Now three months into my year abroad at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, I have found it impossible to ignore how much Australians talk about the vastness that is their country. From these conversations, a striking difference emerges in how we perceive distance in Scotland and the UK, and how they perceive distance in Australia. Especially amongst students, a key question arises—how far is “too far”?
Despite being such a fundamental concept, distance is often difficult to conceptualise, particularly at larger scales. To help paint the picture, I use the example of Perth, a shared place name describing two very different regions, one in Australia and one in Scotland. The distance between Perth, Scotland and Edinburgh is approximately 44 miles, or about an hour in the car. Down under, the distance between Perth (Australia) and Brisbane is approximately 2,700 miles, or a 50-hour drive.
One evening over dinner, a friend of mine recounted the seven hour drive from her home in Rockhampton to our university accommodation in Brisbane. “That’s not even bad, my friend had to drive 15 hours from Townsville to move here,” she reasoned.
As someone from the north of England, my £12 train home from Edinburgh only takes an hour and a half. I have been told many times by friends from further south that I am lucky, as they face a daunting four to five hours in the car, or are even forced to catch a flight for journeys that would take closer to eight. An eight hour drive is too far.
For my Scottish friends living in Fife, Aberdeen or Dundee, a trip home for the weekend would only take a couple of hours on the bus. Yet many are hesitant to make the journey. It is true that this drive is longer for those who live in the northern Highlands, but I think many UK-based students would agree that a 15-hour drive home would be almost incomprehensible. Living at different scales clearly influences an individual’s perception of distance, and how far they would consider ‘too far’ to travel.
Of course, there are many other factors at play as to why a student would opt to miss that weekend trip home. Whether it is fear of missing out on the Friday night pub trip to Pear Tree, or the extortionate price of an LNER train home for those heading back to England, perhaps distance is not the deciding factor in many students’ decision to stay in Edinburgh for the weekend.
However, I do think that many of us don’t take advantage of the travel opportunities we have within Scotland, the rest of the UK, and even further afield in Europe. For many Australians, travelling outside of the country is simply not possible due to a distance that is too far and a cost that is too high. Being situated in Scotland, we have so many places, cultures and experiences at our doorstep. Still, that weekend European city break is not always affordable, so my advice to you would be to use your Young Scot Card and make the most of free bus travel whilst you still have it, and to go and explore the beautiful country you’re living in.
“University of Queensland” by Sedination at English Wikipedia is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Related
How Far Is Too Far? Perceptions of Distance in Scotland and Australia
Now three months into my year abroad at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, I have found it impossible to ignore how much Australians talk about the vastness that is their country. From these conversations, a striking difference emerges in how we perceive distance in Scotland and the UK, and how they perceive distance in Australia. Especially amongst students, a key question arises—how far is “too far”?
Despite being such a fundamental concept, distance is often difficult to conceptualise, particularly at larger scales. To help paint the picture, I use the example of Perth, a shared place name describing two very different regions, one in Australia and one in Scotland. The distance between Perth, Scotland and Edinburgh is approximately 44 miles, or about an hour in the car. Down under, the distance between Perth (Australia) and Brisbane is approximately 2,700 miles, or a 50-hour drive.
One evening over dinner, a friend of mine recounted the seven hour drive from her home in Rockhampton to our university accommodation in Brisbane. “That’s not even bad, my friend had to drive 15 hours from Townsville to move here,” she reasoned.
As someone from the north of England, my £12 train home from Edinburgh only takes an hour and a half. I have been told many times by friends from further south that I am lucky, as they face a daunting four to five hours in the car, or are even forced to catch a flight for journeys that would take closer to eight. An eight hour drive is too far.
For my Scottish friends living in Fife, Aberdeen or Dundee, a trip home for the weekend would only take a couple of hours on the bus. Yet many are hesitant to make the journey. It is true that this drive is longer for those who live in the northern Highlands, but I think many UK-based students would agree that a 15-hour drive home would be almost incomprehensible. Living at different scales clearly influences an individual’s perception of distance, and how far they would consider ‘too far’ to travel.
Of course, there are many other factors at play as to why a student would opt to miss that weekend trip home. Whether it is fear of missing out on the Friday night pub trip to Pear Tree, or the extortionate price of an LNER train home for those heading back to England, perhaps distance is not the deciding factor in many students’ decision to stay in Edinburgh for the weekend.
However, I do think that many of us don’t take advantage of the travel opportunities we have within Scotland, the rest of the UK, and even further afield in Europe. For many Australians, travelling outside of the country is simply not possible due to a distance that is too far and a cost that is too high. Being situated in Scotland, we have so many places, cultures and experiences at our doorstep. Still, that weekend European city break is not always affordable, so my advice to you would be to use your Young Scot Card and make the most of free bus travel whilst you still have it, and to go and explore the beautiful country you’re living in.
“University of Queensland” by Sedination at English Wikipedia is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Share this:
Like this:
Related