Waltzing Matilda

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I started working for the Times’ Australian bureau in 2020, writing stories from my kitchen table – my makeshift office in a lockdown Melbourne.

The theme running through many of the stories I worked on in those early days – days that have now all blurred together in my mind in a haze of pandemic monotony – was how Australians had decided they were willing to make individual sacrifices. freedoms for the collective good, keeping the national pandemic death rate far lower than that of countries like the United States.

Of course, the second half of Australia’s pandemic response was marred by issues such as the lackluster vaccine rollout, and confusion and concern as the country transitioned to “living with the virus.”

But when I look back on the three years I’ve been reporting on Australia for The Times, one of the things that stands out to me is the willingness to follow the rules to keep everyone safe during Melbourne’s 262 total days of lockdown . .

My time at the Australian bureau is coming to an end – I’ll soon be moving to Seoul to join The Times breaking news center – and I’ve been thinking about a job that will allow me to see and write about the best things. and the worst of Australia, and all the weird, wacky and amazing stories in between.

Among other things, I learned the value of a view of the water in Sydney’s wealthy northern suburbs and the lengths anyone would go to get there; how Northern Territory residents view the rest of the country something of a nanny state; and how a dinosaur tree in the outback of Australia rewrites our past.

Some of my favorite stories gave me a glimpse into how people see and understand the world. How do locals understand a series of disappearances in the high country of Victoria? Why do residents choose to stay in a city where every breath can carry deadly asbestos particles?

Working on these stories has made me really appreciate the country’s vast, wild landscapes; The infinite friendliness of Australians, even if sometimes accompanied by a little reservation when talking to a journalist; the fact that there is at least one (usually more) excellent pie shop in every country town; and our ability not to take ourselves too seriously.

There are also issues that Australia struggles with, such as the unresolved relationship with the hundreds of indigenous tribes who first occupied the continent, and how that manifests itself: in the struggle between ancient heritage and industryin the debate race-based laws on things like alcohol bans and, most recently, in the Voting referendum.

And there are the uncertainties. Reporting on the numerous floods that have hit Australia in recent years, I have witnessed the incredible resilience of residents whose homes were damaged again and again – and also spoke to those concerned about how long such resilience would last as the continent is ravaged by increasingly climate-driven extreme weather events. As we head into what authorities say will be our first horror fire season since Black Summer, everyone I’ve interviewed has said we’re better prepared – but wondered if that would be enough.

It was an incredible privilege to meet people from all walks of life and visit the remote corners of this vast country. Having grown up here, I thought I had Australia sort of figured out. It turns out I had barely scratched the surface.

It was a ridiculously fun ride. Thank you dear readers, for following, no, waltz along.

And now the stories of the week: