In Australia, we run, swim, surf (obviously!), ride bikes, and even play rugby underwater, as evidenced by one of the amusing sequences of this new issue of Echappées belles, in which host Sophie Jouvelard follows the Prince down the highway, numbered A1, or At least part of this amazing route that runs along the Pacific Ocean from Sydney (pop. 5.1 million) to its great southern rival, Melbourne (pop. 4.9 million). So we do a lot of sport… In the morning, when the sun is no longer shining, we can see, on all the beaches of Sydney and the surrounding area, like Bondi, the silhouettes of those who do not hesitate to dive into the ocean to move and crawl quickly, though The confirmed presence of a few sharks is – fortunately – not very aggressive. As a Ukrainian refugee student in Sydney explains, sport is one of the best ways to integrate. This is how this swimmer, a long-distance specialist in her country, became a member of the underwater rugby team, a type of water polo in which rough contact is allowed.
An original ritual on a sandy bank
Host, she let herself a little sweat by climbing to the top of Harbor Bridge (134 metres), as 200,000 visitors do each year. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful views of the city and the bay that surrounds it. A few hundred kilometers away, to the south, with Jacob Morey, an Aboriginal, Sophie made a date on a sandbar in Jervis Bay. A place where there are traces of settlement dating back more than 20,000 years ago, it is known by the natives as Booderee (Bay of Abundance). His arms, legs, and face covered in gray mud, Jacob, also a dancer and singer, leads a ceremony with his young family members, supposed to allow him to stay in touch with the earth and nature and perpetuate his traditions. its people, who now account for only 3% of the total population of Australia, or 760,000 individuals.
Furthermore, as she approaches Melbourne, Sophie is joined on the road by Noémie Seck, a French woman who has fallen in love with the country and now works there as an environmental consultant. An odd job of observing the fauna and flora to give recommendations, in order to ensure the protection of the species. As the show reminds us, this entire part of Australia was devastated in 2019 by massive fires, the equivalent of an area as large as Belgium! But, four years later, the plants are really making a comeback, especially in Biwa National Park. Near Wilsons Promontory, where Noémie and Sophie have taken up bivouac, mounting the camera on a small path reveals, early in the morning, its share of surprises in the images. The wombat, this marsupial that has the peculiarity of making square litters, pointed its nose, as well as an animal close to the hedgehog, called the echidna, not forgetting the smaller cousins of the kangaroos, the wallabies.
Nice Escape, Saturday April 27th at 9pm at France 5
Frederick Rabelli
“Travel aficionado. Incurable bacon specialist. Tv evangelist. Wannabe internet enthusiast. Typical creator.”