But wait, there's more?! Of course there is, and I'm happy to share.
Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano. Well that's fabulous, I need to go back there.
Melbourne has been ranked the world’s most liveable city for the past four years. I was born in Melbourne and it's where most of my family is, and I love love it. A lot of people have told me it is very similar to San Fran, but I have never been, so...
 |
| via |
The wine cask is an Australian invention. We call it goon. It's classy as shit. Oh and we invented the selfie.
 |
| via |
I know everyone is scared of the deadly shit we have at home, but don't fear (Kay!) there have been no deaths in Australia from a spider bite since 1979.
Though I am terrified of these guys.
 |
| via |
All of our toilets have 2 flushy things - half or full. I think you can guess which one to use for which, er, bowel movement. We are always saving water, peeps!
| via |
A truck is like a semi truck to us. A ute is what you all call a truck. What KC used to drive. We call it a ute because it's a utility truck. Also, a trunk is a boot and a hood is a bonnet.
We call pacifiers dummies and diapers nappies. A crib is a cot and a stroller is a pram.
 |
Oh and we call erasers rubbers. Awkward...
 |
We have Target. It is not the same. Don't be fooled. US Target wins hands down. However, our Kmart wins over your Kmart.
 |
I rejoiced the day I moved to the US because I could finally watch more than one video on youtube.
 |
Do you have bindis here? Besides the fact Steve Irwin named his daughter Bindi, they are these things in the grass and they hurt like a .. well, see below.
 |
I know it's hard to believe, but we actually really love having Christmas in the summertime. We still deck our houses out in the same christmas decorations as you, including snowmen so that's weird, but whatevs.
 |
| via |
Except we don't get to wear cool christmas jumpers, er, sweaters.
 |
| via |
A lot of the celebrities known for being Australian weren't in fact born there. So, you don't get to be Australian, sorry.
 |
| via |
We have weird names for places. Woolloomooloo. Also, Wagga Wagga which can be abbreviated to Wagga but Woy Woy can't be called Woy. Also, if you want to say something is far away, or in the middle of nowhere, you say 'woop woop'.
Light beer in Australia generally means less alcohol not less calories. We do have a low carb beer though.
 |
We have a public holiday for the queen's birthday that is not actually on her birthday. who cares, day off! oh wait, I'm in America. drat.
 |
| via |
I love my country, though I am kind of glad (sometimes) I am not there any more, thanks to this twat. I like Obama, that's cool if you don't, but I do. 2016 will be a big year, both countries might have a new leading party. So I guess depending on who Australia votes in and who America votes in, we might be moving. Jk, kinda.
 |
Hopefully this will assist you in your trivia crack playing.
First of all: Wtf, Tony Abbott???
ReplyDeleteI had initially planned to move to Melbourne but ended up in England instead. I still really want to visit -- it seems like a funky, cool city. Woolloomooloo, Wagga Wagga, woop woop, Woy Woy. Apparently Australia is the most fun place to talk ever.
You are definitely right about Target and K-Mart. I was so excited when I started driving because I could go to K-Mart its wayyy better than Target here.
ReplyDeleteI love these little bits of Australia info. woop woop is my favorite. I am not sure if you know the American version of the word twat? Either way it is kinda hilarious you used it.
ReplyDeleteWe have friends from England and they call pacifiers dummy's as well and it's totally stuck with me haha. I want to go to Australia so badly! It's only about an 8 hour flight from here! Now to figure out when we can get there!
ReplyDeletethere were kmarts there??? i feel so left out!! i didn't see one. i remember hungry jacks being like our burger king. and the trash cans saying refuse or something. i took a pic of that because i'm weird. ha!
ReplyDeleteI always love hearing more about the differences between Australia and the US! I had no clue about those toilet options, and Christmas in the summer does sound pretty fantastic (although it's hard for me to picture it without being all bundled up in scarves and gloves, haha).
