What do you really know about Australia?

[RhombusHatesYou]

If anyone can guess I like Melbourne not as much as Wellington of course.

Melbourne lacks a road system that can double as a roller coaster.

Only 2 things freaked me out about Wellington:

How short most of the pake'ha were there and... well... I'm a plains boy, born and bred so all the hills and shit messed with my equalibrium.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

That's one fairly unique thing about Australia, we all sound pretty much the same all over the country.

Pfffft... East Coasters can't even manage "dark l's" and further north you go the more people speak through their noses at you.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Bloody hell that took a long time to write down.

And in all that you missed the world's first feature length film - The Story of the Kelly Gang(1906).

 

[Dags90]

Depends on the accent and the person listening. If you don't have the generic 'Mid-West tv presenter' accent or one of the milder New England accents most people will find your accent a bit grating.

NEVER attempt an Aussie accent in the presence of an Aussie. No one can do it right (with two exceptions) and rather than taking the 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' school of thought most Aussies will assume you're taking the piss and start to get a bit hostile.

Recon missions. You think invading Hollywodd was the entire plan?

I think my accent is pretty mild Northeastern. I've been mistaken for Philly by a native for the way I said "water". I'm awful at doing accents, I much prefer listening for them.

I hope the second part of the plan is as sexy as the first.

 

[Isaac The Grape]

Bloody hell that took a long time to write down.

And in all that you missed the world's first feature length film - The Story of the Kelly Gang(1906).

Wasn't that 1903?

Apologies, you are right. Now do the chicken dance to celebrate.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Now do the chicken dance to celebrate.

As a born and bred Croweater, I'm fair to restrained to do the chicken dance.

I will instead do the traditional Northern Suburbs celebration by racially abusing someone then bottling them when they've turned away.

 

[DalekJaas]

The wiggles come from Aus, don't think that has been mentioned yet.

Great country to live in, sure it is bloody hot and everything is poisonous... But I still would not live anywhere else. I don't think you would find a more laid back nation anywhere

 

[OutlawMystic]

Back to Topic


We are also home to these funny buggers:

Pure win.

You can learn about our comedy from these guys (just don't pay too much attention to the dogs song).

We also like "shit-stirring" anything and everything - kind of like mocking/teasing.

Look up the "Chaser's war on everything" for a good example of this.

 

[Devious Boomer]

Living in Sydney is not good for the health as the people are too uptight, especially in the CBD. Then in the inner city areas like Newtown you have the hipsters. Go figure.

Australia seems to be friends with everyone due to its geographical placing (Australasia) and history in siding with the England and the States, as well as our links with certain parts of Asia. However, as a relatively young nation, Australia is still trying to find its identity. When asked about our 'classics', we've still yet to decide on one - the US have books like Huck Finn and the English have authors such as Lewish Carroll. When asked about national 'heroes', the US have the founding fathers, the English have Churchill and we have...a dead horse and a highwayman.

That said, Australia's a good, stable place to live and its people have a brilliant sense of humour. But beware the dropbears, tourists!

 

[thingymuwatsit]

Lolis aren't allowed and you all like wales . Thats pretty much all I know. Oh and spiders...evil spiders.

Our spiders put fictional spiders to shame.

 

[Ambi]

This is basically true but Queensland is reputedly stronger in accents than the rest... Maybe Northern Territory as well... and as a general rule the further in and isolated the stronger the accent.

Really? Compare a Julia Gillard accent (SA) to a Julian Assange accent (QLD). I've noticed more people south tend to have Julia Gillard type accents. I'm possibly a bit biased towards thinking the Gillard accent is stronger because I'm from Queensland. Maybe South Eastern cities (I'm from the Gold Coast) and larger cities in general have weaker accents.

There seem to be generational differences too. I've noticed that older people seem to have stronger accents while more younger people seem to have softened ones because of more influence from American and British TV and large numbers of New Zealanders and South Africans coming to live here.

