Aussies are proud, able to laugh at ourselves and let's face it, we're among the friendliest nations you'll ever have the privilege of visiting. But sadly, there are far too many misconceptions about Australia. So as our great national celebrates the Australia Day long weekend, here is a friendly guide for non Aussies to clear up any confusion.
● We rarely use the word G'day. I've personally never used it or heard anyone else use it for that matter.
● Kangaroos don't roam our streets, nor do we all own one that we ride to and from work, the supermarket or casually taking our Kangaroo for a spin.
● A dingo isn't considered as adequate child minding.
● We don't throw shrimps on our barbies. Shrimps, otherwise known as midgets, don't tend to tenderise well.
● Not all of us enjoy beer.
● Lorde is from New Zealand.
● New Zealand isn't in Australia.
● Our Prime Minister makes Barack Obama look like the Old Spice model.
● I haven't met your distant cousin who moved here in 1985.
● Nor do I know either Hemsworth brother personally.
● We all however know Keith Urban, he often calls random citizens to invite us over to dinner.
● None of us really liked Tom Cruise when he was married to Nicole Kidman.
● You can keep Kylie Minogue, we already have one Minogue too many.
● Drop bears are real. They look like regular Koala's, often luring in tourists with their cute facade, then WHAM. Dead tourist.
● Vegemite is our national dish, we incorporate it into every meal.
I hope my guide to Australia has been helpful. Aussie's, feel free to comment and add your own customs and tips to help out our non Australian friends.
Have a question you've always wanted to ask about downunder? Simply comment below.
What do you mean? I ride my kangaroo around all the time? Ahahahahahahaha, loved this post! I'm a bit late but Happy Australia Day!
ReplyDeleteThe finance on a new Kangaroo was just too much for me and the old outdated models just aren't reliable anymore.
DeleteHappy Australia day Laura.
Oh I do love popping over to Keith's for some tucker...lol
ReplyDeleteanother tips is to draw out every sentence, make it sound like a question (even if it isn't) & of course put aye at the end. ;)
Yeah, I get what you mean Lace aye? Too funny. It also depends where you're from. People from Queenland and Western Australia seem more guilty of the aye tacked onto the end of sentences.
DeleteSay hello to Keith and the kids for me. Happy Australia day!
I hate beer! But I do know people who say G'day! Wouldn't it be nice to know the Hemsworth brothers personally ;)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly would be Rochelle.
DeleteI've tried to use G'day but it sounds so unnatural for me. Do you use it yourself? Another one is mate. It's not that everyone is our friend, it's just easier to use mate than to remember everyone's name.
No I don't use it myself. I think mate is used more by men, I hear men use it all the time.
DeleteSome of these disappoint me. I've always assumed you guys own a kangaroo or two that we can ride on when we visit. Tsk tsk. And those Hemsworth men? WHY don't you know them? C'mon, THOR!
ReplyDeleteI don't like beer, either, nor do I like Tom Cruise. He's weird.
They say vegemite tastes...awful?
Oh no Dre, you poor misinformed girl. Vegemite is delicious! We often smear it behind our ears, not only does it smell yummy, it keeps those vicious drop bears at bay.
DeleteTHIS IS BRILLIANT. And true. Dang about the Hemsworth brothers though. That's such a bummer. But I fully laughed when you're like NZ isn't in Australia. XD Yes. Oh yes. Buuut, I have to admit, my dad says "G'Day" all the time. I say it sometimes too, but usually I'm trying to say "hey" and I get tongue-tied and it sounds like "giiiidhey". Truth.
ReplyDeleteGiiiidhey might really catch on. You could totally turn an awkward situation into the founder of the latest cool word. Giiiidheyyyy, how you doin'.
DeleteTotally works. We should try it out for the week over the blogasphere and see if it catches on.
Oh, but kangaroos roam my streets! And I'm in a coastal town!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, but this is great. Such a realistic image of Australia. (;
You're one of the lucky ones. Our local street Kangaroos were all disposed of by Crocodiles who've moved into backyard pools in suburban Melbourne. People don't realise how hard we have it here. Just this morning, I had to fight off a drop bear while checking my post.
DeleteThanks for joining in on the fun Bree.
Haha (: I know Lorde is from New Zealand and I find it funny that people think it means she's from Australia. I don't really see her accent being the same thing or maybe it is really similar and people can't tell. I didn't realize saying G'day isn't a popular thing in Australia. My bad... One person must have said it to a tourist and people ignorantly thought that it was a common saying. But, do you call your friend's mates or do you just refer to them as being friends?
ReplyDeleteHey Adriana. You're right, our accents are completely different. To me, the New Zealand one sounds more South African than Australian.
DeleteMostly men seem to use the term mate. I'm sure they call each other mate more so because they can't remember anyone's names.
I personally enjoy my Vegemite smoothie for breakfast, followed by vegemite on crackers for tea time, with a vegemite and cheese scroll for lunch and then vegemite and avocado on toast for dinner and a vegemite self saucing pudding for dessert.
ReplyDeleteAnd the scars on my back that I have from those drop bears...man they rival the ones my pet crocodile gave me on the way to school once.
Also, Mattel called and asked if we could stop throwing seafood at her and her cool surfer boyfriend, Blaine. It upsets them. (I have legit never heard anyone call a barbeque a barbie outside of Better Homes and Gardens or someone doing a re-enactment of the movie that is apparently our Bible yet I have never seen. I do vaguely remember seeing parts of The Castle though. And a few weeks ago I saw the most of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I don't get why it's such a thing).