Sprache:
Englisch
Seiten:
1 online resource (27 minutes)
,
002621
Schlagwort(e):
Aboriginal Australians.
;
Australians.
;
Ethnic relations.
;
Roads
;
Australia.
;
Canada
;
Documentary films.
Kurzfassung:
Australia, the Northern Territory. The Outback State. The Stuart Highway runs from Darwin in the North to Adelaide in the South, dividing the island into two. A lonely road without end. No change on the horizon for hundreds of miles. A merciless sun. Dust. Flies. And solitude. Everybody who feels lost and abandoned in the outback, recognizes the importance of the remote roadhouses that provide a specific variety of services to the weary traveler: fuel, repairs, food, accommodation and means of communication. They play an important central role in traffic safety and are an essential part of the tourist infrastructure. There are about 60 roadhouses in Australia. Most of them are remote with no community close by. No social life, no amusement, no distractions. Their own bar and restaurant are in fact the place to be! The rare tourist that stops is not only the main source of income, he is also a welcome diversion to the tedious life in the outback. They see a daily average of 150 cars pass by, but not all of them stop. So most of the time the staff is just waiting. Patiently. To attract travelers and encouraging them to stop, some roadhouses try to offer something different, something slightly out of the ordinary. From an UFO theme park to an all female staff in a place called Heartbreak Hotel. And yes, even Elvis was spotted somewhere. The Northern Territory is also Aboriginal country. Many communities are found off track. But most of them are restricted and inaccessible without permit. A lot of Roadhouses have art galleries which sell Aboriginal art. But that is as far as the flirting with the indigenous people goes. Most roadhouses don't even allow Aboriginals to hang around the premises. There is still a lot of prejudice and discrimination. And with the roadhouses being so remote in desolate areas far from 'civilization', these sentiments are often enlarged to extremes. To the point of being racist. But it must be said that this was also induced by the reprehensible and sometimes violent conduct of some Aboriginals who wander outside the communities. Most of them fell victim to substance abuse; they are staggering drunks or petrol-sniffers. The latter is such a huge problem that you will hardly find a gas station with standard fuel on Aboriginal territory. In most communities it has been replaced by Avgas or aviation fuel because its smell is not attractive to sniffers, or by Opal, a new mix of petrol created by the fuel company BP, which has no effect on sniffers. Almost all communities are also 'dry', meaning alcohol is prohibited. So some Aboriginals left their home communities in search of something to get high on, and end up at the roadhouses ... Who is to blame? Both the Australian and the Aboriginal communities point the finger at each other. The fact is, when you enter a roadhouse, you might encounter three entirely different groups of people without any interaction or mutual understanding: Aussies on one side, the Abo's on the other and in between them ... 'them tourists'. 'Gas Station' will confront them. With each other, with themselves, with the road with no end. The sun keeps on shining. And the flies will always be there ... But so will the roadhouses. No worries, mate, we will always be here.
Anmerkung:
Title from resource description page (viewed November 11, 2015).
,
In English.
URL:
http://www.aspresolver.com/aspresolver.asp?ANTH;2654986
URL:
https://fid-ska.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.aspresolver.com/aspresolver.asp?ANTH;2654986
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