Why aren't you going to Australia?

The Land Down Under isn't the tourist hot spot it once was

Australia
(Image credit: (Eddie Safarik/Tourism Queensland via Getty Images))

It's been 30 years since the fondly remembered "Come and say G'day" campaign, in which a smiling Paul Hogan invited Americans to Australia and offered to "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you." Never mind that Aussies don't usually say "shrimp" (the word is "prawn"). Three months later, Australia went from No. 78 to No. 7 on a list of America's most desired holiday spots. Hogan further promoted his homeland with "Crocodile" Dundee (1986) and its sequels, which made him a Hollywood star and cemented Australia's position as a cool destination. Eventually, it was regularly No. 1 or No. 2 on America's "dream vacation" lists.

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Mark Juddery is a journalist and author based in Australia, who writes for Mental Floss, The Huffington Post, The Spectator and numerous other publications. His latest book, Best. Times. Ever. (Hardie Grant), published in Australia and the UK, explains why almost everything is better than it used to be.