Regional Australia - the outdoor experience

Photo: White Water Rafting, Cairns

Outdoor life is central to Australian life in general and to the Regional Australia experience in particular. Our climate helps, as does access to space.

When we think of outdoor life, we think first of the bush including outdoor activities such as white water rafting. For most Australians outdoor life begins at home.

Many people in Australia and elsewhere think of the BBQ as something quintessentially Australia. In fact, the Australian obsession with the BBQ is quite new.

Back in the fifties, people went on picnics, packing thermos, food and a rug into the car and then finding a nice place to sit and eat while the children played. In those days, few Australians drank wine, so drinks were normally limited to tea for the adults, cordial for the kids.

According to Mark Thomson, it was the new migrants from Southern Europe who first really introduced Australians to the idea of outdoor eating. In the beginning, BBQs were sometimes called chop picnics, reflecting the importance of the picnic. Then from the sixties in particular the BBQ spread and spread as did the idea of outdoor eating in general. Beer and then wine were added to the mix.

Today Regional Australians have a wide range of BBQ options open to them. These begin with the home BBQ. Then most local councils provide BBQ sites - wood, gas and electricity - in parks, along creeks or other popular local spots in town. Further afield you will find BBQ facilities at at popular recreation spots around the district. The original chop has been replaced by a wide variety of food and drink.

Regional Australians are also actively involved in sport as watchers and players. Local facilities may not always be as good as those in the metro areas, although they can also be better, but they do have the supreme advantage of closeness. They are also an integral part of community life. This encourages involvement beyond school level in a way not seen in metro areas.

I grew up in Armidale. I haven't counted them all exactly, but this city of 25,000 people has at least the following, all within a six minute drive of each other:

• a netball complex with a dozen or so courts
• three cricket ovals as well as other cricket pitches (photo: boys from The Armidale School)
• four tennis clubs with multiple courts
• one public swimming pool plus two school/university indoor pools open to locals
• a soccer complex with a number of co-located fields
• a dozen or so Rugby fields
• a fully equipped gym open to locals as well as school gym facilities
• a hockey complex with multiple hockey fields
• an indoor bowls, cricket centre
• a bowling club
• an extremely attractive golf course
• race track

Smaller populations mean that some competitive team sports such as Rugby League, Rugby Union or Australian Rules can involve travel with competitions spread across regions. In these cases, games also become social events.

Photo: In the Rainforest, Gordon Smith

Because the country is so much closer, Regional Australians spend much more time there than do their city cousins.

Some choose to live on bigger, semi-rural blocks. Others prefer to bushwalk or camp. Some just to explore. In these smaller communities, townies are more likely to know country people, so that rural life itself is much more accessible and familiar. Many metro kids have never visited a farm or grazing property, have no experience with farm animals outside the Royal Agricultural Shows held in the capital cities.

In addition to these things, those living in Regional Australia also have access to all the tourist facilities and activities established to meet overseas and domestic tourism demand.

Because Regional Australia is so varied, the exact texture of the outdoor experience varies greatly from area to area, providing a menu of possible experiences to those considering relocation.