Australia and New Zealand are some of the favourite destinations for British tourists, and it has nothing to do with Dame Edna Everage or the fact that the Aussies are such a great group of likeable people; they are of course but that’s not why we travel half way around the globe. There’s no need to anyway, there are so many of them over here; many London pubs would hardly be able to function without Australian bar staff.
We might call them the Antipodes and occasionally refer to their inhabitants as the Antipodeans, but Australia and New Zealand do not really contain the antipodal point to London; in fact the true Antipodes are in the South Pacific somewhere around 51.30 degrees South and 179.7 degrees East. If you want to know how many miles from London that is, an approximate answer is 12,450, but of course it depends how you get there.
Looking at it the other way round, the true Antipodes of Sydney are in the middle of the North Atlantic off the coast of Morocco, which is not so surprising really, as most antipodal points of land masses are in the sea. Just four percent of the land has antipodal points that are also land; the rest are in the sea.
There is no country in the world that we prefer beating at sport more than the Australians (with the possible exception of football where Germany is our true nadir), but beating the Aussies at cricket, and especially winning an Ashes test series brings tears of joy to every true Brit. But unlike football there is never any trouble between the two nations. Brits and Aussies can share the same stand at a Lords test match and can enjoy a drink round the corner in a pub in Little Venice afterwards. There might be a little friendly banter, but never any trouble.
Of course the bond between the two nations has its roots in history. Many Brits emigrate to Australia in search of a new life, and they come over here to do much the same. We get their sunshine and outdoor life, their wonderful beaches, their sense of open space, and ice cold XXX lager; they get our climate, warm beer, and the Royal Family.
Of course it is not all good out there. Many Brits emigrated to Australia attracted in part by the heat only to discover that all the flies and the burning sun were too much for them, and it seems that ever more of them are returning home.
On a good day it takes just around 22 hours to fly to Melbourne from London and if you want to use your air miles to get there, then check out www.airmiles.co.uk newly Avios.com.
