Lindsay Brown (2)
Author of Lonely Planet : Australia
For other authors named Lindsay Brown, see the disambiguation page.
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- Works
- 3
- Members
- 698
- Popularity
- #36,254
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 69
- Languages
- 6
This first-timer had better not, however, be new to foreign travel, for the practical side of the journey is scanted. For example, electricity flummoxes many novices: Can I safely plug in my computer or my cell phone charger? Will I have to have a converter - or a transformer - and what's the difference between them? What sort of plug adapters do I need? Not knowing the answers can be nerve-wracking and, once in a while, disastrous. Here is the totality of this volume's advice: "Electricity: Three pin, 240 V AC, 50Hz".
The section on "Internet Access" is less terse but not much more helpful, particularly as it leaves the reader with the erroneous impression that Australia is a land of dial-up connections.
One of the traditional purposes of guidebooks is to recommend places to sleep and dine. For Discover Australia, that function has been reduced to a vestige: a dozen restaurants each in Sydney and Melbourne, seven in Brisbane, three in Perth. Hotel coverage is very slightly better.
As one expects from Lonely Planet, the text includes left-wing political commentary. Happily, the publisher's opinions are now isolated in a potted history of Australia rather than, as used to be the case, diffused throughout.
Discover Australia thus deserves a bifurcated rating: four or five stars for those who need only sightseeing suggestions, one or two if "Three pin, 240 V AC, 50Hz" means nothing to you.… (more)