ReplyDeleteSo fun!! I just read a book and the girl was American and married an Australian and they moved somewhere where she had to worry about magpies and it basically was the best chapter of the book lol! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston
ReplyDeleteHaha I love this! I miss not working with my Aussie co-worker and learning about all things Aussie but your posts like these make me happy again! :) Every time you post about Australia it makes me want to go SO bad... just not the flight. Can we develop a teleporter so we can skip that whole ridiculously long flight thing? That'd be awesome! Oh and I think we need to celebrate the president's birthday with a day off here! ;)
ReplyDelete<3, Pamela
Sequins & Sea Breezes
australia has cranked out some good eye-candy - hugh jackman, the hemsworth brothers, the main guy from vilkings and so many more so good on you, australia!!! :D
ReplyDeletetarget outside of the US suck so bad; i think they do it that way on purpose so you can shop there because duh, IT'S STILL TARGET, still give them money while raging at how much your target sucks and can't wait to shop at Target US. so they get your money in BOTH countries. smart motherfuckers.
Hahaha, so interesting!! Loved knowing about all these actually non-australians, lol! I want to go to Australia so bad!! I hope I can be able to keep up with their English though! It will be so funny!
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh so hard. I love reading about the differences between Australia and the US.
ReplyDeleteInventing the wine cask is noteworthy alone!!!
ReplyDeleteI did not know those people weren't born there. Hmph!
ReplyDeleteLOL @ rubbers/erasers.
HOLD THE SHOW!!! Did you not know that American light beer means less alcohol, too? The calories are in the alcohol. A light beer is usually 3-4ish % and a regular beer is 4-6ish % and IPA's are 5-9ish %, and IPA's have the highest calories.
ReplyDeleteThe rubber/eraser thing is hilarious.
Two flushy things….that's amazing! I always love learning more about you and where you are from.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I met you because I now read everything about Australia in your voice. Is that weird? Probably. But now I know the correct pronunciation of Aussie and Melbourne and can read them as such.
ReplyDeleteI had no clue all those celebs were Aussie impostors!
yay for learning something new on a Monday! I used to live in Denmark, and they called erasers rubbers there too!!
ReplyDeleteI love these posts and learning more about Australia. I plan on going ASAP Hopefully!
ReplyDeleteSo funny! We have a dual flush toilet so now I can tell people it's Australian! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know those people were not Australian but I did know that Rick Springfield is!
ReplyDeleteI love when you do these posts so when I eventually get to Australia, I won't be so confused. It's like a practical guidebook.
I think it's so funny how different English can be depending on where you live. What a confusing language! I would love to visit Melbourne. I follow a few blogs based out of there and it looks like an amazing city. Although if you gave me a goon I could probably be happy anywhere ;-)
ReplyDeleteYAY I knew some of these! Hahah I love when you talk about Australia so keep it coming. Also, what's the deal with magpies?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea that Rick Springfield was Australian!! I have always wanted to visit there but the plane ride scares me. Not fan of long plane rides.
ReplyDeleteWhy are magpies so scary?? What do they do? My step sister moved to Australia and one time we were in Costa Rick and she found a scorpion in her stuff and she was so clam and cool about it. I decided that Australians are all just serious bad-asses
ReplyDeleteWhaaat with the toilets haha. It's hard enough for people here to hold down the flusher long enough to make it "all" disappear (at work, anyways!). We couldn't handle your fancy potties. This was so funny to read and makes me love you and your Aussie homeland more (if only I can visit soon!!).
ReplyDeleteMagpies look so freaky! That rubber/eraser thing cracks me up! Also, I think Christmas in the summer sounds like fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI love these posts... I know nothing of this world :)
ReplyDeleteI think it would just freak me out to have Christmas in summer... I bet it was adjustment for you to have it in Winter.
YIPEE for being environmentally aware with a toilet! USA - making our world go to crap faster.
