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My Impressions of Australia
I've been
in Australia now for about two months. During that time, I've decided that I really like this country
and that I'll definitely come back here some day. I've listed some of my
opinions and impressions of this country on this page which will hopefully give
American readers some insights into Australia and Australians.
The
Country
Australia
is a BIG country, as large as the continental U.S., and it takes a long time to
get from one place to the other. Compared to New Zealand and the U.S.,
there isn't as much scenic diversity here, but the roads are pretty straight and
in good condition, so it's possible to drive over 400 miles in a day without
getting worn out, unlike in New Zealand, where a scant 300 miles will wear you
out.
The wildlife is fascinating and there are a lot of weird
things here, some of which are hazardous to your health, like saltwater
crocs. However, and despite what you may have read (including in this
website), the "nasties" really aren't much of problem because, in
general, they'll leave you alone if you don't bother them. Unfortunately,
the vegetation isn't nearly as diverse here as in the U.S., one of the reasons
the scenery here is rather drab, at least compared to the U.S. Driving
through the ubiquitous eucalyptus groves on the east coast of Australia is,
frankly, pretty darn boring.
In general, it's easy to travel around Australia, even more so than I thought.
It's a wonderful and fascinating country with lots of interesting places, so if
you're at all
curious
about
Australia, come on down and check it out for yourself, mate.
Weather
This
is one hot, dry, and sunny country. However, there are some places
such as the "Top End" that can get really, really wet and cloudy, and
there are other places, like Tasmania, that can get pretty cold. Even though I was here during their summer, the weather hasn't
been as bad as I thought it would be. 102 degrees in Alice Springs isn't
any worse than 102 in Southern California and if you have air-conditioning in
your car or motel, the heat's not difficult to deal with.
Because
the country is so large, anytime is a good time to visit Australia. From
November through March, the weather is nice in the southern half of the country
and from April through October, it's really nice in the northern half. And
don't be afraid to visit someplace "out of season" because there'll be a
lot fewer tourists then, and lower lodging rates.
Transportation
Australian
drivers are the best I've encountered anywhere, and they may be the best in the
world. For the most part, they're polite, tolerant, and they almost always
use their turn signals. And unlike in the U.S., where the norm is to drive
quite a bit faster than the posted speed limit, most Australians drive at or
even below the speed limit. That's a reflection, perhaps, of their
unhurried attitude, at least compared to the U.S.
There’s
a real mixed bag of cars here. The
two most popular brands are Toyotas and the Australian home-brand, Holden.
For some reason, the only American brand that’s common is Ford.
The models have different names, though, such as the Toyota Hi-Ace (Previa) and
the Hi-Lux (Tacoma). Unlike in the U.S., single-cab pickups here are virtually non-existent
but dual-cab pickups are quite popular, an oddity that I haven’t figured out
yet. A lot of cars have “roo
bars” installed on the front grill, since running over kangaroos is a big problem
here, especially in the Outback.
Except
for around the major cities, there aren't many American-style freeways here (or
"motorways" as they call them). For the most part, Australian
highways have two lanes (i.e., one lane in each direction), but they're generally in
good shape. However, there are some highways in the Outback areas which,
although paved, have only ONE lane. Now that's something I've never seen
before!
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Left: Roundabouts are common throughout
Australia but they freak out a lot of Americans. They're simple,
really... just yield to the traffic on your right. In fact, they work a
lot better than 4-way stops. Just remember to get off! |
Language
The
Aussie accent is a little different than New Zealand's and took me a while to
get used to. Of course, I'd seen "Crocodile Dundee" and "Crocodile Hunter"
and other such Aussie things on TV and in the theatres, so I knew what an Aussie
accent sounded like, but still, it's different if you spend two months here and
are saturated with it. After a while, though, I got pretty used to it.
In fact, after being in Australia for nearly a month, I bumped into an American
tourist in Alice Springs (and also from Portland, no less) and talked to her for
a while. As I was talking to her, I thought about how strange it sounded
to hear an American accent again.
Getting back to the New Zealand accent, Kiwis pronounce the
"ehh" as "ee." For instance, "best" sounds like "beast" and "west"
sounds like "weast." Also, Kiwis pronounce "yes" as "yiss."
When I first got to New Zealand, I felt like a moron because I had a hard
time picking up the accent. During my first week, I bought some gas
as a quick-mart and walked inside to pay. The guy behind the counter
spoke pretty fast and asked me if I wanted AA stamps or something (as I
learned later, they're like S&H green stamps in the U.S.). I didn't
understand what he was saying and just stared at him. He said it
again and I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He
probably thought I was from Lithuania or something. Anyway, after a
few weeks in New Zealand, I caught on to accent pretty well and didn't
have any more embarrassing encounters like that.
