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It's always most difficult to talk about your home, but I'll take up the challenge and try and describe my birthplace, Australia, to you.

Australia May 2001

Nickjenkins
2003-11-20 15:37:40

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lazy love affair that you see in the Costa Brava or the Costa del Sol. It's more of an agressive, steamy wrestling match. Australians "down the beach" indulge in all manner of pursuits from surfing to sailing to kicking the footy around to a barbie. Beaches become less of a clinic for injections of vitamin D than an extension of public space.

Part of our relationship with the beach is governed by our weather and the large amounts of sunshine we enjoy. The sunshine comes at a cost though. Our own sizeable whole in the ozone layer coupled with a population containing a large portion of individuals from pale skinned northern latitudes has meant that Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. A ruthless public education campaign has alerted each and every Australian to this fact and we now live in perpetual fear of the sun.

We dare not emerge from our domiciles without lathering ourselves in sun screen, donning hats and suitably impermeable clothing. This, however has not dampened our love affair with the golden sands.

The sun is not the only thing that Australians learn to fear. Unlike the over-civilised, domesticated lands of Western Europe, Australia is still a wild, wild land. In order to make it to maturity Australian's are schooled at an early age in various survival tactics for dealing with bush fires, snakes, spiders, jelly-fish, crocodiles, poisonous octopi and New Zealanders on holiday.

By and large the large quantities of venomous animals aren't that much of a threat. I've only ever seen a couple of poisonous snakes, a couple of dozen spiders, one octopus and the odd bush fire. I also only know of one person that has been bitten by more than one snake but then she goes around sticking her hand under rocks looking for frogs so it's her own damn fault. Australia is really a very safe place. Honestly.

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