Interesting fact about the toilets...that is a good idea. We use a lot of similar language in Trinidad like pram, etc...Australia sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad that the Targets aren't the same, but at least they're there! And the 1/2 flush toilet is genius, I'm all about conservation :)
ReplyDeleteI do love posts like these, although I am going to get picky and say that Australians were only the first to *coin* the term "Selfie." I find it hard to believe that anyone other than a Kardashian invented the selfie. Hahaha! But props to Australians for the term. Aside from that, I'm shocked at all the so-called Aussie celebs who weren't even born there. That list contains like...every Aussie celeb I've ever known!! *Mind blown*
ReplyDeleteI really need to visit Australia one day! I love learning little bits about your country :) Magpies would scare the shit out of me because I already have an irrational fear of birds. I can't believe they weren't born there. Fakers!!!
ReplyDeleteHa. Hahaha. Hahahahahaaaa. Still laughing about the Tony Abbot hand dryer. So true. Also about goon. But I'm not laughing about the fact that you get a holiday for the Queen's birthday and we don't, and we're her actual country!? Outrageous!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great laugh, I loathe dual flush toilets. I'd love to live in Australia, hell I'd love to go to Australia, but the husband has an irrational fear of spiders, snakes and sharks. So he basically ruled out Australia.
ReplyDeleteHaha...how do you feel about Tony Abbott?? ;)
ReplyDeleteI do like how Aussie English is mix of British and American English...for instance, you say soccer like us, and boot like them. So I guess it can be said you guys have your own English!
I think a dummy is a perfect name for a pacifier. I'd hate Christmas being in the summer, because that would put my July birthday in winter, and I hate the cold.
ReplyDeleteLike.
ReplyDeleteWhen we replaced out toilet in the basement I wanted to get a dual flush, but they're pretty expensive.
Stupid swooping season.
I love these little tidbits! Good to know about the spiders! I always say I would love to visit Australia but the creepy crawlies keep me in the US. eek!
ReplyDeleteThose birds scare the shit out of me!
ReplyDeletethis makes me miss Oz so much!! Except for the magpies.
ReplyDeleteHaHa - I'm sure that at least one of these things will definitely come in handy in Trivia Crack!!
ReplyDeleteThat toilet button is genius - we should have something similar!!!
I love this. So funny & yet very educational ha.
ReplyDeleteHaha this is awesome and so TRUE!! I loved American Target and then I came home and was like "oh damn, Australian Target sucks". But Kmart is way more awesome here!
ReplyDeleteYou failed to mention that you also have a vehicle that you call a ute, but the US doesn't have anything like it except old school El Caminos that are manufactured anymore. Someone here once called that kind of ute their "truck", and I said that is NOT a truck. HA!
ReplyDeleteGardening this weekend, I found not one, not two, but three f*ckin' funnel webs that scurried out of the dirt towards me. My guy kept saying "don't worry...they aren't aggressive...you just disturbed their home". Excuse me...you need an anti-venom. They are scary, and no one can convince me otherwise!
fun post :)
HOLD ON I read a book based in Australia and every time they said "pram" I pictured some odd device they put their kids in. I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS A STROLLER
ReplyDeletefun post!i prefer the word pram for a stroller...it's cuter :) and i LOVE that you have christmas in the summertime. this year my christmas was in charleston for the first time and it was pretty fantastic NOT to be freezing! xo jillian - cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteWe have the two button thing for toilets too! Also I was looking into toilets there because I was told the water goes down anti-clockwise. I noticed nothing. And girllllll those spiders that kill with one bite. I heard about them soo much and saw none. The red belly one I think it is - never saw one!!! thank god! And PS. I love Aus Target.
ReplyDeleteAlso... next time I go (next year) I will be going to Melbourne. Ive seriously never heard a bad word about that place!
I really enjoy when you post about Australia! I like learning about the country through someone that's from there. It's only made me want to go there even more!
ReplyDeleteThe difference amazes me! Makes me want to visit but that's not really new. I can't believe Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman aren't actually Australian. What a rip-off!
ReplyDelete