A Dream Come True: Cynthia Clampitt's Waltzing Australia

Cynthia Clampitt had a dream and she wasn't living it. Instead she was slogging away at a corporate job while spending her free time devouring everything she could find on Australia, books, movies, and maps. Then one day this life-long writer decided to chuck it all. Soon she quit her job, sold her possessions, and bought a plane ticket. She was off to live her dream of exploring the continent down under.

Ms Clampitt spent six months in the cities, small towns, and wild places of Australia.  Her journey covered some 20,000 miles. And, happily for us, she recorded it all in the journal that became her wonderful book, Waltzing Australia.

Readers are invited to take the trip along with her. We see what she sees, meet the people she encounters, and by the end feel like we've not only gained a new understanding of the beauty of this nation continent, but also that we've gotten to know a new friend. We share in her frustrations and epiphanies as she pushes herself physically and emotionally on her wonderfully interesting and often grueling trip.

I particularly loved the passages about the flora and fauna of Australia.Whether she's wandering a city's botanical garden or trekking through the outback, Clampitt always notices the plants, birds, and other creatures she comes across. And, she must have spent a good deal of time finding out their names and habits, because she meticulously records it all in her book.

For example, here's she talking about Morton National Park in New South Wales:

 A narrow, winding  bush track led us into the dense eucalypt forest that crowns the cliffs around the tree-filled canyon. As we hiked between the gum and banksia trees, we saw fringed lilies, mountainn irises, bottlebrushes, pink mountian devils, and trigger plants. Birds filtted and perched everywhere. There were rosellas, wrens, finches, silver eyes, currawongs, and more.

Although there are no photos or illustrations in the book, readers can go to her website: WaltzingAustralia.com to see stunning photos of her trip (and to read more about Australia and her further travel adventures). You'll be glad you did.

Really. Here are a few samples:
                                 

Waltzing Australia weaves the story of one woman's journey to her true self with a treasure trove of the history, legends, and lore of  Australia. Clampitt never misses an opportunity to learn more about her beloved country. Whether she's talking to an Aboriginal woman, tasting "rugged" wines, learning about the pearl industry, or sharing the meaning Aussie expressions like"billy" or "mozzie,"   she is engaged and engaging. Her enthusiasm and delight turn subjects that others might find dull --like a visit to an old telegraph station or a disused jail--into a fascinating tidbits about a relatively unknown land.

If you have any interest at all in Australia you will love this book. And, if you are sitting on a dream watching the years go by, Cynthia Clampitt's Waltzing Australia just might inspire you to go for it too.

Comments

[Betsy Talbot]

What a great discovery! I love that she just picked up and moved...so many people resist the urge to actually do the thing they think about all the time.