school had been knicked as it was so popular.

He produced a Brilliant piece of work inspired by it's content and pictures. He used ther inspiration from the art to produce a map from his home to school in the style of the Aboriginees on a massive pot from BQ.

If you want a great little book on the subject then buy this.

Title : The Fatal Shore: History of the Transportation of Convicts to Australia, 1787-1868 (Harvill Panther S.)
Author : Robert Hughes
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Emancipists and Currency

The Fatal Shore is a thorough investigation into the convict system between Great Britain and Australia with a strong slant from the perspective of the convicts themselves through letters written home as well as the use of documentary evidence.
Robert Hughes has clearly researched the subject matter in intricate detail and the end product is a fascinating insight into the few positives of the convict system and the many negatives (made up primarily of the story of Van Diemans land and Norfolk Island's arbitary punishment system, ie. floggings and other sadistic 'routine' punishments).
A word of warning. This book is extremely detailed in its views and portraits of all the main characters involved in the system and for the amateur it can become confusing mixing the various phases of the convict system and the variety of governor genarals of the colony. However this small detail aside, it did not detract from the enjoyment and interest level of the subject matter and everyone who reads this book is guaranteed to learn some incredible details about the lives of the convicts that they were unaware of before picking the book up.
A well worth the read book but be prepared for a marathon of information!

Title : Down Under
Author : Bill Bryson
Rating : 2 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Not his best

Bill Bryson concludes 'Down Under' by emphasising (for about the fiftieth time) that Australia is an interesting country. It is, undoubtedly. However, you wouldn't know it from reading this book.

Remarkably, in a country that is packed with things to do (try scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, try Croc watching in Darwin, try partying in Sydney, watching Aussie rules in Melbourne) Bryson spends most of his time pottering around on his own - his inability or unwilling to actually talk to people is quite unrivalled in a travel journalist - and peering at exhibits in out of the way museums. Each day on his travels seems to have the same shape: rise with a hangover, drive a long way on his own, look around another museum and arrive at a hotel to drink quietly on his own. Is this interesting? Is this giving us an insight in life 'Down Under'?

There are so many examples of Bryson coming across as a rather introverted ninny it's hard to pick one, but here goes. On the Great Barrier Reef, where he musters the courage to take a pleasure cruise (after about a chapter of fretting at the dangers of sharks, jelly-fish, groupers (!) etc...) After finally taking the plunge, he decides to extract himself from the water without actually seeing anything because he mask continually fills with water and he feels uncomfortable. Perhaps even more unbelievably, he goes to Adelaide and stumbles upon (yes, stumbles upon ... does he do any research?) an Ashes Test Match. Rather than actually go, by begging, borrowing or stealing tickets he decides instead to sit on his own in a bar and ponder what might be happening.

Put this lack of content together with his infuriatingly limited vocabularly which covers the full gamut of adjectives from 'delightful' to enlightening' and back again and you have the makings of a thoroughly dull read. One wonders whether this was a project foisted upon him by his over-eager publishers as it is striking how weak his pool of historical anecdote-cum-factoids are (which is his usual forte). Did we really have to hear about the Aussie Prime-Minister that managed to drown himself in every chapter?

In summary, it might be an exciting read if you like the Daily Mail.

Title : The Fatal Shore: History of the Transportation of Convicts to Australia, 1787-1868 (Harvill Panther S.)
Author : Robert Hughes
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A History of British Brutality

Robert Hughes "The Fatal Shore" is a compelling, readable, and meticuously documented account of the settlement of Australia. More than that, it provides within that harrowing story a picture of 18th and 19th Century penal attitudes the biases and prejudices of which can still,too often, be recognised in contemporary penal practice. In particular, the story of Alexander Moconochie's reforms on Norfolk Island, and their rejection, is a tale of overwhelming tragedy.
This cruel and bitter saga is yet another illustration of a recurring theme in British history, of how the protection of the wealth and property of a few has always had priority over the common good. The multiplication of capital offences under George 111, and his brutal penal regime, did little to deter the poverty stricken agricultural and industrial labourers of that era. The greatest fear of the industrial capitalists and the wealthy landowners was a revolution of the dispossessed, and to transport this threat to the other side of the globe, and so eliminate it, was the safest way to secure the status quo. Although Hughes does not labour this point he does vividly show how the demonisation of a class, and the extreme brutality that accompanied it, led to a penal system that lasted for more than half a century. For convicts to resist the thuggery of the State was futile, but to resist, and so suffer more brutality, was, ironically,the only way to retain the last flickering of humanity and personal integrity.
The book is a timely reminder that the core values that have shaped British history have changed little, and demonisation is still used to protect and sustain political and corporate interests.
A stimulating, readable, and masterly account of the British Gulag and of those who suffered in the grip of its iron fist. Highly recommended.

Citigate Sebel Hotel Sydney Australia and Australia online resources.