42. Australia Day

I really don’t quite know what to make of this public holiday. It’s a bit like St Patrick’s day for the Aussies – lots of partying and drinking but nobody’s really sure why.

Whatever the reasons for this gratuitous day off, it was great fun. The Australians really know how to have a good time and that meant that there were bands playing all over Circular Quay and the Rocks, stalls selling drinks and food, big screen TVs, cafes with their tables and chairs out on the cordoned off roads and tons of people having a good time and waving Australian flags for no real reason. And the best thing (since I’d still not been paid) was that it was all free.

I loved it. It wasn’t long before we were toying with the idea of getting temporary Australian flag tattoos which seemed to be all the rage, but then opted for ice cream instead! We milled through the crowds looking for a focus point for the event but there didn’t really appear to be one. However, we were taken more photos of the ubiquitous Opera House from the opposite side of the Quay and noticed there were throngs of people around it so we went to investigate.

It appeared that Australians love sport even more than they love a party as there was more people at the Opera House than anywhere else and where they enjoying Australia day? No. They were glued to the massive TV screen that had been put up specifically so that people could watch the Australian Tennis Open. In fairness it was one of the finals but it wasn’t even a singles match. It was the women’s doubles and it was a pair from China and a pair from South Africa that were battling it out – not an Australian in sight. None the less the amphitheatre formed by the Opera House steps was bursting with people staring at the screen.

It was getting late in the day so we left there and made our way to the train station. As we walked back something struck me about the day. It was a public holiday, the sun was shining, there was music, there were bars, there were performances and there were people – tons of people. Yet I didn’t see a single drunk, I didn’t see any broken glass, there was no urine running out of side street (even though I didn’t see a single port-a-loo) and there wasn’t even any sun burn!

I couldn’t believe the difference in the attitude of the people in Sydney. They were all having a great time but nobody was out of hand and there was absolutely no evidence of people drinking to excess. Much as I’ve enjoyed more than my fair share of alcohol in Glasgow, it makes me sad to think that getting drunk during a festival or even just because the sun is out is the norm. Perhaps it takes something as severe as a 12,000 mile trip to the other side of the world to see that.