So, Yesterday Was Australia Day Downunder ...
By bernieh
26 comments
We do love our Australia Day here. It means it’s time for a long weekend, usually spent with friends and family, relaxing around the barbie. We eat a lot of seafood, snags and lamingtons on Australia Day, just because it’s more or less mandatory.
It’s the height of summer, so many people head to the beach where they can fry until a bright shade of red. Others, like myself, prefer to spend the day indoors in the air-con, with the occasional stroll outdoors just to check and see if there are rain clouds on the horizon. (They were!!!)
Anyway, I thought I’d share this fabulous list that I found on some site or other. I think it’s just about right.
You know you’re Australian when…
1. You’re familiar with Neighbours, Home and Away, Playschool, Hi-5, The Wiggles, A Country Practice, Norman Gunston, Barry Humphries, Blue Heelers, Ray Martin, Bert Newton, Lisa McCune, Number 96, Molly Meldrum, Kerry O’Brien, and of course, Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch.
2. You know all the words for ‘Khe Sanh’, ‘Shuddupa Your Face’, or Gangajang’s ‘This is Australia’! Then there’s The Angels’ classic ‘Am I ever Gonna See Your Face Again’, many AC/DC tunes, the odd Rose Tattoo number and the happy-pop wonders of the HooDoo Gurus! .
3. You know that snow is a memorable and freakish occurrence. Sometimes it’s even fake, especially at Christmas time.
4. You know the difference between thongs and a G-string.
5. You know that “stubbies” are either short shorts or small beer bottles. You know a “bogan” is a person who’s not ‘with it’, a “hoon” is an idiot who likes fast cars, someone in trouble is in “strife” and you’re liable to burst out laughing whenever you hear of Americans “rooting” for something.
4. You know how to abbreviate every word, all of which usually end in -o: arvo, combo, garbo, kero, metho, milko, muso, rego, servo, smoko, speedo, righto etc.
5. You know that some people pronounce Australia like “Strayla” and that’s ok.
6. You know that there is a universal place called “Woop Woop” located in the middle of nowhere… no matter where you actually are.
7. You know that while we call our friends ‘mates’, we don’t use terms like ‘bewdy’ and ‘shrimp on the barbie’, contrary to popular belief.
8. You also know that kangaroos don’t live in most Aussie’s backyards, but we will happily pretend they do just to feel superior to people from foreign countries who think they do.
9. You’ve seen Gallipoli, Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, Picnic At Hanging Rock, Young Einstein, Muriel’s Wedding, The Castle, Strictly Ballroom, Babe, Priscilla, and maybe even Wolf Creek.
10. It makes you happy when a world famous Hollywood celebrity is actually Australian… Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrman, Olivia Newton-John, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Guy Pierce, Eric Bana, Toni Collette …
11. You know this word: Skippy.
12. You know that Sydney 2000 was one of our proudest moments in history. We rocked!
13. When you believe it makes sense for the $1 coin to be twice the size of the $2 coin.
14. You know you’re Aussie when the month comes after the day when writing the date.
15. We know that the metric system will always be better than anything inches, feet, pounds.
16. You drive on the left-hand side of the road.
17. If you’re a pedestrian and cars are stopped at a red light, you will fearlessly cross the street in front of them, and know you’re safe. ‘Hit and runs’ just aren’t cricket.
18. You know that New Zealanders are basically our naive country cousins, who have a weird fush-and-chups accent and, for some bizarre reason, think that they invented pavlova. They are to be pitied. They have no hope of gaining the upper hand in the endless sporting rivalry between our two nations.
19. You know that you can’t eat Fantales alone… Otherwise who will you play the ‘Who am I…’ game with when you’re reading the wrapper?
20. You know that Sydney should be the capital, because Canberra is a hole.
21. You know that Americans think we’re all Steve Irwin clones. And crikey, they couldn’t be more wrong.
22. You know that lawyers wear wigs and gowns. And we make it look good.
23. You have, at some point in your life, slept with Aeroguard on in the summer. Maybe even as perfume.
24. You feel obliged to spread salty black stuff that looks like congealed motor oil on bread… and actually grow to like it. You’ve also squeeze Vegemite through Vita Wheats to make little Vegemite worms.
25. You believe that democracy means the freedom to draw caricatures of good ol’ Tony Abbott and crew.
26. You have the ability to compress several words into one – ie ‘g’day’ and ‘d’reckn?’. This allows more space for profanities.
27. You’ve ever used the words – tops, ripper, sick, mad, rad, sweet – to mean good. And then you place ‘bloody’ in front of it when you REALLY mean it.
28. You know that the barbeque is a political arena; the person holding the tongs is always the boss and usually a man. He turns the steak … and the women do everything else.
29. You say ‘no worries’ quite often, whether you realise it or not.
30. You know what fairy bread tastes like, and you can’t imagine your childhood without it.
31. You know the first verse to the national anthem, but still not exactly sure what “girt” means. And you’re ok with that.
