My Aussie adventure!
Miriam Margolyes heads out on the road in search of the Australian dream
Australia’s ‘grey nomads’ are those who are over 55 and spend their twilight years touring the vast country in motorhomes. Following in their tyre tracks, Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes is off on her own Aussie road trip in a new three-part travelogue.
With an Australian partner, home and citizenship, Miriam considers herself ‘almost Australian’, but she was keen to learn more about the country where she spends so much time.
‘I wanted to get to know the places of Australia I didn’t already know, and to meet people outside the showbiz bubble,’ says the 79-year-old, who has a house in New South Wales.
On her two-month, 10,000km trip, Miriam meets everyone from farmers and Aboriginals to miners and koala conservationists as she finds out what it means to be Australian.
She admits driving her sizeable motorhome was a challenge.
‘It was scary, as I drive a little Ford Fiesta in England!’ she admits. ‘I insisted I had a toilet on board, and that made it necessary to have a larger one!’
Miriam learns that Aboriginal ‘elders’ are revered for their wisdom, but she says she’s no fan of getting older.
‘I don’t think it has anything to recommend it!’ she says. ‘Your world shrinks, and that’s the thing I’m really fed up about.’
With her 80th birthday coming up next year, do her retirement plans include joining the tribe of grey nomads?
‘I’m spoilt and I like my home comforts, so it doesn’t appeal!’ she smiles. ‘Also, I tend to feel that I don’t fit in. So I don’t mind if other people want a tribe, but I don’t follow the herd!’