In a Sunburned Country #1

In a Sunburned Country is a novel written by American author Bill Bryson. The novel is about all things Australian, and details Bryson's travels throughout Australia. The first fifteen pages or so of the novel are spent familiarizing the reader with the country of Australia itself. Bryson admits that, "the fact is, we pay shamefully scant attention to our dear cousins Down Under." This observation is very true, since I can attest to the fact that, while I am aware of its existence, I know little else about Australia. Perhaps this is because, as Bryson suggests, "Australia doesn't misbehave. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner."
Whatever the reason, Bryson sets out to tour the whole of Australia in order to give us a comprehensive look at a country that we have heretofore paid little attention to. He begins by giving a quick overview of the discovery of the continent by Captain Cook and the resulting colonization. The strange wildlife of Australia is also first mentioned here, namely the extravagantly varied array of animals that can kill you in many different ways.
Bryson also describes the torturous fourteen hour flight from North America to Australia, which is where his distinct style of writing becomes apparent. The witty and self-deprecating humour that Bryson is so well known for is tremendously entertaining. After finally arriving in Sydney, Bryson meets up with a reporter and photographer from the Sydney Morning Herald, who take him boogie boarding, where he is almost stung by a Portuguese man-of-war. Unperturbed, Bryson boards a train which will take him across the Australian outback to Perth, and from there make a round trip back to the Eastern coast.