In a changing and progressive Australia the towns small and large of the outback have retained the Aussie character. The large sloping roofs to protect against extreme heat, the verandas to sit out those warm evenings on. The pubs with their great beer and rustic 1800’s charm. You can almost feel the miners and drovers of old drinking in the bars.

Yet towns with young residents attracted by the money to be made in the wealthy commodities industries, a country rich in minerals wool, cattle and grain.  Australia is a country driven by the land and a new breed of hunter gatherers. Towns with architecture stuck in the 1800s to 1950s, Architecture that shrouds the delicatessens and coffee shops selling panini with Mediterranean vegetables..

When I first left Australia to travel to Europe the country had a population of 8-9 million today it is 23 million and growing. In those  days through a feeling of isolation  it was the ambition of most young Australians to travel especially to Europe. Not so now the preference is to see Asia and not be too far from home. The country has grown sophisticated in communications and offers one of the highest lifestyles in the world. As a Chinese resident said to me “once Australia was a backwater but not so now”.

Shane Aurousseau

Photographer

Email: shanea@ntlworld.com

Web Site: www.kiamafoto.com

Blog Site: www.shaneasite.com