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1-Page Summary of In A Sunburned Country
Overview
Australia is a large country with lots of diversity. It has very long commutes between cities, and some people bought half a million acres of land for secret bomb tests without anyone noticing.
Bill Bryson knows more than most people about Australia. He traveled the country and wrote a book about his experiences.
The author’s ability to find the best bits of information is what makes his writing so good. His travelogue was full of interesting facts that had me checking out plane tickets for Australia.
The following are key points about James Cook, the man who discovered Australia:
He went down in history as the discoverer of Australia because he was a great navigator and explorer.
Gold rushes changed the country’s fortunes by making it rich and prosperous.
A former prime minister refused to live in the capital because it was too far away from his home town (Sydney).
Big Idea #1: Australia is often forgotten about, despite the fact that it’s a truly unique place.
Australia is a massive country with a small global footprint. Even the most bizarre events there barely make international news. Take the 1993 seismic activity in the Great Victoria Desert that baffled experts. They ruled out earthquakes and meteor strikes, which left mining accidents as their only explanation. In the end, they chalked it up to an unsolvable mystery because of its intensity.
In 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo cult attacked Tokyo with nerve gas and killed 12 people. The group also owned a large property that was near an area where there had been unexplained seismic activity. Upon investigation, authorities found a sophisticated laboratory on the property and evidence that members of the cult were mining uranium. They also discovered that some of its members were nuclear engineers and apparently wanted to test their bombs in the desert!
When the world found out about Australia’s nuclear testing, what was its reaction? It took four years for someone to write an article in The New York Times. That shows how vast and isolated Australia is.
There are many stories in Australia that are worth sharing. The country has an amazing variety of wildlife and plants, so it’s definitely something to experience. It is also a very unique place with its harsh climate and flat landscape.
The number of insects in a country is difficult to count. The actual number could be twice as much, and 30% are unknown species.
Big Idea #2: Bryson first came to truly appreciate Australia’s history and vastness while traversing it by train.
The author’s journey started in Sydney, Australia. He went west on the Indian Pacific train to Perth, which is at the western edge of Australia. The trip was 2,720 miles long and crossed three states: New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
The two travelers left Sydney, Australia and went to Broken Hill. It was a perfect starting point for their journey through the wilderness of New South Wales.
The group stopped at a more remote village called White Cliffs.
The authors traveled for a long time, and the landscape was barren. It taught them that the country can be empty and forbidding.
This environment is extremely harsh. The only living things that exist are saltbush, spinifex (a type of grass), lizards and dead kangaroos. There’s a town called White Cliffs where the people live in caves because it’s so hot there. That’s an indication of how hot it really is – you have to hide under rocks!
Today, there’s not much to do in White Cliffs. There is a pub, gas station, café and grocery store, laundry service and an opal shop.
