Ode to Australia

I visited Australia for the first time in 2007, when my family and I travelled down the East Coast, like so many other people do. On the road I wrote this road poem. I returned to Australia many years later to take part in a FIT World Congress (The International Federation of Translators). This is the road poem:


From Darwin at the Top End – Nicole was there 
To Alice Springs in the Centre and the “Never Never” – where?
The original owners cast their spell
The Tjukurpa legend explains it well 

To the Garden of Eden in the Valley of the Winds
To tell you the truth – a fairytale begins 
Road trains, roobars, runway news on the fly
The outback is done, don’t ask me why! 

Carried to Cairns on a Qantas link
Almost on time, now what to think? 
In Cairns on the Sunshine Coast, and Sydney too
So long to Kings Canyon, Kakadu and the Uluru 

Kuranda, Fitzroy and Bellview Motel
Plenty of memories, good stories to tell 
We leave too soon the Scenic Way
The Tjapukai, Billabongs and The Kuranda Rail 

For new adventures southward bound
At Reef Fleet Terminal we the Greyhound found 
At 9 AM away we ride
Through Rolling Stone – survive the drive! 

Had lunch in Cardwell Transit Centre but leaving soon
We arrived in Townsville at 3 past noon 
At Civic Guest House for just one night
Dining out in Townsville makes you feel all right 

The Breakwater Terminal salutes you next day
At Picnic Bay, Backpackers Hideaway is where we’ll stay 
Are stonefish really a deadly threat?
How come nobody told us yet? 

Koala spotting and enjoying the day
Horseshoe, Radical and Rollingstone Bay 
We know we didn’t’ come to stay
At Magnetic Island, sorry to leave, but we’re going away 

“Travelling is living” the Danish writer said
More kilometres lie ahead 
Along the Sun Coast further south
The saltwater taste is in your mouth 

No more “cellarbrations” at Herbert Hotel
To Civic Guesthouse we say farewell  
The water we think is pretty cool
We enjoyed the swim in the heated Tobruk Pool 

Further down to Airlie Beach
Takes us four hours from Townsville to reach 
Long Island is not just New York
The trip to Whitsundays was almost too short 

The Bush Village, walking tracks, Happy Bay
The sun was hot, what a happy day
From 6PM to 6AM
Riding the Greyhound animal again 

From Airlie Beach to Hervey Bay
12 hours in darkness and night turns to day 
Trucks on the highway and people who drive
The Australian night has come alive 

Tuna fish, dolphins and whales in sight
The Urangan Pier, the Woolshed place is right 
A Freshwater feeling we faced
Of true blue colours and space 

From Hervey Bay to Brisbane north
12 days remain is this too short? 
I  remember you well at the Brisbane Airway Motel
Dining at the Hamilton Bowls Club went well 

But for one night only then we move on
The island is waiting, the Moreton 
The Wild Dolphin Resort is so full of light
The sun and the water shining silver bright 

The dolphins pops up from the ground
When the sun slowly starts to go down 
Crossing over on the upper deck, and not to forget
The picturesque Tangalooma wreck 

At the 2nd floor, Brisbane Transit Centre
Above Roma Street Station the bus does enter 
We walked to the South Bank Parklands ridge
Across the Victoria Bridge 

On a day so clear one can see forever
A city so beautiful forget it never! 
The road was packed this Friday afternoon
Crosstown traffic – but we got there soon 

To a Coast of Gold and the Surfers Paradise
The Islander Resort Hotel was surprisingly nice  
The Dolphins in the Cove they jump so high
The mammal trainers make them touch the sky 

After visiting the SeaWorld we had breakfast, tea and toast
We were sorry to leave the Golden Coast 
Welcome to New South Wales the wording ran
Imagine how the arrival began 

We ran out of money which was not so fun
A quick text message to Dad and Mum 
Off we went to the final tales
Welcome back to New South Wales 

Through Tallebudgera and Bilinga for five hours more
Safely we arrived in Coffs Harbour 
To the Banana Coast and Plantation hotels
We stayed at the Coachmen’s Inn, where else? 

We had a swim with the dolphins in the Pet Porpoise Pool
The water was only 14 degrees – in rented wetsuits did we look cool! 
Hanging out at McDonalds waiting for the bus
Nine hours through the night ahead of us 

Sydney in the morning was cold and dark
At 6 AM we couldn’t really see very far 
The Inner Circle that would take us across
To Circular Quay was almost a bus 

We sailed to South Mosman to Helen and her house
To the Daddy, the daughter, and the hospitable spouse 
Taronga Zoo, the Pylon Lookout, and the fine Opera
Three days to go won’t get us very far 

The Botanic Garden and the Darling Harbour Bay
Quickly running out of holiday 
Thanks for now to the land Down Under
Australia is truly the great wide wonder! 

But to every thing turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn 
One day – if we are lucky –
We will surely return 

Leaving Sydney flying out
Now we know what Australia is about! 
In our minds we go there and what do you think
You can go there too, if you follow this link!

Pictures from the trip in 2007 here/.

Ode to Australia blog link/.