WONDER DOWN UNDER無窮妙趣在澳洲

QUESTION: WHICH LAND is known as ‘ The Lucky Country’?

Answer: Australia. A lot of people, and almost all Australians, know that. Rather fewer know that it was a title of a 1964 book and that the author, Donald Horne, didn’t exactly mean it as a compliment. In inheriting a land of amazing natural resources and being necessarily distant from the world’s problems, Aussies inherited a winning hand. Horne just wasn’t sure the politicians deserved it. (Being rude about their politicians is also very much an Aussie birthright.)

Australia’s luck is holding – witness its record 26 unbroken years of economic growth. And while the native adults can find plenty to complain about (property prices! Politicians!) no Aussie would have chosen anywhere else to be born. That’s because when you ask which is the best country to grow up in, Australian kids really are the luckiest in the world.

You can see why in our cover feature on family-friendly Australia. And though much of the continent is hot, dry and uninhabitable, it’s amazing how much fun stuff they pack into the rest – like Tasmania’s Three Capes Track (above).

Whether it’s because of the endless empty beaches, the abundant (and not all venomous) wildlife, the weather, the sport or simply the fact that you’re too young to buy a house or listen to politicians – there’s no question the Aussie kid has it made. And the good news is, young and old, we can all visit, with or without our families, and have our fair share.

Mark Jones Editorial director 問題：哪個地方有「幸運之國」的稱號？

答案：澳洲。這個稱號，來自澳洲作家Donald Horne於1964年出版的一本書的書名，在澳洲幾乎無人不知；不過很少人知道，這個稱號其實並非讚譽。澳洲不但擁有豐富的天然資源，而且偏處地球一隅，與世界各地的紛擾與問題保持一定的距離，澳洲人可說是得天獨厚。而Horne則認為政客能在這塊福地從政，實屬幸運。(對政客無禮，是澳洲人的天賦權利。）

澳洲可說鴻運當頭，連續26年錄得經濟增長。雖然本地的成年人滿腹牢騷，抱怨物業價格不斷上漲，對政客的表現不滿，然而人人都樂於生而為澳洲人。原因很簡單，當你問哪個國家最適合兒童成長時，就會發現澳洲的小孩子確是世上最幸運的人。

因此，今期的封面故事就以澳洲親子遊為主題。澳洲大部分地方都是炎熱和乾燥的大陸，不適宜人類居住，可是在剩下來適合人類居住的土地上，有趣的事物俯拾皆是，例如塔斯曼尼亞的三角海路線（上圖）。

無論是一望無際的空曠沙灘、種類繁多的野生動植物（並非全部都是有毒的）、良好的天氣、精采刺激的運動項目，還是只因你年紀還小，未能置業或聆聽政客的長篇大論，毫無疑問澳洲小孩的童年都是精采的。然而即使你並非在澳洲長大，不管你是年輕人還是長者，是否與家人同行，同樣都能在這個地方找到無窮的樂趣。 Mark Jones編輯總監