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| Outback near Blinman, Flinders Ranges, South Australia |
As this FAAAABULOUS January 26 gets
under way, the ozone layer prepares itself for a high carbon emission
onslaught and the planet's remaining trees breathe a sigh of relief.
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| Aussie Flag at Anzac Hill, Alice Springs, Northern Territory |
It's Australia Day and almost
compulsory to have a barbecue and PROVE your Aussie pride with Aussie
flags on every conceivable product from toothpicks to tablecloths;
serviettes to stubby holders; picnic plates to paper cups.
For Aussies like me, there's a LOT of things
that make Australia so Australian. So I've chosen 26 of those special Aussie
things that top MY Australia Day Patriotic Aussie Pride list!
Australia Day!
Congratulations to
2014
Australians of the Year Adam Goodes (Australian of the Year);
Fred Chaney (Senior Australian); Jacqueline Freney (Young
Australian); and Tim Conolan (Australia's Hero); and a BIG welcome to
our newest citizens!
BIG Things!
Love 'em or LOATHE 'em,
for us Aussies it's quite normal to wander a landscape littered with
BIG
fruit, animals and other random objects!
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| The BIG Miner - Map Kernow, or Son of Cornwall - Kapunda, South Australia |
Country Towns!
Around 90% of
Australia's population live in urban areas. So I'm calling Country
Towns the next BIG Thing in Aussie tourism.
Where else can
you see the quirks, the oddities, the beauty and the colours of
Australia?
Dry!
Australia is the driest continent
on earth, and South Australia its driest state.
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| Eucalypts in River Bed |
Eucalyptus!
Most of the 700 species in
this genus are from Australia – and the only genus in the world
with species across ALL habitats – Eucalyptus
is a mini-masterclass in adaptation.
Even though down here we call
them Gum Trees!
Floral Emblem!
Golden
Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the famed Green and Gold that
represents Australia. Although each Australian
State and Territory has a unique floral emblem, not many
Australians can name them all! Can you? Test your knowledge HERE!
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| Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), Australia's Floral Emblem - Green and Gold! |
Gold!
Australia is home of the Welcome
Stranger, at 71+kg the world's biggest alluvial gold nugget
found at Moliagul near Bendigo in the Victorian Goldfields. It's
tempting to see if Son of the Welcome Stranger is lurking nearby,
right?!
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| Victorian Alps near Mt Hotham |
High Country!
At 2228 metres, Mt
Kosciuszko, highest mountain in OZ, isn't that high by, say,
Everest standards. But the OZ High Country around the New South Wales
Snowy Mountains and Victoria's Alps makes a HUGE change from the
Coastal fringe and Outback that usually characterises OZ!
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| Indigenous Rock Art, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, South Australia |
Indigenous Culture!
Australian
colonial history started just over 200 years ago. Australian
Indigenous
history goes back for over 50,000 years meaning Australian
Aborigines have occupied the same area continuously for longer than
any other culture in the world!!
Jump Up!
In a land so (mostly) flat,
sometimes the only feature for hundreds of kilometres is a small hill
called a Jump Up. My favourite is Swanvale
Jump-Up near Stonehenge … the Aussie version.
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| Kookaburra |
Kookaburra!
Nothing says 'Australian
Bush' like the sound of the Kookaburra
– largest Kingfisher species in the WORLD!
If you're unsure why
they were once called Laughing Jackass, click HERE
for a Kookaburra Sound Clip!
Lingo!
Understanding Fair
Dinkum Aussie Slang is the REAL citizenship test, as Google
translate is a FAIL for true Aussie lingo.
See how you go with
this Australia Day 'conversation':
'G'day mate, ayagorn?'
'Stone the crows, she's a hot one, mate! Chuck another coupla snags on the barbie and pass the dead horse, whaddayareckon, eh mate?'
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| Rolling on the Murray River at Mannum, South OZ, Australia Day 2014 |
'No worries, tinnies in the esky mate, go for your life!'
'Orright mate, cheers'
Translation below ...*
Murray River!
Australia's longest
river system, the Murray-Darling,
stretches from it's headwaters near Mt Kosciuszko to the sea at South
Australia's Goolwa.
