As my upcoming AUSTRALIA trip draws nearer (I leave Aug. 28), I have stepped up my background reading of the land DOWN UNDER. This morning, I came upon this memorable passage by British-Canadian travel writer Ronald Wright, about the role alcohol plays in Australia:
"You cannot enjoy Australia without enjoying pubs. Australia drinks more alcohol per capita than any other English-speaking nation. In Sydney, I'd drunk at the Hero of Waterloo, which claims to be the oldest pub in the land. I was persuaded when I saw the cellar: a dungeon complete with iron shackles, where sturdy lads who got too pissed were held for sale to navy press gangs. To sit in the Hero's 19th-century drinking chairs -- like pews with arms -- was to understand the sacramental role of alcohol in Australia. It would be a formidable task to work out how many gallons of beer and rum, on that very spot, have been poured down the gizzard of Oz."
I'm certain my sister INGER and I will sink a schooner or two in the HERO OF WATERLOO -- the pub is located on Lower Fort Street in Millers Point, The Rocks, not far from our hotel.
I'll steer clear of the "dungeon," mind you.
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