Did I tell you I’m going to Australia this year? Well, we can’t see the entire continent in ten days. We’re concentrating on New South Wales and Tasmania, but Beautiful World Australia, a Lonely Planet book, covers the entire continent.
It’s a stunning collection of photographs of the continent, organized by states and territories. There’s just a short caption on each page, so it’s worth reading the final section of the book, Photo Captions. I found it interesting that the photos were all credited to various photographers via Getty Images. And, the photo captions told more about each picture and area of Australia. I guess it just surprised me that Lonely Planet put the entire book together using those photos. (You can tell how long it has been since I looked at one of the gorgeous Lonely Planet books.)
What struck me as I looked at all the pictures was the vast variety of landscape. It shouldn’t have. I’ve been in most of the states in the U.S., and, even in Arizona where I lived for eight years, there’s everything from mountains to deserts. Perhaps it was the sudden change in the pictures in this collection, with a photo of a gorgeous bright blue bay right next to a vast scrubland. And, these pictures are grouped together, as I said earlier, by state and territory. That made the contrast in landscape more startling.
Even if you’re not going to Australia, Beautiful World Australia is perfect for armchair travel. The photos are gorgeous. I definitely recommend you read the photo captions, though, as you go along. The book, and the continent, will mean so much more to you with a little background.
Beautiful World Australia. Lonely Planet, 2019. ISBN 9781788682985 (hardcover).
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book as a gift from a friend.
How exciting for you! I spent my weekend reading in A SUNBURNED COUNTRY by Bill Bryson.
I really envy you the trip to Australia.
Perfect timing, Sharon! I read it when it first came out. I'm not about to go back and read his comments about poisonous snakes and animals (grin).
I'm looking forward to it, Jeff. I hope to have lots of pictures to share afterwards.
I am jealous. Always wanted to go there. But, that plane flight…for somebody like me who hates heights and flying, that plane flight is a bit insane. Then there is the fact one needs fully charged and up to date gravity boots. It really is amazing how they have managed to keep everything and everyone on the planet when they are on the bottom.
Heaven! I know you're excited and I can't wait to hear all about it!
And, those gravity boots are going to be darn hard to pack, or heavy to wear, Kevin.
A couple months away yet, Kaye, but, yes, I'm excited!
It is unfortunate that spammers continue to come here and spew their garbage.
Thank you, Kevin. It's sad that I have to spend time getting rid of their garbage.