When people think of Australia they often think of the Steve Irwin, the Boomerang, Crocodile Dundee, Hugh Jackman, Koalas and Kangaroos.
My home country of Australia is so much more than this, however travelling the world and meeting people from all over the globe they are puzzled by my mysterious land from down under and its strange inhabitants. From our infamous convict heritage to our supposedly deadly wildlife, Australia has a unique cultural landscape.
That is why I wanted to share these 10 fun facts about Australia, to introduce all those hapless digital tourists to Australia's modern culture and country.
We have our own language
Throw on some thongs, grab a stubbie from the eskie and jump in your ute, fair dinkum we not only have our own lingo, but our own language! Australians are known for their quirky slang, while some of our dialect is blatant, a lot of it of it we don't even recognize as lingo, it has just become ingrained into our everyday. For example, an eskie is an ice box, a ute is a pickup truck, swimmers/bathers/togs are swimsuits, thongs are flip flops, fair dinkum means truthfully, and we often say, "how are you going?" instead of "how are you doing?"
We’re not criminals (well, not all of us)
Between 1788 – 1868 approximately 164,000 convicts were transported to Australian colonies. Before this an estimated 750,000 indigenous people resided in Australia. Today Australia is home to over 24 million people, so we can't all still be crooks!
Our country isn’t that deadly
Home to some of the most poisonous animals, from the infamous box jellyfish to the terrifying Eastern Brown Snake, Australia has a claim to fame for deadly critters. However, Australians do take some pleasure in playing up the dangerous image, reflected in the fact that there have been no spider deaths since 1979 and very few venom related deaths in the last 12 years.
Australians do not really drink Fosters
While you can find Fosters in Australia, it is a mission. Brewed in the UK this larger is the bizarrely known as the 'Aussie beer' – despite barely anyone drinking it. While this beer does have Australian origins, it is much more popular and readily available in the UK than in Oz.
We might be your mate, but be prepared to laugh at yourselves
GiphyAustralians are known as the most loyal ally to America and with 'mateship' being a central theme of Aussie culture, it is no surprise most Aussies embrace expats. But regardless of where you hail from, Aussies love to make fun or "take the piss out of" their mates. One example of this, is the case of the 'drop bear', a national practical joke, this fictional carnivorous bear is said to drop from trees and prey on tourists. Australia went as far as to publish an information page about this creature on the Australian National Geographic website to further con tourists.
We may put a prawn on the barbie, but never a shrimp
I have had countless arguments over this one! Originating from a tourism Australia ad featuring Paul Hogan, the slogan being "Put another shrimp on the barbie!" - which is just unrealistic. Australians refer to larger 'shrimps' that would be appropriate to BBQ as 'prawns'. In all honesty prawns aren't even that popular to BBQ, we prefer to BBQ the practical snags (sausages) rather than prawns.
It’s not all outback
I've spoken to numerous tourists who stepped off the plane expecting outback or at least outback within 20kilometers (13 miles) of the city. But truth be told our major airports are (not surprisingly) based in metropolitan areas – meaning your will be driving a fair while to get to anything even resembling the outback. Most expats are also surprised by the endless number of beautiful beaches that hug our shores.
A big drinking culture
Yes, everyone knows Aussies love their grog (alcohol), however many people are still surprised by how encompassing the Australian drinking culture is. But what can you expect from the nation that invented the cask wine. At one point our Prime Minister held the world record for the fastest drinking a yard of beer.
Embrace the belly
Picture the stereotypical Australian with their beach body and tanned washboard abs. Now, add a beer belly – in 2007 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published findings that 67.4% of Australians are overweight, ranking third out of major countries in the English speaking world, behind the USA and New Zealand.
Tapestry of people and culture
Australia is a multicultural and multiracial country with almost a quarter of citizens being born overseas. By total area Australia is ranked as the 6th largest country in the world and with over 200 languages spoken across this vast land it's no surprise it would have a diverse cultural landscape.
