A (very) low-impact trip
By Tracy Sorensen
SYDNEY — Like to visit Asia but can't afford it? One fascinating trip available to Sydneysiders for the cost of a metropolitan train ride is to Cabramatta in the city's south-west.
While the mainstream media churn out horror stories of drug gangs and hold-ups, bustling, fascinating Cabramatta goes on regardless, trading furiously in the midst of recession. The scent of incense and tropical fruit, authentic cuisine (ask the waiter what's on offer; unless you read Vietnamese or Cantonese, you won't be able to understand the menu), and markets selling cheap vegetables and seafood are all there to be enjoyed.
Chinese New Year in late January attracts thousands of visitors to watch the dragon dancing and experience the carnival atmosphere in Cabravale Park.
Uruguayan photographer Jorge Gonzales, who has lived in the area for 15 years and watched the suburb's transformation into a dynamic magnet for Indo-Chinese migrants, is passionate about the place.
"Chinatown (near the Sydney CBD) is fabricated. This is the real thing, this is where people actually live. You can breathe it and see it."
The Cabramatta Tourist Association is working hard on ways to attract visitors to the area. Debate now rages about its plan to build a seven-metre high dragon on the Hume Highway to attract motorists up the Cabramatta Road turn-off.
Unfortunately the results of a telephone survey on the issue conducted by the Fairfield Advance show that the "no" case is motivated more by racism than aesthetic values. A Mr Decker from Cabramatta told the Advance: "It's racial discrimination against other nationalities", while Sandra, of nearby Canley Heights, declared: "Construction of a seven metre high kangaroo or koala is a much better idea".