The Land of Oz

I recently returned from a trip in which I spent more than a month in Australia.

A decade ago I visited Sydney, Australia for a few days with Mrs. BeeLine and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. At that time we decided we wanted to go back for a longer period and see more of the country.

The opportunity arose this year for us to go on a 32 day cruise that circled the entire continent and also visit all of the major cities of Australia---Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Fremantle, Perth, Albany, Adelaide and Melbourne among others were on the itinerary.

Here is a map of Australia that also compares its size to that of the United States.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australia_%E2%80%93_U.S._area_comparison.jpg

We missed Cairns due to an approaching tropical cyclone which we would refer to as a hurricane in the States.

A few photos of the major cities in Australia that I took on the trip.

Brisbane

Perth

Melbourne

Sydney

Australia is sometimes referred to as "Oz." 

That clearly came about from its close phonetic relationship to Aus or Aussie. However, Aussies are also famous for shortening words. A few examples---Service stations are "servos", barbeques are "barbies", the city of Fremantle is referred to as "Freo" by locals. 

However, I think Oz also fits because Australia is a magical place. It is distant from almost everywhere  else on earth. You see animals and creatures you don't see anywhere else and it is blessed with beautiful and diverse topography.

Australia is also blessed with friendly, intelligent people of good humour who are a pleasure to be with.

I have found that they also follow American culture and politics very closely.

A decade ago, when I first visited Australia, the 2016 Trump-Clinton presidential race was in full swing. Invariably, when an Aussie found out I was an American, they asked what I thought about the race.

I eventually asked someone why they were so interested in the outcome. The answer--- we rely on the United States for so much of what we have, including our defense. We worry about China. It is important to us that the United States is safe and in good hands and we have a counter-balance to China.

My sense was that a lot has changed in Australia in the last 10 years. Australia has moved further to the Left over the years.

As with many liberal governments around the world, the Labour Party under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has embraced allowing many more immigrants into the country.

Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/aussie/comments/1mcwi9i/australia_net_overseas_migration_by_prime/

The majority of this immigration is coming from India, China, the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Credit: https://auspropertyunpacked.com.au/the-main-source-countries-of-australian-migration-inflow/

Australia only had a population of approximately 26 million in 2020.

If you are bringing in 1 million immigrants within a couple years you can be sure that it is going to have an effect of the social fabric of the country.

I saw this first hand in going by a day care and seeing a school day trip in Melbourne where the majority of students were clearly not native Australians.

Of course, there was no other country in the world that seemed to go as overboard in its reaction to Covid as did Australia.

Melbourne has the dubious distinction of having been locked down during Covid with more cumulative days than any other city in the world.

Masking was required throughout Australia with a fine of $200AU for non-compliance.

Those who chose to not take the Covid vaccine were subjected to travel restrictions, loss of their job and other penalties.

It did result in Australia having one of the highest vaccine compliance rates in the world.

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

However, it did not stop the Covid virus from infecting Aussies.

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

I still find it amazing that almost all of the Covid cases in Australia did not occur until AFTER a large percentage of the population had been given the vaccine.

Before that, there were almost no cases of the virus.

Australia clearly comes down hard on prioritizing group responsibilities over individual rights.

In Perth, our guide shared that Australia is now using traffic light surveillance cameras to also check whether occupants of the vehicle are wearing their seat belts or the driver is in contact with their cell phone.

She shared that she was recently fined $400AU for not having the seat belt over her shoulder (she was otherwise hooked up) as she reached into her pocket to get something out.

Her son received a $1200AU fine for having his cell phone in his lap even though he was not using it.

Australia also has a significant case of the WOKE virus and political correctness.

For example, almost everywhere we went for talk it seemed important for the presenter to recognize the First Nations people of the country at the outset.

It was said that these indigenous people (Aboriginal and others)were native to Australia for 30,000, 45,000, 60,000 years (we heard various numbers) before any Europeans discovered the continent. 

There is even an Aboriginal flag that is flown that was designed in 1971.

Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_flag

It is always said that the Australian people owe a debt of gratitude to these First Nations people.

Yes, we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who came before us. We have stood on their shoulders as we have advanced.

However, it seemed to me the biggest debt of gratitude is owed to the convicts from the U.K. who built a good part of the foundation of the functioning society of Australia that followed.

Those First Nation people had not even invented or developed a wheel in those 30,000+ years before the Europeans arrived.

Australia was principally built and developed into the society it is today by people that were considered the dregs of society by the UK. That is why they were banished to the far side of the world to never return.

Who deserves more credit in what Australia has become?

Australia is also rich in natural resources today but in the interests of the environment and concerns about climate change this concern has resulted in them refusing to use these assets for the benefit of its people.

There are vast coal resources but they refuse to burn it for energy.

Instead, they mine it and sell it to China so they can burn it. Does that make any sense if you believe man-made global climate change is real?

They have oil reserves but refuse to drill for their own use.

Australia had 8 operating refineries 25 years ago. They now have 2. 

And there was just a massive fire at one of them.

80% of Australia's fuel needs must be imported and most comes from South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.

Even worse, Australia is at the end of the oil and gas supply chain.

Any disruptions in supplies and Australia will be the last in line. Australia is facing thar reality right now.

In Tasmania they used to cut timber, make wood chips and convert it into paper at a manufacturing plant on the island.

They have shut down the plant but now ship the wood chips to Japan to make the paper---and then import the paper back.

By the way, I thought Tasmania was the biggest surprise of the trip. It is a beautiful island state blessed with miles of oceanfront property, abundant natural resources and fertile soil.

Tasmania

Australia also bought back the government license to the fisherman in Eden, Australia who harvested abalone in the surrounding ocean waters in order to protect the natural resource. The fisherman now lives in a house the size of a hotel overlooking the bay from the money he received. 

The abalone are safe and secure but it is not clear if Australia will be in the future.

I saw it time and time again in Australia.

It is important to be responsible for our environment and natural resources.

However, it is also important that your society can independently sustain and support itself. That is doubly important when you are an island nation far removed from much of the rest of the world.

When I first visited Australia a decade ago I believed it was the first country out of the 40 or so I have visited that I could see myself living in if I had to leave the United States.

I still believe the combination of the people, language, culture and climate make it an attractive option.

However, the political trends in Australia are troubling for someone who values freedom, individual rights and economic realism.

I love Australia and its people.

I hope they can find their way.

At the same time, I returned to the United States believing more than ever that we are the last great hope for freedom in the world.

And that in itself always hangs perilously depending on the results of the next election.