People in Australia

I think that as a tourist, you are treated a little differently wherever you travel. People who visit London often say how friendly and approachable the people there are; whereas the majority of people that have to suffer the place on a daily basis will swear that everyone they encounter are uniformly aggressive and self-absorbed. The fact that you are a stranger in someone else's country seems to open doors, and plays on some people's deep-down desires to help a fellow human being, spend time with someone from a different culture, and brighten someone's day just because you can.

This has been my experience of travelling, anyway. As a Briton in Scandinavia, a Western European in the Czech Republic, a European in Hong Kong, and even as an Englishman in Scotland! Most locals see short-comings in their fellow countrymen that just aren't visible to the passing tourist.

And so it was without surprise that I found the Australian people to be charming, helpful, friendly, and cheerful. But I wasn't prepared for just how approachable most of them can be. It took only a few days before we had noticed that there was a new degree to the kindness of strangers. Someone overhearing a question would come up and introduce themselves; help solve the problem – or grab other passers by on our behalf to help out; and then stick around for a friendly fifteen-minute chat! Others would remark as we walked past that they liked the hat one of us was wearing, or a tattoo we had, or a tree we were looking at – and that would be the opener to thirty-minutes of stories, advice, jokes, and directions. It's amazing the conversations that could be going unsaid because of an irrational fear of saying 'hello' to a stranger.

Another example of a totally unprecedented level of kindness would be a bus driver we encountered when travelling through the Blue Mountains. A few of us had intended on taking a walk through a nearby canyon when we had car troubles and were forced to use public transport. Without a clear idea of where the bus route was going to take us, we tentatively boarded the first bus that came along and asked if they went near The Grand Canyon. After a few minutes of general chat, the bus driver had established we were travellers and exactly which hike it was that we intended to try. He gave us all concession rates as there were a few of us (???), a timetable for the return bus, and then continued his drive. He got to the road we needed, indicated to us which way his next bus stop is (for the return trip) and then promptly went the other way – a mile in the wrong direction, just to drop us nearer our destination! Seeing him returning to his route; doing a three-point-turn on a dirt-track with a full-size bus packed with other customers, waving goodbye to us as he did so, was hardly a sight I could imagine if the bus and driver had been from Brixton or Southend!

Most of the people we meet in the backpackers' hostels are not Australians. Some are almost full with Korean and Japanese tourists; others are dominated by Germans; and some are a refreshing mix of many nationalities. Most of the time there is a feeling of kinship that comes with shared experience. Many horror stories sound all to familiar, but lots are encouraging as well. The fact of the mater is that nearly all travellers are friendly, and nearly all Australians are too. So when you're lucky enough to come across an Australian Traveller, you know you're in for a good time.