Mr. Martin Julliard has been the Consul-General of France here in Sydney since 2022, building on a lifelong career with the French Government, and further strengthening the deep ties between our countries. He’ll be heading back to Paris soon, and so after celebrating his last Bastille Day here in Australia, and having already popped into Government House for his Farewell Courtesy Call with the Governor of New South Wales, there was one thing left to do in the service of international diplomacy – it was time for him to sit down with Irresistible Magazine so we could wish him bonne continuation!
We found out what he’s loved most about being in Australia for these last few years, and what he calls, “A sense of the depth in time.” He’s got some excellent tips as well for places to visit in France that you might not have heard of before.
E voilà- Profitez bien!
You’ve been here for 3 years now. Was Sydney somewhere you always hoped to come to, or was it a bit of a surprise to be posted here?
You do express some wishes for your next job, and then you have to explain why you’d be an asset for the postings you are applying for. After that, it’s every person for themselves. There are usually between 5 to 25 candidates. For Sydney, it was about 15. I was lucky, I might have a bit of blood on my hands! Sydney is definitely very important to us.
What attracted you to come here?
I wanted to work on consular issues, to contribute to direct service to the public and the French community- we help French residents and travellers when they need us. In my career in the diplomatic service, I’ve done a lot of work with the European Union, and in economic diplomacy. I’ve also worked on the Asia Pacific region, and our interests in Australia. So, the other part of my job which is to promote French business and culture was a good fit for me. I was very excited to come and discover the place for myself.
What kind of business are the big French multinationals involved with here?
All of our 50 most important internationally facing French companies are represented here in Australia. When you take public transport in Sydney, three chances out of four you will be moving thanks to a French company. The trams are French, some of the ferries and half the buses are operated by a French company. We’re working on the metro and the tunnels under the harbour.
So we’re actually quite French?
More than you think.
There’s loads of French people here as well, isn’t there?
In the consular registry, we have something like 27,000 French citizens in Australia. But we know that there is a lot more who haven’t made themselves known to us. We think it’s more like 80,000, and roughly 40% are in New South Wales. Plus, last year we had about 25,000 people arriving on a working holiday visa. We constantly discover pockets of French citizens all over the place.
Do you find yourself going into a cafe sometimes and then realising everybody who works there is French?
The last six times I went to a restaurant, I ordered and was served in French.
And do you tell them who you are?
No, I don’t! But we have a good chat in French. The tradition of service is very strong in French culture, and of course food culture is paramount.
Do you sense that more French people are coming to Australia?
Australia has become more and more attractive to young people. We are not a migrating country. French communities abroad are quite small compared to Italian or Greek or Irish ones for example. We do not leave France! But it is becoming more common for young people to spend a year or two abroad before they enter professional life. Australia is very high on their wish list. Its an easy culture to adapt to.
Events like the Alliance Française French Film Festival are a real highlight on the Aussie French calendar- do you feel that reach out into the community?
The cultural side is a very interesting part of the job, although I sometimes have the impression that I’m just the one who provides the champagne.
100% you are! It’s a good way to make friends!
I’m lucky enough to be to be a part of many initiatives and to be associated with the activities of the cultural service at the embassy. Our cultural attaché is here in Sydney and we talk on a daily basis and organise many events together. I’ve made many friends, mainly from the french community, but a few great Aussie friends too! I’ve kept contacts from almost all my previous postings, and so I hope we stay in touch and have some nice lunches when we are all back in France!
How do you prepare to move to a new country?
I never read a book about the country before I arrive because I want to preserve the freshness of discovery. Once I start to get a grasp of things, I begin to read and to try to understand more. I had the same image and ideas – not to say clichés – about Australia as anybody, so it has been a really wonderful learning journey.
What have been some of your impressions of Australia?
At first, I had the impression that there was some kind of optical illusion to Australia. We see it as an island, or maybe a continent, which it is not. It’s an archipelago. You jump from island to island, by which I mean from city to city. Each of these cities has a very strong personality, a soul of its own, and they are very different from one another. It was fascinating to discover that. The country is full of beautiful, amazing places.
What are some of your favourite spots that you would encourage French tourists to visit?
