A number of experienced Bush-bashers may be retiring next month and so, as a columnist who can offer perceptive insightful comments on a smorgasbord of topics, we will pass along this suggestion on how to spend their time while going "cold turkey."
Qantas has spent a few bucks on backing for the movie "Australia," in the hopes of boosting tourism. They may be overlooking the biggest niche audience. When (If?) this columnist return to the U. S. A., the people who will get the most enthusiastic reports (and urgings to "go see for yourself") will be my high school classmate Jersey Bill and his wife Marcia, his brother Andy and his wife Dianne, and my good pal Susan. In the U. S. a good many older folks buy an RV camper and blog about their travels.
If Qantas (or whoever) were to use their promotion budget to put ads in RV and 4WD magazines they would be reaching the audience most y to enjoy a vacation in Australia. Many Americans think that roughing it means staying in a hotel without room service, but folks who have roamed about the U. S. in a mobile home are the best suited to rent a van in Australia and feel comfortable contending with the challenges of being "on the road." Most Americans are not good candidates for buying a hosteling adventure/vacation. They are also not likely to want to travel around in a van and do their own cooking.
It is easy to imagine Jersey Bill and his wife parking their own vehicle and renting one in Australia and seeing new scenery and meeting new "snow birds."
It is a common sight in the Perth area to see a vehicle on the streets with a snorkel. That indicates that the four-wheel drive enthusiasts in the U. S. A. would find like-minded people if they could rent a rig and explore Western Australia.
If Qantas thinks that all Americans are clones of Ansel Adams and/or David Plowden who would relish any challenge to be able to photograph some magnificent scenery, they may be underestimating the comfort level that many American travelers require.
RVers and 4WD enthusiasts are more likely to be able to cope with unexpected snags and malfunctions.
Most Americans are not going to want to travel for a day to admire a pet rock that has been elevated to the status of national symbol, but the people who huddle together in RV parks in the U. S. A. are going to enjoy riding though the outback and (perhaps) tuning in to Triple J to sample the local music scene.
The Australians call traveling through the outback, bush-bashing, so perhaps some retired critics of President Bush would get a bit of satisfaction from indulging in just such a venture.
Jersey Bill and the others might want to start their fact finding about vanning in Australia by clicking to"The Grey Nomads" website.
http://www.thegreynomads.com.au/
Ansel Adams has expressed it thus: "It is my intention to present - through the medium of photography - intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators."
Now, the disk jockey will play a song (heard for the first time last week in Fremantle) that was a hit in Britain in 1967 for Clinton Ford, "Run For the Door" and we will head for Kalgoorlie. Have a sunny and warm type week.
