In a sunburned country

by Bill Bryson

English language

Published May 2, 2001

ISBN:: 978-0-7679-0386-8

(57 reviews)

In a Sunburned Country is the 2000 travelogue book about Australia written by best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson. The title is taken from the famous Australian poem, "My Country". In other countries, including Britain, the book was titled Down Under.

In this book, Bill Bryson describes his travels by railway and car throughout Australia, his conversations with people in all walks of life about the history, geography, unusual plants and animals of the country, and his wry impressions of the life, culture and amenities (or lack thereof) in each locality.

In a style similar to his book A Walk in the Woods, Bryson's research enabled him to include many stories about Australia's 19th-century explorers and settlers who suffered extreme deprivations, as well as details about its natural resources, culture, and economy. His writings are intertwined with recurring humorous themes, notably, in the chapter Crossing Australia he makes constant …

30 editions

technicat reviewed In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

stretches feel like a complaining social media feed, but highly educational, and makes you want to visit Australia, except maybe avoid the water

3 stars

I enjoyed my first Bill Bryson book, whatever it was, and did't get far in the second as it seemed mean and snarky, making fun of Iowa and waitresses. He's from Iowa but perhaps two decades in England have rubbed off (a reference to a cleaner who was an "Oriental woman" sounds very British or very last century American. This book continues the snark tradition (and I'm getting the impression it is in the grand tradition of travel writing, as I recently found the same kind of serving staff ridicule in Travels with Charley by that Steinbeck who is otherwise the champion of the working class), feeling like a rather long yelp review complaining about the service of the establishment, in this case Australia. It is somewhat humorous, with a disproportonate number of gonad jokes, and highly educational (I'm setting the bar low, as I hardly know anything about Australia, the general American ignorance of being one of the points of the book), and depressing kudos for bringing up issues like the treatment of Aborigines and the astonishingly clearly named White Australia policy. Amusingly, ironically, the book ends with irritation at sportswriters, apparently even less respectable than travel writers, who spent the Sydney Olympics complaining about how they couldn't get a decent bagel or cup of coffee (sounds like they're all New Yorkers, and in fairness they make those same complaints everywhere else in the US). So in the end, notwithstanding vacuous hotel clerks and ridiculously toxic fauna, Bryson loves Australia.

martina.pugliese reviewed Down under by Bill Bryson

Review of 'Down under' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Bryson is always Bryson: his style is unmistakable, his prose is funny and full of self-deprecation, the look with which he sees the world is entertaining yet full of curiosity for the history and the specific features of a place. With this book you can learn a lot about Australia even if you have never been there: you will travel all corners of the land, you will meet a lot of people, you will drink a lot of beer and hear a lot about local fauna.

Anne Merrill reviewed Down under by Bill Bryson

Review of 'Down under' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I was reading Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" on our flight to Australia. The first afternoon we were there, I saw this book in a little neighborhood free library. He captures so much of what I noticed about Australians! It was nice to have his company on the trip, validating my observations.

periwinkleReads reviewed In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Review of 'In a sunburned country' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Another fun jaunt with Bill Bryson, with enough legitimate laugh aloud moments. I think this one was even more fun that the England book I read first. I read it based on a rec from a traveler and to prep for my own trip to Australia - definitely worthwhile!

Eduardo Santiago reviewed In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Review of 'In a Sunburned Country' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Delightful! Warm, gentle, funny, even informative. And even though the everything-in-Australia-can-kill-you motif seems overdone nowadays, Bryson makes it seem fresh. He also makes me feel eager to pay a visit down there.

Note about the audio CD: Bryson's voice is on the quiet side, with an odd and slightly stilted accent. A bit challenging to listen to in a car with the windows down, but probably ideal for listening to in a quiet spot at home.

James Cridland's reading reviewed Down under by Bill Bryson

Review of 'Down under' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

No. No, no no. No. This book isn't as good as previous Bryson books. His "Walk in the Woods" was where I think things started to go wrong... there's too much flannel and repetition, and too little of what makes Bryson great - instant characters and descriptions of the places that he goes to. It's even three journeys, not one, so it's not even as if it's a single journey. And he makes the cardinal sin of writing about himself as if he's an author... Shame. I'll think much harder about buying a new Bryson in future - at least, a travel book from him.