Here in Australia, they do strange things with the "ay" sound,
which is, of course, pronounced like "oi." So eggs are "oigs" and
day is "doi." And, in a real tongue-bender, railway is pronounced
"rye-al-way."
Yes,
they really do say “No Worries” here, though the American “No Problem” is
catching on (unfortunately, American-everything seems to be catching on
over here). Other popular
phrases include "Good on ya" (meaning
"good for you" or "good job") and, of course that classic greeting, "G’day"
(pronounced “gudday”). I haven't said "G'day" yet, because
it sounds stupid when an American says it.
Music
I've
listened to the radio a lot over here. As I've discovered, Australians
are very proud of Australian musicians, and rightfully so, because there is a LOT of good Australian
pop, country, and rock music here that you never hear in the U.S., which is
really a shame. For instance, I've been listening to a great pop-folk-country singer
here named Kasey Chambers for the past several weeks on the radio and I even bought her CD
yesterday to take it back to the U.S., because they don't play Kasey in the U.S.
Then there are the oldies-but-goodies. During
my first few weeks here, I couldn’t figure out why they played so much Bee
Gees music on the radio stations, but after hearing “Jive Talkin’”
and “How Deep is Your Love” for about the millionth time, I remembered that
the Brothers Gibb are from Australia. Another
song they keep playing here is “Georgy Girl”.
I hadn’t heard that song in 30 years but they play it everywhere here:
it’s on the radio, in grocery stores, and even in the restrooms… I
can’t get away from it. I
couldn’t figure out why “Georgie Girl” was so popular here but then I
learned that the ‘60’s group who sang it, “The Seekers”, are
Australians. It may be old music,
but by God, it’s Australian music!
Of
course, they play a lot of American and British music on the radio, too.
However, and unlike in New Zealand, they don’t play too much
from “The Monkees”. Why Kiwis
like “The Monkees” so much is something I still haven’t figured out.
Perhaps
not surprisingly, country music is popular in Australia and there are a lot of
good Australian country singers, though some of them are, um, a bit
different. When I was in the
Outback town of Tennant Creek last week, the country radio station there played
a touching song called “She’s My Butcher and I Think I Love Her”. Yes,
I’m serious. As the guy sang it,
“…she has nice thighs, firm breasts, sells me t-bones and pot roasts…”.
And I thought American country music was corny.
The
Australia equivalent of National Public Radio is very popular here, much more so
than in the U.S. Talk Radio is also
popular but on a more intelligent and less antagonistic level than in the U.S.
Australians seem to love talking things to death, especially anything
involving the latest political scandal, of which there have been several during
the two months that I’ve been here.
Television
They
broadcast both American and Australian television shows here, with a few English
shows thrown in to keep the Poms happy (Australians call the English “Poms”;
I’ve heard various explanations why). Fortunately,
I get to see my favorite American shows including “Ed”, "Judging
Amy," and "E.R." every week,
though the episodes are about six months behind the schedule in America, maybe
because this being in the southern hemisphere, their Fall television season is
six months behind ours.
Other
popular American shows here include “Everyone Loves Raymond”, “60
Minutes”, and for some reason, “The Gilmore Girls”.
Unfortunately, American television has inspired a number of Australian
spin-offs like “The Weakest Link” (with a look-alike host), “Australian
Survivor” and “Australian Temptation Island.”
I'm
not proud to admit this, but one
of my
favorite shows here is an Australian series called “McLeod’s Daughters”
which I got hooked on in New Zealand a few months ago.
"McLeod's Daughters" is a campy hour-long drama series about a woman
who’s raising her four stunningly-beautiful daughters on a cattle ranch in the Outback.
Although the plots are usually corny or downright odd, it’s a cute show and would probably be a hit in America.
However, as an Aussie once said to me, "I've been to the Outback a lot and
I've never seen women who look like that out there." Come to think
of it, neither did I... but who cares?
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Left: The cast of McLeod's
daughters, my favorite Aussie TV show (can you tell why?) |
Dress
Just
about anything goes in the cities. In
the Outback, there’s more of a dress code where the standard for guys
includes a long-sleeved, collared work shirt (often plaid), either jeans or shorts,
leather boots, and of course, a floppy brown leather “bush hat”.
Wearing a t-shirt, I fit in well in the big cities but felt out-of-place
in the Outback (kind of like in west Texas).
Next time I come over here, I’ll bring some long-sleeved plaid shirts to
wear in the Outback,
if I can find some.
Food
Although
fish and chips are popular in Australia, it’s not the national dish here like
it is in New Zealand. The national dish here seems to be roasted chickens – just
about every grocery store and take-out place sells them, so my diet has shifted
accordingly. McDonalds, KFC, and
Burger King (or “Hungry Jack’s” as they call Burger King here) are, for
better or worse, popular and ubiquitous in Australia.