National Parks!
Of Australia's 516
National Parks, my most visited is the Grampians
National Park in Victoria.
What's yours?
Outback!
The huge and otherwise
undefined 'middle' section of Australia, where there's WAY more than
the 'nothing much' of popular opinion. Don't believe me? Have a
look at my
Outback adventures!
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| Outback near Bedourie, Queensland |
Poets!
The ultimate accolade to
Australia's poets is Scenic
Public Toilet #8 at Gunnedah, NSW, home of Dorothea MacKellar
author of My
Country – a personal favourite.
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| Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton, Queensland |
Another is Clancy
of the Overflow by the extraordinarily prolific A. B.
Paterson. He also wrote Waltzing
Matilda – one of the 10 most recorded songs in the
world – the subject of the only museum in the world (the Waltzing
Matilda Centre in Winton, QLD) dedicated to a song!
Quirky!
You don't have to look very
hard to find something strange and bizarre downunder. Like a
singing, piano-playing dingo. Or a sign telling you exactly what the
locals think of the government. Or a gilded church steeple in the
middle of nowhere. Or the world's first ride-on lawnmower. Or a
Cane Toad Race! Or the World Moon-Rock Throwing Championships!
Haven't heard of these things before? They're ALL on my blog!!
RED!
Well, what did you expect for
'R'?? In my opinion, Australia's REDDEST place is Karijini
National Park, although you can find RED pretty much anywhere
in Australia – both the colour AND the blogger! Me!!
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| Dales Gorge, Karijini National Park, Western Australia |
Surf!
Yep, that's what we're known
for! And a whole lot of other Coast-related 'S' words as well …
like Swimming! Sun!! Sand!!! Sunsets!!!!
 |
| Hobart from Mt Wellington, Tasmaniz |
Tasmania!
Often forgotten as part of
Australia, the 'Apple Isle' is the second-largest island in the
Australia group. I've only been to Tasmania
once, an oversight I hope to rectify soon!
Uluru!
Australia's RED heart. Do I really need to give you a photo or link??
Vegemite!
Vegemite is an acquired taste ... but who knows
how much longer this Aussie icon will survive with the competition
from Aussie legend Dick Smith's OZEMITE? But whatever happens, the Vegemite
TV commercial from the 1950's is a classic!!
Whales! Stretches of Australia's
extensive coastline are perfect for whale-watching in the right
season. The Southern
Right Whale nursery in the Great Australian Bight is a good
place to start, but there's opportunities all around OZ … like this
whale offshore from WA's Quobba!
Xanthorrhoea!
A Xanthorrhoea
by any other name is Australia's most well known wildflower – the
Grass Tree, able to withstand bushfires and live for hundreds of
years!
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| Grass Trees at Victoria Valley, Grampians |
Young and Free!
From the first stanza
of Advance
Australia Fair, the Australian National Anthem –
'Australians all let us rejoice/for we are young and free' Nicely
ironic, considering the longevity of the Aboriginal race (see above)
… but I'd like to think I was young and free - however old I become!
Zoo!
Yeah … this is the lazy
person's Z-word. So sue me. Australia's Zoos are pretty good though
– Adelaide's Monarto Zoo, Dubbo's Great Western Plains Zoo and
Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo. But my all time favourite Zoo-like place
is the Alice
Springs Desert Park!
That's just some of what makes
Australia so Australian, and ME patriotic. But what have I missed??
What's YOUR favourite Australiana??
Want MORE?
Check out the rest of my Aussie
Alphabet HERE!
*Lingo Translation:
'Hi, how are you going?'
'Gosh it's hot! Can you put a couple
of sausages on the barbecue and pass the sauce? What do you think?'
'OK, help yourself to a can (of beer)
in the portable cold bin.'
'All right, thanks!'
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| Mt Sturgeon from Dunkeld Arboretum Lake, Grampians, Victoria |
Bonza blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bill, glad you like it!!! Drop in anytime!!
