“Tasmania. From now on, you will be an easy access garden for me. Indeed, you are easily accessible: only a one-hour flight from Melbourne.” ― Vitali Vitaliev (journalist and writer)
At 640 pages, The Bumper Book of Vitali’s Travels is a weighty tome. It describes Vitali Vitaliev’s travels around the world. He visits a lot of places, including Tasmania!
He writes descriptively and poetically about our island in two short pieces titled ‘Tasmania’ and ‘Hobart’.
‘Tasmania’
In ‘Tasmania’, Vitali describes Hobart and its surrounding suburbs.
He explains that “Nostalgia for England seems to be felt all over Tasmania.” I agree with this. There are a lot of things in Tasmania that are modelled on (or at least reminiscent of) things in England.
Vitali also compares Tasmania to Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and America. I cannot agree or disagree with these comparisons because I have not been to these countries.
It is clear that Vitali did his research, because he sprinkles ‘Tasmania’ with anecdotes of the state’s history. I am a history buff, so I appreciated this.
Quotes from local newspapers, including the Mercury, are woven throughout ‘Tasmania’. Vitali does not offer any thoughts or opinions on them, so they are ultimately pointless.
‘Hobart’
‘Hobart’ should have been titled ‘Wrest Point Casino’. In the piece, Vitali describes how he spent a night at the waterfront entertainment complex.
He saw people smoking around the poker machines, which struck me as odd because indoor venues are smoke-free. While he did not say when he visited Wrest Point, I assume that it was before it became smoke-free. I think he should have mentioned when he visited in order to avoid confusion.
Conclusion
The Bumper Book of Vitali’s Travels is personal, informative, and well-written.
It will make great preparatory reading if you are a Tasmanian who is thinking about travelling the world.
The book even includes tips for aspiring travel writers!
It was released on 1 February this year.
About Vitali Vitaliev
Vitali Vitaliev was born in 1954 in Ukraine and became the Soviet Union’s first an investigative journalist.
He has published thirteen books and has contributed regularly to the Guardian, the European, the Daily Telegraph, the Australian, and several other publications.
He has also made a number television documentaries.
Technical information
The Bumper Book of Vitali’s Travels, Thrust Books 2021, 640pp, ISBN 1912741091.