Maybe two areas that will stay with me very strongly are Tasmania and northern Queensland. The coast north of Cairns, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, and the whole mountain region behind is amazing. The Daintree forest is magical.
What I found fascinating was the same feeling that I had there as I had in Uluru – another mesmerizing place : a sense of the depth in time. There’s an experience of how things have been for hundreds of thousands of years, and it’s absolutely fascinating.
Hobart is such a lovely city, with such a beautiful harbour. It has such a strong personality and they have that incredible museum Mona. I went along the east coast and up to the Freycinet Park- beautiful!
Another area which I really liked is the Southern coast of New South Wales. All the oyster farms and the beautiful bays.
Have you had any close encounters with our animals?
The closest I’ve been to a kangaroo was just north of Sydney, not far from Palm Beach. My wife and I were walking along a small harbour and a kangaroo was just waiting for us. We all stood staring at each other for 10 minutes. In Europe, any animal, would just flee. This kangaroo was happy just to hang out.
What about over in France. Where would you recommend for Australians to visit?
Okay, so I think most people will pass through Paris. If we talk about art, everyone will go to the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. The best collection of Monet’s work is in a little place near the Bois de Bologne called the Musée Marmottan. It’s the only place in the world where you can look at the paintings without having hundreds of people in between.
As well as Montmartre, there’s also the lesser-known Butte-aux-Cailles in the 13th arrondissement with a very similar charm.
And as well as Versailles, on the opposite side of the city there is the Vaux-le-Vicomte. It’s an incredible castle Nicolas Fouquet who was the Superintendent of Finances for Louis XIV. Eventually Louis XIV imprisoned Fouquet believing that his castle was a bit too good, and the architects and designers, and even the gardener, went on build Versailles.
What about further afield, outside of Paris?
What’s amazing about France is that in such a relatively small territory, certainly compared to Australia, you can find absolutely anything; food, wine, sports, mountains, beaches,
Take for instance the South West of France. There are great surfing beaches around Biarritz. The Pyrenees are incredibly beautiful for treks and skiing. The villages in the Ariège department are some of the most charming I have ever come across and the city of Foix is chocolate box perfect. Toulouse is not only one of the best rugby clubs in the world, but also a wonderful city, as is Carcassone. The whole area is full of chateaus, like the remains of the Cathar castles. The Cathars were a religious sect back in the 13th Century. You will also find the most incredible food in the world. The food is rich but the people who live here have some of the longest life expectancies in all of Europe!
The Île de Ré is beautiful, and there’s also Île d’Oléron a bit further south, also accessible from La Rochelle. It has a wonderful kind of end-of-the-world lighthouse- one of the first built in France and still in operation.
Great tips. Any more in that region?
The Loire Valley is always a great holiday for food, castles, and culture. Another incredible experience is the Canal de Bourgogne which takes you all through Burgundy which you can do by boat or by cycling.
Another favourite of mine are the landscapes around the city of Poitiers. Some of the most beautiful in all of France, as well as incredible Roman architecture! The local speciality goats’ cheese is the best in the world.
My grandparents had a house in a small village in the Vienne valley, between Poitiers and Châtelleraut. Everyone who lived there was making cheese, even if they just had a few goats in their garden.
You can also visit Selles-sur-Cher and Valençay for more great cheeses and charming markets in the shadows of the towns castles – like that of Talleyrand, lne of the most iconic diplomats France ever had, in Valençay.
What about the other sides of France? In the North?
I love the Lorraine region in the North- East. Metz and Nancy are wonderful cites; the countryside around here is very hilly and beautiful. And there’s Verdun will all its incredible history.
And then I really enjoy the whole stretch in the North- West from Cherbourg to Granville, Mont-Saint-Michel and Saint-Malo, wonderful seafood and no end of charming places to stay.
You travel for your job, and it sounds like you like travelling even when you’re not working. What does it men to you, do you think?
One of the best descriptions I ever found of this feeling you can have by wandering around quite haphazardly, not knowing exactly where you are going, is in the book A Sport and a Pastime, by James Salter. It’s about a romance, and the couple spend their time, mainly around Burgundy, travelling from village to village- meeting people, having their relationship- he really captured the magical part of travel for me.
