Australia needs more travellers like Joely and Mark

Insta-critics have slammed Joely King and Mark Firkin, the bloggers jailed in Iran, for even setting foot in the country — but Australia could do with more travellers like them, argues David Mills.

The trolls and insta-critics have come for the Aussie bloggers Joely King and Mark Firkin since last week’s revelation that they had been detained in a Tehran prison for flying a drone near a military zone in early July.

While some have expressed support for the couple on their Instagram account and YouTube channel, others have shown all the sympathy of a firing squad, denouncing them as idiots, and much, much worse.

“Serves you guys right to rot in jail. The entire world knows you don’t go to an Islamic State it’s too dangerous you have zero rights,” posted one.

“How it is going in Iran you liberal folks? Enjoying those landscapes in JAIL? Well I hope so because you will rot there 30 years,” another gloated.

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Clearly, Ms King and Mr Firkin made a shocking error of judgment in believing that the drone they had used freely throughout southeastern and Central Asia could fly without fuss in the edgy, febrile republic of Iran.

Joely King and Mark Firkin, the Aussie blogging couple detained in Tehran. Picture: AAP Image/Supplied

Whether this was naivety on their part, or a blithe manifestation of rich western privilege, it was simply a mistake.

Others have questioned why the couple decided to venture into Iran in the first place, as if that was an unthinkable concept.

But the reality is Australians do travel there, even now, and not just Australians of Iranian descent, either. The website for Melbourne-based Iranian travel specialists Mystic Tours features many testimonials from Australian holiday-makers who report nothing but happy experiences, welcoming locals and safe travels. (One can only assume they weren’t flying drones during their visit, or infringing strictly enforced rules regarding dress, deportment, and the consumption of alcohol.)

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Aussies are great travellers. ABS data shows that we took 11.2 million trips overseas in the 2018-2019 financial year, a record figure that was more than double that of ten years ago. And the website World Atlas shows that we rank number nine in a global list of countries whose people travel the most. (Finland comes in first.)

Joely King posted this image on May from Jodhpur, India, saying: “As we walked around the beautiful city of Jodhpur this lovely gentleman approached me for a chat. He was a pleasant change from the millions of selfies I’ve been asked to be in, as he instead asked me to take a photo of him with my camera, then gave me his postal address and asked if I could please post him a copy when I can.” Supplied: Instagram

But Australians are not always great travellers in terms of how we act when we’re visiting another country.

Too often, we see reports of Aussie tourists behaving badly overseas: getting drunk and fighting, going on violent rampages, or stripping down to their speedos en masse in public, chanting Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi and thinking it’s cute. (Remember the Budgie Nine?)

Nine young Australian men, dubbed the ‘Budgie Nine’ were arrested at the Kuala Lumpur Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2016 after they stripped down to their Malaysian-flag speedos and drank alcohol from their shoes. Source: Network TEN

From looking at Ms King and Mr Firkin’s online content, it’s clear that they aren’t those sorts of people.

In fact, in many ways, they seem to exemplify the best Australian traits.

They are optimistic, resourceful and respectful of local traditions, full of gentle good humour and genuine delight at the places they are exploring, which go way beyond the usual tourist track.

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I’ve had the good fortune to be able to travel a bit overseas (not nearly enough), and I have met fellow Aussies overseas who have made me proud of my country. I have also seen Aussies who have made me feel ashamed with their appalling behaviour.

Joely King and Mark Firkin made a terrible mistake in Iran, but they seem to me the sort of travellers who represent a lot of what is great about Australians.

They’re good ambassadors. They deserve our support.

David Mills is a journalist with News Corp

@DavidMills1972

Originally published as Australia needs more travellers like Joely and Mark