The wildlife Down Under

Queensland is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts as well as tourists. Sarbjit Dhaliwal finds echoes of India in Australia

It was an extremely entertaining experience to watch the famed Indian Bengal tigers perform acrobatics in the Dreamworld Park, Queensland in Australia, which is visited by 1.5 million people every year. Australia and its people recognise India’s rich tradition and culture. Managers of the park have maintained the Indian identity of tigers by giving them Indian names such as Sultan, Kato, Mohan, Taj, Sita, Rama and Rakhan.

Ringmasters, who make them perform, repeatedly refer to India and Bengal, as the abode of the breed. They also talk about the threat to Indian tigers. Managers of Indian wildlife parks and zoos should visit Queensland to learn the art of caring for wildlife.

In Indian zoos, tigers, lions and their enclosures stink so obnoxiously that it becomes difficult to watch semi-starved animals there even for a while. In the Dreamworld Park, the Indian tigers are so well kept and well fed that one wants to linger on.

It is also a treat to watch Indian tigers in the Australia zoo, known as the world’s leading zoological destination and home of famed crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin. One is amused to come across a glaring presence of Indian cultural and religious symbols in the Australian zoo. Australians love their Koalas and Kangroos, both cute and gentle looking wild species.

There is a huge sculpture of Ganesha, near the elephant enclosure in the zoo. And then there is a gateway, that leads to the tigers’ enclosure, modelled on great Indian Ashoka pillars. The show of crocodile and birds are worth seeing in the zoo. The demise of Harriet, the world’s oldest (claimed to be 175-year-old) living giant land tortoise (the prized asset of the zoo) was disappointing. I had the opportunity to caress it only a few days before it breathed its last.

Queensland has emerged as the world’s most-frequented holiday destination. People from various parts of the world flock to this sunshine state. A substantial number of Indians make it to the cool climes of Queensland in June and July when most parts of India sizzle in a temperature hovering around 45`BA C. Its unique and irresistible beaches and waterfronts at Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast spread over to Noosa Heads from Caloundra and surfers’ paradise at Boulevard. Museums and galleries, rain forests, world’s largest golden sand islands, deserts, a green hinterlands dotted with wineries and citrus fruit orchards make Queensland a tourist attraction.

Queensland’s capital Brisbane, a truly modern and uncongested city, is located along a quietly flowing Brisbane river that meanders through the middle of it. From downtown Brisbane, there is Morten bay dotted with islands of silken golden sands and rainforests. Story bridge, one of the seven largest bridges in the world, is the key landmark of Brisbane city. It is 1072 m long and 74 m high from ground level. To climb the bridge is by itself a great adventure. One can have a panoramic view of Brisbane and its surroundings from it.

It was a treat to visit Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort on Morten Islands, where tourists feed dolphins in knee-deep sea water. As the sun starts sinking, dolphins swim to the shore near the resort. The trained staff organises the hand feeding. Each dolphin has been given a name and two of them — Rani and Nari — bear Indian names.

The resort, approachable on a motorised boat from Brisbane, is located along the migratory route of herds of about 6,000 humpback whales, who travel up and down the east coast of Australia from June to October. People turn in thousands at the resort’s whale spotting areas to watch whales. Para-sailing, bush-walking, sand tobogganing and watching wreckage of century-old-ships attracts visitors at the resort which also has Indians on its staff.

Catching of crabs and fish, feeding the long-beaked huge pelicans in the Tweed river near Gold Coast is another important feature of Queensland. Skipper of the motorised boat Jason Harris took us on a catch-a-crab and fishing mission.

Our effort was more rewarding than we expected. Japanese and Chinese on the boat enquired from us that whether we belonged to fishermen tribes when they saw us hooking one fish after the other from the river.

In the heart of Gold Coast, the Conrad Jupiters is a focal point of entertainment in Australia. Besides having a cluster of restaurants and a traditional English pub and bars, it has one of the largest theatres in Queensland. We had an opportunity to watch the dazzling live show Tempo Rogue. It was a mix of the Limpopo African acrobats, musical comedy, stunts, juggling of high voltage fireworks and human contortions.

It was a refreshing experience to see its lead singer Tony Lee Scott perform Indi-pop in the company of dazzling Latino dancers. Amid bhangra beats, he enthralled the audience with Tunak, tunak, tunak... originally sung by Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi. Indian temple scenes dominated the stage background. His supporting cast wore kurta-pyjama and khadi jackets. He belted a few Bollywood numbers also.

Undoubtedly, the tourism department of Queensland can impart a few lessons to the Indian Tourism Department that how one should promote tourism. Kerala and Rajasthan, which have a high tourism potential, should send their officials to Queensland for training.

Queensland has entered into partnership with its hospitality industry and Singapore Airlines to market its tourist spots. And the experiment has been highly successful. While increase in the number of tourists boosts the economy of Queensland, it gives more passengers to the airlines to fly to Brisbane.

A few years ago, travelling long distance to places like Australia by air was a boring and tiresome experience. It is not so any longer on Singapore Airlines. It provides a vast range of inflight entertainment which includes movies, TV programmes, interactive games, audio CDs, audio broadcast programmes and telephone facility.

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