G’DAY, MIRIAM!
MIRIAM MARGOLYES hits the road in search of the Australian dream
YOU FIRST VISITED AUSTRALIA IN 1980. DID IT LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
When I arrived, it was intoxicating and I was utterly bewitched and seduced by this wonderful country. It is incredibly beautiful, has fantastic weather and, because of the diversity of the people who live here, there is a richness of culture and food.
WHAT DID YOU SET OUT TO ACHIEVE ON YOUR ROAD TRIP?
I wanted to get to know the places of Australia that I didn’t know, and the people outside the showbiz bubble.
HOW DID YOU FIND DRIVING A BIG MOTORHOME?
It was scary at first, as I drive a little Ford Fiesta in England. But I insisted that I had a toilet on board, and that made it necessary to have a larger vehicle.
YOU MEET INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS ALONG THE WAY. WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER ABOUT THEM?
That they have a fantastic culture that outdates ours by thousands of years, so for us to be looking down on them is just rubbish. Their treatment in Australia is a big stain on that lovely country.
DID YOU FIND AUSTRALIA A MACHO CULTURE?
I thought I might meet a lot of the negative aspects of masculinity. But I liked the men I met, and they are becoming more thoughtful, realising the strength, power and usefulness of women, and respecting them more.
WHAT ARE THE BEST AND WORST THINGS ABOUT LIFE IN AUSTRALIA?
There’s a free and easy, ‘no worries’ approach to life, and they are the most hospitable, friendly people. I think the worst thing is the modern domestic architecture. I visited Surfers Paradise along the Gold Coast which is horribly over-developed. It is catastrophic, visual vandalism.
WHEN THE SERIES WAS SHOWN IN AUSTRALIA, IS IT TRUE YOU WERE CALLED A WHINGEING POM BECAUSE OF YOUR OUTSPOKEN COMMENTS?
Yes, I was. But that’s because the negative things in the show were picked out and made a lot of, that’s how newspapers operate. However, I don’t regret it, and I meant what I said.