Dateline Wednesday 24th August - Looking back at Oz

Finally typing this up, some four days after leaving Australia, I'm in a different world on Bali and a stunning one at that, but that shouldn't take anything away from my brief experiences of this fabulous country.

At the outset, I do need to thank Jubbly for her superb hospitality in the three weeks (and two days, as she will remind everyone!) that I stayed with her on Bribie Island. There has been endless leg-pulling on both sides, all done with love and affection and I don't think I've laughed as much in years. It says a lot about our friendship that there's never been a cross word despite the fact that we have some significant differences, notably as regards sleeping hours - she is one of life's larks, I'm an owl. When I'm ready to party, she's ready to go to sleep!

However, I'm not here to talk about that, I want to reflect on my three weeks in Oz. When my son visited the country a few years ago, he spoke about it with great affection and I can now truly understand why.

As an outsider, I've had my own preconceptions about the country and the people and it's interesting to reflect on how accurate those views actually were.

Firstly, the obvious, the corner of Queensland known as Bribie Island is largely given over to National Park territory and that gives an immediate clue as to how the country treasures its most precious natural asset - its wild life, be it the beautiful plants and trees or the stunning birds. In a world where money rules increasingly, it's a joy to find a country recognising its natural wealth and for me to meet so many people who appreciate it and want to preserve it. I only wish some of the countries that are busy cutting down their rain forests accorded them the same importance.

Next, the people. We all know about the sparring that goes on between Aussies and the Brits (Poms). I met citizens who were rightly proud of their country and were, without exception, totally friendly and welcoming. Aussies have a renowned reputation for not standing on ceremony and it was refreshing to see this in action.

The two countries share a common heritage but it was interesting to see how the Australia has moved on to establish its own identity. As a schoolboy, my Geography lessons concentrated initially on those parts of the globe that were coloured red, the old British Empire, which had become the Commonwealth by that time. I recall, all too well, the disappointment from countries such as Australia and New Zealand that greeted Britain's entry to what was then known as the "Common Market", now the European Union. I was all for closer ties with Europe but I do recognise that we turned our backs on our antipodean cousins, forcing them to seek trade alliances elsewhere.

Australia turned instead, to the Pacific Rim and that realignment has brought a freshness and vitality to the country. For example, dining out proved to be a sensational experience, not that I went for Egon Ronay recommended restaurants. Stunningly creative and beautifully presented meals impressed greatly, a far cry, I guess from the stodgy fare inherited from colonial days.

Food, however, seemed expensive in the shops and when buying fruit and vegetables, the choices were, to my eyes, rather limited, being used to seeing all manner of fresh produce available all year round in the UK. But everything has a price. The UK imports a large proportion of the food consumed, despite the fact that the facility is there for a lot to be grown at home. Certainly on Bribie Island, there seemed to be a policy of "Buying Aussie" and minimising imports - no bad thing when it comes to preserving a healthier balance of payments position and protecting employment. Also, in the UK, we have been beneficiaries of the ruthless tactics employed by the large supermarket groups (that control such a large percentage of the domestic economy) from screwing down prices, both to us as consumers and what they are prepared to pay their suppliers. One wonders whether this economic model is a viable one long term. Maybe the higher prices in Australia are partly a reflection of a fairer policy in dealing with suppliers.

It wasn't just food that was more expensive, most other items I bought seemed dearer, especially clothing. I don't have a feel for other costs, such as heating and lighting, rates etc. It would be interesting to explore further the potential reasons for this situation.

Probably my biggest disappointment was witnessing the relative Americanisation of the country. This was most evident on television. Zapping through the satellite channels while Jubbly was asleep, it was distressing to see the volume of mind-numbing American pap being screened, and a dearth of what I would call "quality television". I didn't find much evidence of serious home -grown programming, despite the country's reputation in Arts. My anti-globalisation views are probably well known and I can't for the life of me understand, if they're going to show crass programmes on the box, why they don't make them themselves - at least it would secure employment in the country, rather than exporting Aussie dollars to the States. I guess I can relate to the Canadian ethos of wanting to retain your own national character and being anything BUT American. I know that media legislation regarding "Canadian content" is a controversial subject, but I support that type of policy to safeguard national traditions, identity and employment.

I recognise that I saw just one tiny corner of a massive country, but it's certainly whetted my appetite to explore some more. Good on ya!