You can find some American processed foods in the grocery stores, like
(thank goodness) Nacho Doritos, Oreos, and Chips Ahoy, but they use different
recipes here with more fat, but less sugar and salt. Compared to the
American versions which I'm used to, these foods taste a bit like
crispy lard. Oh, and they're not
"tor-tee-ya" chips, they're "tor-till-a" chips.
You've
probably heard of "Vegemite," which Australians are passionate
about. Vegemite is a spread that looks like tar, smells like yeast, and
tastes like salt, and many Aussies love to smear it on crackers and bread. I
tried some Vegemite a while ago and it's nasty... definitely an acquired taste.
Then I learned that you have to spread it very THINLY, and it's actually not too
bad.
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Left: Kids, don't try this at home. This is the famous
Aussie staple, Vegemite, smeared on a cracker (oops, I mean biscuit... no
wait, a "biscuit" is a cookie...). The trick, as I learned
later, is to spread this salty concoction very THINLY. When applied
correctly, it's not
too bad. |
Cost
of Living
In
general, Australia is cheaper than America but more expensive than New Zealand.
Houses are pretty cheap here as are services, like haircuts, but imported
goods,
like cars, are a little more expensive than in the U.S.
Gas (oops, I mean petrol) costs around US$1.50 a gallon and milk is about
US$2 a gallon, both about the same as in the U.S.
By the way, the Australian dollar is currently worth about 50 U.S. cents
and the New Zealand dollar is worth about 40 U.S. cents, so every time I see a
price here, of course, I cut it in half to get the American equivalent.
Having spent several years in college, I can do that without too much
trouble (usually, anyway).
Sports
Cricket,
rugby, and horse racing are all popular in Australia, as they are in New Zealand.
The big sport here, though, seems to be an unusual game called Australian
Rules Football, or “Footy”, which is something like rugby but a bit odder.
Run with the ball… punt the ball… run with the ball… punt the ball
– that’s Footy. When a team
scores a goal, the referee doesn't raise his arms, like in American
football. Instead, he -- now get this -- acts like he's drawing two
pistols, like in an old Western movie. It's hilarious.
The
People
Most of
the Aussies I've met during the past two months have been really friendly,
generally more than Americans and about on par with Kiwis, though they're a bit
more brash and outgoing than both. To be honest, I was expecting Aussie
guys to be even more outgoing than they actually are, figuring they'd be
slapping me on the back everywhere I went, but that hasn't happened once.
Nevertheless, most Aussies are quick with a smile and a handshake,
and they'll often throw in a "G'day, mate" for free. Aussies
generally believe in hard work and hard play and will give just about everyone a
"fair go."
Most of
the Aussies I've met during the past two months have been very honest, open, and trusting, even more than Americans.
Some Americans over here might considering them to be "naive," but
personally, I prefer a "naive" Aussie to a cynical or duplicitous
American any day. They generally don't like pretension and class
barriers, which may explain some of the barbs I've heard directed
at the British, or "Pommies," whom many Aussies consider to be stuffy
and aloof. Compared to America, there's more of an emphasis on personal
responsibility and independence in Australia, and less on litigation, which is
refreshing. The idea of someone suing McDonald's because the coffee was
"too hot," or suing Burger King because "they got fat"
wouldn't fly in Australia.
What
Australians Think of Foreigners
I
always thought Australians and New Zealanders got along well, but there’s
actually quite a rivalry between the two countries -- Australians don't think
that highly of Kiwis and, from my two months in New Zealand, I'd say that the
feeling is mutual. Australia was at one
time a British colony and there are still strong ties to England, but those ties
seem to be dwindling and many Aussies think of English as being
pompous, though their closest foreign ties are still with England.
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Above: Not
a real popular figure
in Australia. |
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Most
Australians have a pretty positive image of the United States, due partly to our
assistance during World War II, when Australia was threatened by a Japanese
invasion. It seems that
over the past 20 years, ties between Australia and the U.S. have generally
strengthened, although many Aussies I've talked to wonder about the intelligence
and leadership ability of President George Bush.
I won’t say that
all Australians like Americans, but a lot of them do. I was surprised at how much news coverage there is here on the United States, especially
regarding U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. economy and, believe it or not, a lot of Australians
know who Alan Greenspan is -- maybe more so than Americans do.
However,
sometimes Aussies view the U.S. as a bull in a china shop and not always being
sensitive to the needs of other countries, including their own.
From the
media coverage of the U.S. that I've seen here, I'd have to agree with them.
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Impressions of Australia
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