DeleteWhat a gorgeously patriotic Australia Day post. So many of my fave. places. What a pity I have missed out on the Gunnedah dunnies. Boulia and Badourie we saw when they were much drier and jeez, I missed out on Tassie's State flower although I have a whole plantation of them. If I had thought of a tree as a flower, I would have chosen the Leatherwood that has beautiful perfumed flowers that produce the most aromatic honey in the world. See, another 'greatest in the world'!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Arija! The trouble was narrowing it down for some of them ... the Gunnedah dunny was most refined - poetry recitations instead of piped music while one does ones business!! I like your 'greatest' Leatherwood claim - and Kangaroo Island also has the purest strain of Ligurian bees in the world! What's not to love, huh?!?!
Delete"ayagorn"? tsk tsk Red. It's "ayagArn" sometimes aygarn- aygarn mate! chuckusacoldie!
ReplyDeleteLove that glorious green and gold wattle and of course I had to listen to the kookaburra a coupla times.
I could add the camel races at Alice springs to the quirky list, although I've never seen them in person. But my brother in law once rode a camel in a race I'm told. Poor camel, R is 6'3" in all directions.
For S, we also see a lot of Sunburn (sadly) which incidentally is quite RED.
Hahaha, this is the TOP comment of this post!! Your last line made me laugh out loud! I've only done camel races at Bedourie, but one day I'll see them in Alice!! Sorry about my poor Aussie pronunciation - and hope you've got a coupla coldies up your sleeve for this KILLER heatwave!
Deletegeweldig wat een land en een geweldige natuur.het is genieten om dit te zien.
ReplyDeleteHet is een prachtig land! Ik ben trots om deel van uit te maken! Kijk uit voor mijn Nederlandse aansluiting na coming soon!
DeleteG'day Red, "I'm a happy little vegemite as happy as can be.....etc etc" happy Oz'tralia day!
ReplyDeleteWell mate gotta go and chuck another snag on the barbie, great post!
Hahaha! The jury's out as to whether the Vegemite jingle or the Aeroplane Jelly jingle is more 'Australian'!!! Whaddayareckon, eh mate??!!
DeleteLovely scenes of Australia. Happy belated Australia Day. Wonderful photos and post. Have a happy week ahead!
ReplyDeleteIt's NEVER too late to celebrate Australia Day!! Us Aussies are always looking for an excuse for another barbie!! Have a great weekend, my friend!
DeleteA bonza post Red. Sent goosebumps down my spine. Aren't we the luckiest people on this earth. Hope you have had a great Australia Day.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny ... I never used to be patriotic. Maybe the older I get, the more I appreciate what Australia has!! Have a great weekend!!
DeleteI hear your loved Grampians suffered badly in the bush fires,Very sad.Love your alphabet Loved your L for lingo. My favourite 26 shots of Oz are on my post.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a bummer ... fire, then floods, then fire, it just never stops for the Grampians!! If you liked MY lingo, check out River's comment above!!
DeleteWhile not quite so location based, very occasionally you will hear of someone falling down in the street and no one helped them. It may be via the newspaper or on a tabloid tv current affairs show or talkback radio. We feel sad that such a thing happens in Australia, but we need to remember that this is rare and is a big media story because it is rare. We generally don't step over or around someone who has fallen down.
ReplyDeleteBad things can happen anywhere. I'm not sure of the story to which you refer, but agree that most Australians will lend a hand and help others out. That's what mateship is all about! Maybe I should have made M for Mateship!!
DeleteAwesome idea. Glorious photos.
ReplyDeleteHaha ... this way I can include LOTS of cool stuff - and thus hide my indecision!!!
Deletelove your A-Z of Australia Red. You nailed it. Goodonya! and happy Aussie Day to you!
ReplyDeleteThanx mate!! Actually there was a LOT I left out ... but at least this way I got away with 26 things!! Have a great weekend!
DeleteA great alphabetic accolade to Aus. Many belated greetings for Australia day.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely AWESOME alliteration! I hope you had a great Australia Day too - you don't have to live here to celebrate!
DeleteA great post, Red! Had heaps fun reading it!
ReplyDeleteAnd, awww, the Kookaburra!
National park... so many beautiful ones, guess Yuraygir was one of my favs. But nothing is like the Outback!
Go Quirky :-)
I haven't been to Yuraygir ... but it's on the list!! The quirky stuff is one reason I set up my blog - but there's so much awesome UN-quirky stuff I had to put that in too!! Have a great weekend - I could do with your COLD today - it's 40+ C!
