The Bird Our aircraft is now flying above Australia – a country with a population of Delhi NCR and area two and half times larger than that of India! Some lone clouds drift lazily above biscuit-coloured treeless mountains shrouded in blue haze. Small villages are scattered like heaps of broken shells. How barren the land is! Most of it is like a giant cookie with numerous cracks. Although originally inhabited for more than fifty thousand years by aboriginals of various hues; its modern avatar began with James Cook’s charting of the eastern coast in 1770. Lemonade Fresh City So, I have landed in Sydney - a metropolis which always finds a place amongst the most beautiful tourist friendly destinations on the planet.

 

It has acres and acres of green spaces. Many houses do not have compound walls, and their gardens stretch right upto the edge of pavements. It gives an impression as if you are moving through one uninterrupted garden. After freshening up, I am ready to explore. My first stop is the 160 years old historic Sydney Cricket Ground ( SCG ). For a cricket lover like me it is nothing less than a pilgrimage.

 

Outside the club house there are idols of cricketing saints posturing on landscaped green knolls under the canopy of lush foliage. Near the entrance, there are two small museums, one dedicated to Australian cricket and another entirely to Indian cricket! No England, no West Indies, no other cricketing nation!! The museum halls are full of cricketing memorabilia such as baggy greens of Australian greats like Bradman, Trumper, Steve Waugh; gleaming cricket cherries; worn-out bats;

 

and shining medals and trophies. There is a life size poster of Virat Kohli with his blazing hawklike eyes. These are my charms and amulets. For me, it is a religious experience (almost). The touristy heart of Sydney is romantically called the Darling Harbor, named after the 19th century Governor General of NSW, Ralph Darling. It is a charming, buzzing place bubbling with effervescence.

 

I enter the Sea Life Aquarium through an unimpressive entrance, but what I find inside is beyond all my expectations. The diversity of marine life on display is bewildering. There are living corals of all hues and shapes blindly groping, wiggling with thousand quivering arms; rainbow-coloured crabs looking angry for some unspecified reason; and massive sausage-like dugongs (once considered a delicacy, so much so that it is now on the verge of extinction). Then there are tiny nodding seahorses; resigned to the fate tortoises; and stoic penguins standing like messiah. In all this commotion, the one animal that stands out for me is the octopus. What distinguishes it from the other creatures is that it alone appears to be not only aware of its surroundings, but also of itself! Whereas other appear reactive; it is proactive.

 

There is a resolve; a purpose in its exploration of its environment. Even marine biologists consider this wonder the most intelligent after humans. I can watch this diligent guy for hours on end. But I must leave as I have an appointment with my guide at the opera house. With a thumping heart I am standing face to face with one of the most iconic modern structures in the world—the Sydney Opera House. Designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon, this multi-performance

 

(six venues with total capacity of around 5500) arena spread over 4.4 acres alongside the sparkling harbour is a masterwork. Its billowing “sail-like” silhouette is formed by a series of overlapping, concrete shells. The “shells” appear ceramic smooth from a distance but are in fact made up of thousands of pinkish-cream tiles. It is the only building in the world whose outer form is conceived in spherical geometry rather than in plane Euclidean geometry. Perhaps that is why it took years for the structural engineers to decipher a practicable solution to realize it in flesh and blood. Pure Gold My next destination is the city of Gold Coast—the hedonist’s Mecca. Sun-drenched and built for fun, the city, fondly called the Glitter Strip, hugs Queensland’s southeast coastline with beaches, maze of riverine canals, sleek high-rises, epic surf breaks and modern theme parks. It is evening time.

 

The setting sun has painted every skyscraper in burnished gold. Soon the horizon turns purple and the city is lit up with a zillion lights. Near the waterfront called the “surfer’s paradise” scantily clad fashionable young lasses are on the hunt to get hunted. There are fairies with angelic faces moving about with their dumbo boyfriends. Occasionally you meet a typical Aussie couple with a completely bald heavily mustached man as stout as an ox and an equally strong heavily built woman as ferocious as a boxer in the ring. It is truly a reveler’s Eden. It is Saturday and everyone is caught in the flutter, glitter, and frenzy of a carnival-like atmosphere. The air is supercharged with the divine aroma of toasted coffee beans; the smoke rising from searing sausages; and pungent but intoxicating smell of grilled seafood.

 

There are buskers belting out songs on prerecorded tracks. Frequently, a sports car roars by exploding on all its cylinders drowning every other sound to mute. Firecrackers boom, Ducatis vroom, sparkling rockets zoom….it is a pure Bohemian Rhapsody. In Nature’s Lap The city of Cairns is in a completely different league from Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne. Situated among thick verdant hills (half as old as time!) on one side , and surrounded by sparkling ocean and diaphanous, limpid lagoons on the other, it is a quiet brooding town with exceptionally broad streets lined with sprawling bungalows. It is an old-fashioned, laidback, lounging city. Finally, I am about to fulfill one of my life’s greatest dreams — to visit the Great Barrier Reef!

 

The largest coral reef in the world which is more than 2000 km long with 900 islands. The only living organism visible from outer space. The UNESCO natural heritage site and the seventh natural wonder of the world. My heart is pounding with anticipation as the submersible boat leaves for the open sea from the anchored cruise on the Green Island. What is in front of me outside the glass is a portal to another world, another dimension. What mind boggling diversity of life and what great abundance! Every creature you look at in this hushed universe is prim and in prime health. Some curious ones come close enough to nuzzle up against me; get suddenly alarmed for no apparent reason and vanish away in haste in the blue distance. Just WOW Voila!

 

I’m in Melbourne!! The most livable city in the world: UNESCO city of literature after Edinburgh; the sports capital of the world; the thriving center of street art and music; and the largest city in Australia. Also, the city has the largest network of public transport in the world. The city has twin vibes—laid back Victorian and breezy postmodern. Classical colonial style brick-colored edifices and grand railway stations lie almost next to supertall gleaming skyscrapers. Rickety, clanking streetcars vie with swooshing ultramodern shining light rails running almost along parallel tracks. Aromatic smoking coffeehouses sit shoulder to shoulder with clinking swanky bars and casinos. Asiatics and Europeans walk side by side in complete harmony without a single discordant note. It’s a gorgeous spectacle. Today we are driving along the Great Ocean Road—a 240 km stretch of the most extraordinary scenery from Melbourne to Twelve Apostles.

 

Along the breathtaking drive you witness ocean in all its moods: splashing, crashing, bobbing, swaying, billowing, foaming, swooning or simply nursing its own wounds. Likewise, the beaches along which this hustle and bustle is unfolding are powdery, sandy, rocky, craggy, sometimes engulfed by low limestone hills with outcrops, ledges, and deep gorges. The howling rumble and boom of onrushing waves banging against the steep walls sends a primal shiver down my spine. My spell is broken by a great whirring sound; and lo and behold- there springs up from a deep ravine a giant tomato red dragonfly. The helicopter with fully transparent cabin then swoops and plunges gracefully passing over projecting limestone stacks surrounded by tempestuous southern sea.

 

I have reached the world famous Twelve Apostles. Within the next hour I find myself in this exquisite machine making tremendous racket. The pilot asks me to wear the noise cancelling headphones dangling from my comfortable seat. The roar and din are now replaced by pleasant, gentle reassuring thrum. In the next few moments, we are hovering over the apostles being pummeled from all sides by mighty vengeful waves. The magnificent emerald ocean, ink blue skies, biscuit-colored cliffs, and silver foams all bring tears to my eyes. Euphoria and ecstasy blend into one seamless experience. ■