I agree with the inland thing though. Accents and pronunciation seem to be influenced by occupation and personality. A manual laborer or person who's into sport is likely to speak differently to a prissy schoolgirl or soft spoken nerd. Even my brothers sound different to each other although they grew up in the same places. One got jobs in carpentry and mining and has a thicker accent while the other spends a lot of time gaming and on the internet and has more intellectual interests.

On another note, I wish everyone would stop referring to that idiotic cracked article. I'd rather avoid harassing kangaroos and stepping in spots where I could upsetting snakes and spiders than have to avoid being ripped open by bears, mountain lions, cougars, or whatever other sharp-toothed powerful animals you have wherever you are.

 

[thom_cat_]

I live in Melbourne and will tell anyone who says Steve Irwin is awesome that most of us hated him and were glad he went the way he did. Worst portrayal of Australia ever. His accent was also horrendous... now as for that "child" of his... it's not human.

 

[Nouw]

I live in New Zealand, does that count as cheating?
[sub]They overshadow us >.>[/sub]

 

[kypsilon]

All I know I learned from Crocodile Dundee...and that wonderful girl who came to visit Canada for the summer. What does that mean? I know nothing about Australia, other than there are venomous things there, and spiders big enough to ensure that I won't live there any time soon.

 

[Bazamm]

You have to beware the drop bears. They're like koalas, but much more deadly.

Amen to that brother.

We get a lotta crap about having dangerous animals and poisonous insects, but they really aren't THAT dangerous unless you do a Croc Hunter and try and wrestle em. Its been proven that more people die by pulling vending machines onto themselves than from Shark attacks. As long as you keep your head up and are on your toes in dangerous areas of the bush, you will be fine.

Fluffles, you sicken me. You hate the guy because he has a thick accent and this his kid is ugly? Steve Irwin represented Australia exactly the way it is; accepting, cheery, and friendly.

 

[theevilsanta]

1. The original natives are known as "Aborigines."
2. The British used it as the world's largest prison for a while.
3. It's home to some of the most awesome animals on earth (kangaroo, dingo, koala etc.).
4. The capitol is Canberra.
5. Sydney is the largest city and is home to the Sydney Opera House (go figure).
6. It was a part of the British Commonwealth until the mid-20th century.
7. Australian gaming regulations are more draconian than most other industrialized nations.
8. The government tends to lean more conservative than the United States.
9. There are some magnificent coral reefs off-shore.
10. A "bogan" means a stupid person.
11. There are several nonnative species that are major pests, such as cane toads.
12. The outback is a place you don't want to get lost in.
13. During the World Wars, Australian troops fought tenaciously and made great sacrifices.
14. Its people have a reputation for being friendly but direct.
15. I have distant relatives that live in Australia.

That's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

This.

Also, fascinating to me, is the evolution that occurred there. It actually makes me think that intelligent life on life-bearing planets is rather unlikely (sadly).

 

[Corkydog]

I've been there (I was young), so I know you guys have kangaroos in wildlife preserves and a big old outback that very much looks like the mojave desert, the Great Barrier reef is awesome, you have fairy penguins, which I think are pretty much the coolest things ever, you have something like the entire top ten deadliest snakes, there was an entirely too long movie about Huch Jackman, Aussie rules football uses a rounded off football type ball and is something like half rugby, half soccer, half football. Umm...I have distant relatives living in Melbourne, Sydney is the largest city, 'Rooburgers are real (didn't have one, can't comment on taste), Canberra or something like that is the capital...I think...I could be wrong, but I was young and I think that's what I was told...other than that, I know that the seasons are switched due to the whole southern hemisphere thing, so that in December, you have summer like weather, and August is chilly. There have been violent floods there recently, the ozone layer above you is pretty much shot, but most importantly I know that Australia played a vital role as an Ally in the world wars, taking on a beach at Normandy and staging several campaigns against Japan's rising sun empire.

 

[InfiniteSingularity]

I'm so bored with australia...we suck

 

[Shade184]

Augh. Reading this thread is torture. XD So much misinformation.

There is one thing you gotta worry about though. Drop bears. Those little bastards cause more deaths than all other wildlife-related deaths put together. Even worse than the swimming knives.