Timor Leste

For those of you not in the loop, Roland and I decided to have a weeks holiday in Timor Leste (East Timor) during these past school holidays. The first question just about everyone asks is 'why east timor?'. The answer, because people ask that question.

Popular Australia seems to know little or nothing about this tiny country. It has a population of only 1.1 million people at last count (but rapidly growing), and the largest city, Dili, has a population of 200,000. East Timor to most Australians is a place of violence, UN missions, shootings, and recently, a potential spot for Gillards unwanted asylum seekers.

Timor Leste was a Portugese colony until 1975. When the Portugese withdrawal finished, power was handed over to an independent Timorese government. But the government did not last long. After only months in power Indonesian troops took control of the country.

There are many who believe that Australia was the best placed nation to intervene, or put pressure on the Indonesians not to invade Timor, but against a powerful and populous Suharto Indonesia, I expect Australia was practically voiceless.

Australias record has been better since. We provided peacekeeping troops during the 1999 independence election, and the turmoil that followed, and for multiple uprisings since. The presence of Australian troops in the country is still obvious in Dili where they are mostly based.

Timor is a very poor nation, with a GDP per capita of only US $542 ($2,500 ppp for those of you who know what that means). Despite that, Australia is still trying to screw them out of oil royalties for the vast reserves in the Timor sea.


In 2006 Lonely Planets estimate was that 3 or 4 travellers were arriving in the country each day. Things were a bit more rocky in 2006 than 2010, but judging by the occupancy rate of the only real backpackers in town (no more than 13 whilst we were there) not much has changed. There is no beaten path in Timor!

So why Timor?
Nobody knows much about it
Nobody much goes there
Nobody much of those that do go there (mostly UN) actually see the 'real' country
And Australia has many important connections to the place

And our adventures prove all of the above!