Written for the Road...

DOWN UNDER is famed travel writer Bill Bryson’s original and often humorous take on Australia, a land that is truly like no other. Straying from the usual boring facts, Bryson takes his armchair travelers on a wild, colorful ride through Australia’s vast, rare, and diverse landscapes. DOWN UNDER bounces the readers from the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef, from Australia’s capital of Canberra to Melbourne, and all the way up the Gold Coast. The book is written like a campfire story, dancing between tales of deadly snakes and box jellyfish, to candid views of the Aboriginal people, to interesting historical anecdotes about the land. By the time you finish DOWN UNDER, you may have a better understanding of Australia than the locals. Regardless, you will most certainly feel as if you had spent time on Australia’s infamous beaches, driven its countless miles of scenic coastlines, dove under its crystal blue waters, viewed its most colorful reef, walked around its spiritual rock, and wandered around in the quiet beauty of the Outback.

I had read DOWN UNDER just before I visited Australia, and believe me when I tell you that I am glad I did. Through Bill Bryson’s unique style of storytelling, I gained an appreciation of Australia, even before I touched its soil.