Australia Day Romance

This blog is all about romance, so when I agreed to be part of the Australia Day Book’d Out Blog Giveaway series, I needed to link the subject to romance. Sure, I could have written something unrelated to Australia Day OR just written on Australia Day without worrying about romance. I didn’t want to do either of those things.

Still, I had charged myself with a difficult task because what is romantic about Australia Day? Let’s see…

When I think of our national day I immediately think of food. We have some magnificent national dishes such as pavlova (I choose to believe it’s ours), the lamington, prawns and lamb on the BBQ, Anzac biscuits, pineapple on burgers, macadamias and damper. What could be more romantic than a man cooking a BBQ feast? Damper reminds us of the romantic days of the drover and the freedom of a life of moving cattle from one place to another on the back of a horse. Pavlova, pineapple and macadamias are all close to our hearts as national foods. Last of all, our own biscuit reminds us of the sacrifice of our young men for their country and the romanticism of a life given for others.

Who are our Aussie heroes? Hugh Jackman comes to mind and men and women alike have admired Hugh for his looks and myriad talents but many of us look for our heroes on the sporting field. Chief amongst sporting heroes this Australia Day is Mitch Johnson complete with his moustache, conquering the English on the cricket field. And the mo is so reminiscent of the cricket heroes who have gone before him: Lilley, Merv, Boon and the like. The romance of being a hero, of being admired by an entire country cannot be overlooked.

So many of us will reflect on our history this Australia Day and there is romance in the adventure of arriving in a foreign land and forging a new life. Our forefathers accomplished this and many new immigrants continue to discover the delights and challenges of modern Australia.

One of our classic films The Man from Snowy River was based on a poem by the same name, written by the great Banjo Patterson, and showcased the Aussie bush and country life. Our many successful rural romance authors use the same themes today.

Australia is a beautiful country full of romantic escapes from coastal scenes to desert landscapes and secluded rainforest hideaways. It is an ancient land which has its own prehistoric history and indigenous people. So much of this country can touch our hearts, get under our skin and stay with us wherever we travel. I’m from the Sunshine Coast and whenever I see one of the Glasshouse Mountains they engender a nostalgia that for me is akin to romance.

So, maybe I’m drawing a long bow on some of these but, being a fantasy writer, the long bow is a weapon I am familiar with and I choose to use it on this occasion.

Do you think there is romance in Australia Day? Leave a comment and the person with the most convincing argument for or against will win a paperback copy of my book Princess Avenger– entries restricted to Australian residents.  Entries close at midnight on January 28^th and the winner will be announced here on February 2^nd.

Please support the other writers involved in this Australia Day Book’d Out Giveaway Blog Hop for your chance to win more prizes and discover amazing authors.