32. You’ve drank your tea/coffee/milo through a Tim Tam.
33. You know that backyard cricket is a nice way to bond with family and the rubbish bin. And the ‘one bounce, one hand’ rule always applies.
34. You know that we are home to the just about all of the world’s deadliest of animals. That’s why if anybody messes with us we’ll get some funnel webs on their arses. (Oh yeah, you know that an ass is a donkey and a backside is an arse!)
35. You see people walking bare-foot on the footpath and don’t scorn…. because you’re doing it too. (Note: You don’t use a sidewalk, because it’s called a footpath.)
36. You know that in summer a seat belt buckle becomes a pretty good branding iron.
36. You know what Trop-Fest is, and it makes you happy.
37. Sausage rolls and meat pies. End of story.
38. You firmly believe that in the end, everything will be okay and have offered advice that included the words, “she’ll be right, mate”.
39. You have a story that somehow involves an excessive consumption of booze… but you can’t remember all the details.
40. If you’re a bloke, you own a Bond’s chesty, in several different colours. If you’re a bird, you probably have a tank top stashed somewhere in a drawer.
41. You’ve ordered a steak the size as your head and only paid $5 at your local RSL.
42. You know it’s ’Macca’s’ not ’McDonald’s’, and you know it’s OK to have beetroot on a burger.
43. You know how to slip, slop, slap like it’s nobody’s business.
44. You’ve heard the Prime Minister dismiss anyone who disagrees with him simply as ‘un-Australian’, and that’s enough to make us sit down and shut up.
45. You know that the value of a public holiday is measured in terms of alcohol. God bless the Queen and her 4-day birthday.
46. You refer to someone you like as “an old bastard”, but call someone you don’t like “a bit of a bastard”.
47. You know there’s no LBW in backyard cricket, and over the fence is out.
48. You know Drop Bears exist. Positively.
49. You know you that roo meat tastes pretty good, but not as good as barra, or a meat pie.
50.You know Australia IS the best bloody place on earth. Bar none.
Here’s a popular song for Australia Day:
I Am , You Are, We Are Australian
27 Jan, 2014
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Comments
I met my Oh's family in Sydney last year and had a fabulous time Bernieh, saving like mad to get back out there now :o)) xx
27 Jan, 2014
Thanks Scotkat. I hope you enjoyed the post.
27 Jan, 2014
You lucky thing, Annella. I love Sydney. I think it's our most beautiful city, although Perth is not all that far behind. I do so hope you can get back out here again in the near future.
27 Jan, 2014
I visited Sidney and Cairns and the Blue Mountains in 2000.
Happy Memories.
27 Jan, 2014
all i know about it is judith durham and the seekers, and that song =we are austrailian that makes me want to be an ausie
27 Jan, 2014
Love this blog,Bernieh..so funny,and it's made me laugh today :o)
My Grandson loves The Wiggles..I like watching them too..and it's five years since my daughter and her best friend were celebrating Australia Day in Coogee Bay..she just posted a photo on Facebook yesterday, to remind her :o)..you forgot about Thongs ! :o) totally different meaning here.. My nephew in Perth wears them all the time .Lol...thanks for this,it's great xx
27 Jan, 2014
Very intersting. Australia for Europeans is something like Mars. We do not know, you exist. No wars over there, no terrorist attacks, no red comunists in banks and government, no scandals. Just silent corner of a blue planet. Oh, no! Julian Assange is of yours origin. And Russel Crowe and tennis cups, too. And you have the most amazing fauna and flora in the world. Thank you, Australia for being what you are!
27 Jan, 2014
Great blog Bernieh bloody ripper! I hope you enjoyed your Australia day :o)
27 Jan, 2014
I'm quite definitely a Pom then! What are snags and lamingtons?
27 Jan, 2014
I don't know what snags are Sue,but Lamingtons are their speciality biscuits..only remembered from many years ago,when I used to watch 'Neighbours',an Australian soap, with my daughter on TV..they were always eating them :o)
28 Jan, 2014
Snoopy, yes Judith Durham and the Seekers are ours. They were still performing here just a couple of years ago, and still sounded absolutely fantastic.
The song I added the link for was co-written by one of the Seekers, Bruce Woodley, and was sung for the first time by the Seekers at their 25 year reunion tour back in 1993. It's now one of our most well-known songs.
28 Jan, 2014
Bloomer, yes you can blame us for the Wiggles. They are well known worldwide now. Of course the originals have all retired bar one. They delighted children with their songs for a very long time, so they deserve a break.
Coogee Bay is a lovely spot. A great place to celebrate out Australia Day.
Hey, I didn't forget thongs ... number 4. I've worn thongs with pride ever since I could walk. I wear them around the house all the time. You're not Aussie unless you have a couple of pair.
