On a late November in spring I’m sitting on a park bench in Townsville, an Australian city on the northeast coast of the state of Queensland, and scribbling words in a notebook.

I’ve chosen this spot for contemplation and composition because Townsville with 150,000 population can be compared to a typical mid-size Canadian city such at Kelowna or St. Catharines.

The thing I’m enjoying most on this warm, sunny morning is watching the people that populate the Pacific shore – the waterfront here has not been privatized: it is not a haven for industry, commerce and the wealthy. In Australia, wherever there is a river, lake, lagoon or ocean, the shore is preserved for public use. National parks are free of gates, toll booths, parking fees and other barricades. Government has not taken the land and sold it back to its people.

In Townsville a walkway of several kilometres fronts the ocean and separates the shoreline from the road. Hotels, shops and restaurants reside on the far side. It is a popular place for a morning stroll and half the town seems to be enjoying the fresh air. The majority are walkers and joggers. Interestingly, very few people are accompanied by pets as Australians seem to get along quite well without them, although there are doggie troughs below the many water fountains.

In the area surrounding this pedestrian thoroughfare there is a remarkable absence of graffiti, homeless people, druggies and nasty males with malevolence on their minds. In this city I can park my vehicle anywhere without thought of a break-in. At night anyone could wander without fear of bodily harm.

The local tourism rep, Nathan Campbell, says that a few ne’er-do-wells do exist in some parts of the city, but they keep away from the beaches and other public areas where they are not welcome. His explanation for the lack of spray paint on public edifices is simple: “There is generally no inclination to deface property and when it happens it is removed immediately.”

It’s extremely difficult to find negatives about Townsville where the average house sells for about $300,000. Like most of Australia it is clean, fresh, honest and modest. One could argue that the climate is too hot in summer in the same way that Canadian cities are too cold in the winter, but such things are relative.

In searching for negatives one could point out that the ocean is a dangerous place in the northern part of Down Under at this time of year. This morning no one swims although the air temperature is a humid 31 degrees and the water is 26. Signs warn of stinging jellyfish, sneaky crocodiles and hungry sharks. If those critters don’t get you the rip tides will: they swept away a prime minister. The ocean is not a playground in the north although the city installs large nets to secure spacious sections of the ocean for those who want to take a dip. A short boat ride takes divers and snorkelers to the Great Barrier Reef with islands of immunity from the aquatic enemy.   
We could learn a lot from a country that shares our British heritage and remains close to the mother country. We could learn an awful lot. First we must see it.

Australia has not been among the first 75 countries that I’ve visited because I viewed it as too hot, too dry and basically too much of a big ugly desert inhabited by venomous critters looking for a leg to bite. Suppositions, assumptions, expectations and preconceptions are nine-tenths of being misinformed. The east coast I visited has low mountains, rainforests, countless rivers, pristine lakes, The Reef, limpid lagoons, waterfalls – in fact everything that is cherished and revered by Canadians who love the outdoors. Toss in some wonderful wildlife and big city culture in Brisbane and Sydney and the picture is complete. That’s a country worth living in.

Recently I was looking at crime statistics to see if Australia is as honest a place as it appeared. When it comes to murder, theft, assault, rape and the whole two cojones of crime foisted on the world by males, Australia and Canada are very close. They are also close in terms of health care, lifestyle, economic well-being etc.

While I was there, a UN report listed the best countries in which to live and it went like this: Iceland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Ireland: four countries that are cold or wet and one that is hot and dry. So am I going to move to Australia? Well, I haven’t been there during a stifling summer, I haven’t experienced a cyclone or a monsoon and I haven’t been bit by a poisonous spider or stung by a lethal jellyfish. And I haven’t seen 90 percent of the southern continent.

I intend to return and have another look.