DeleteHi Red, I LOVE this post, well done... er do I say good on ya? :-)
ReplyDeleteIt took me a bit of time when I was in your beautiful country to understand most of what was being said, but me being... well me... I would ask when I didn't know. I was told, meet you in the arvo, I had no idea what an arvo was til I asked and good thing I asked or I would have been out asking people on the street where the 'arvo' was! lol
I really enjoyed your post! Cheers.
Good onya MATE!!!! That's the REAL Aussie response!!! Glad you understand the lingo now - it's like riding a bike: once you know it, you'll ALWAYS know it!! Have a great weekend!
DeleteWhat a fun post this is. Very creative and educational to boot! You even have a legitimate word for "X". Simply amazing.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm already worrying about the 'X' for next year's post!! Thanx, and have a great weekend!
DeleteVegemite! An Australian friend 25 years ago had to order Vegemite from Australia by phone, as the on-line capabilities weren't up and running smoothly!
ReplyDeleteLoved you A-Z tour of Australia.
Hahaha, just between us, I don't know why she bothered!! I'm a big fan of the TV ad & jingle, but not so much the product! It's an acquired taste!! Have a great weekend!
DeleteQuite a country to be proud of. I'm guessing you are one of the rare people who have seen so much of it. I would likely see none of it if you were not bringing it to me on at regular basis. I salute you for your efforts.
ReplyDeleteHaha ... why oh WHY don't you work for the Australian Tourism Commission?!?!?! I'd be able to see a helluva LOT more of it if I was sponsored!!!!! But it's worth it just to bring a smile to your face :)
DeleteA wonderful Patriotic post Red and here was me wondering how you'd fill in the x - y - z but you done it perfectly. Love that last pic taken of Mt Sturgeon - stunning!!
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me that X, Y and Z are going to be a LOT more difficult next year!! I was lucky to find a perfectly reflecting pool in Dunkeld - it's an awesome way to start the day!
DeleteMy goodness--I had no idea the Kookaburra was of the Kingfisher family. See, your blog is educational AND visually gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Now, if we could only add 'lucrative', I'd have a winning trifecta!!! Have a good weekend :)
DeleteI hope you had a wonderful Australia Day -- just looking at any of those pictures and remembering your trips there would be wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat's why I LOVE doing these 'round-up' posts!! It's a chance to show off and a nostalgia hit all in one!
DeleteAs always, your pictures are wonderful and truly inspire me to come visit one day.
ReplyDeleteWell ... I'll just have to keep up your inspiration level!! Luckily, there's so much going on down here that shouldn't be too much of a challenge ...!!!
DeleteThanks for great photos and... Kookaburra! I love Cockatoo as well. When I stayed in Sydney, I was so impressed that those birds were living near, among humans!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting! The birds are even more common out in the country areas!! I hope you get to come back one day!
DeleteGorgeous shots - love the stillness of that last one!
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's what I get for rising at sunrise!!!
DeleteThe last photo is stunning! What a beautiful land Australia.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I believe it will take me a lifetime to see it all!
DeleteLove the way you managed to structure this post around Australia Day. Like TMW, I'm impressed by your x-y-z. As for the kookaburra - along with the warbling of the magpie, their call is the ONLY thing that can make a grumpy bum like me smile early in the morning. Well, if a person must be laughed at, better it should be by a bird.
ReplyDeleteOf course, now you have challenged my memory to find the most appropriate verse [of less than or more than 5 lines] to play in a dunny. Our laundry cupboard is known as "Clancy", because it takes the overflow of unopened grocery items, like stockpiled jars of vegemite, that simply won't fit into the kitchen pantry.
Haha, XYZ will be a BIG problem next year ... unless I rely on my readers having short memories??!! I'm with you on the Kookaburra thing ... although people bearing gifts has been known to bring on a smile!! I am immediately adopting your 'Clancy' cupboard naming convention for our side room cupboard. It already fills the bill!! Have a great weekend!
DeleteHope all is well Red - haven't seen nor heard of you in a bit buddy.
ReplyDelete