28 Jan, 2014
Katarina, I doubt we would make the news over in Europe all that often. Perhaps in England when we win the Ashes or the rugby.
Yes Julian does come from here. As a matter of fact, he is a Townsville boy as he was born here in Townsville, and he and his mother lived on Magnetic Island which is a short ferry ride across the bay from our city centre.
Technically Russell Crowe is a New Zealander as he was born over there, but he and his family moved to Australia when he was about 4. We do tend to claim him as our own though.
28 Jan, 2014
Neellan, so glad you enjoyed it. Yes we had a lovely quiet Australia Day. Slept in, had Eggs Benedict for breakfast, prawns and avocado for lunch, and good 'ole fish and chips for dinner. There were a few little sloshes of something alcoholic with dinner as well.
It was a pretty hot and humid day, so we didn't spend much time outside. There were lots of phone calls to our boys and our grandchildren, and other family members too.
28 Jan, 2014
Steragram, 'snags' are sausages and 'lamingtons' are a type of little cake. If you look at the top photo, you will see the lamingtons. They are a sponge cake, dipped in chocolate icing and then dipped in shredded coconut. It's an Aussie invention.
28 Jan, 2014
Yes, Bloomer you're right. We're always eating them. We can find all manner of excuses for enjoying their deliciousness!
28 Jan, 2014
oops,sorry Bernieh,I must have missed the Thongs bit..Don't know whether I prefer it to 'flip flops' as we call them..that could be construed in a different manner too..especially well endowed females ! Lol...and I was wrong with Lamingtons,not biscuits at all..but little cakes..the ones I saw a recipe for, mustn't have risen..but then again it wasn't an Australian one ! the original ones look much nicer ..have you got a recipe please? ..I might have a go at those ..
28 Jan, 2014
Yeah, I don't think I could call them flip-flops, Bloomer. Wrong picture forming in my head when I hear those words, lol!
Lamingtons are just lovely. Here's a tried and true recipe for them:
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
25g soft butter, chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) boiling water
3 cups (270g) desiccated coconut
CHOCOLATE ICING
4 2/3 cups (750g) icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
20g soft butter
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Grease and flour a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan, line base with baking paper.
2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light in colour. Gradually add the sugar; beat for about 8 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Mixture should form thick ribbons when the beaters are lifted.
3. Meanwhile, sift the flour and cornflour together three times. Combine butter and boiling water in a small heatproof bowl.
4. Transfer the egg mixture to a large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture; using a balloon whisk or a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour into the egg mixture, then fold in the butter mixture.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched lightly in the centre and comes away from side of pan. Turn cake onto a wire rack to cool.
Note: The cake is easier to handle if it is made a day ahead or refrigerated for several hours, before proceeding further.
6. Cut cake into 20 even pieces.
7. CHOCOLATE ICING: Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large heatproof bowl; add the butter and milk; stir over a medium saucepan of simmering water until icing is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Divide icing mixture into 2 small bowls.
8. Place coconut in a shallow bowl.
9. Using a large fork, dip each piece of cake briefly into icing until cake is coated in icing. Hold over bowl to drain off any excess.
Dip half the cake pieces in one bowl of icing and the other half in the second bowl of icing. (We have separated the icing into two bowls, as cake crumbs will thicken the icing and make it difficult to use.)
If the icing becomes too thick, stand it over hot water while dipping, or reheat gently with a little more milk. If necessary, strain the icing into a clean bowl.
10. Toss cake gently in coconut. Transfer cake to a wire rack; stand until set.
Suitable to freeze.
28 Jan, 2014
Thank you so much,Bernieh..and it's good that you can freeze them..if they last that long ! sounds a little messy,but well worth the effort..,I shall definitely have a go before too long..added it to my Favourites,for future reference :o)
29 Jan, 2014
Yeah it can be a little messy, especially the first time. I would recommend you leave the cake for a day or at least overnight before you start icing and rolling the cut pieces.
29 Jan, 2014
I will,Bernieh,and glad you mentioned to do that,as patience isn't always my strong point ..:o)
29 Jan, 2014
HAHA Bernieh - if you ask for thongs in a British shop you will get something very different from flip flops! I thought it was odd when you said you'd worn them from being a small child...
29 Jan, 2014
Yes, Steragram, we're used to wearing thongs on our feet. It's my preferred gardening footwear here in the tropics.
29 Jan, 2014
Bernie, I showed this to my daughter ... she toured around Australia after University ... made her smile ... now it is being read by a work colleague of hers who originates from Sydney ... think he feels homesick now!
30 Jan, 2014
Glad your daughter enjoyed the humour of it, Shirley. I'm sure her workmate from Sydney totally agrees with number 20! I hope the list has reminded him of lots of the good things about home.
31 Jan, 2014
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Brilliant bernieh
27 Jan, 2014