What do you LOVE about Australia?

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What do you LOVE about Australia?
Topic Started: Jun 2 2007, 04:37:56 PM (642 Views)
JPTexan	Jun 2 2007, 04:37:56 PM Post #1
True Blue Mate Posts: 113 Group: Members** Member #283 Joined: May 5, 2007	I am interested in hearing what you love about Australia. What makes Australia the place you want to call home?
	JPTexan Dallas to Sydney to Dallas..... Yep, I'm now a RE-PAT!!!


Bindie	Jun 2 2007, 11:21:33 PM Post #2
True Blue Mate Posts: 2,192 Group: Alumni Staff Member #43 Joined: Feb 18, 2007 I come from... The US, North America, Earth, The Milky Way I now live in... Canberra, ACT, Australia, Earth, The Milky Way	Off the top of my head: The birds. The colours. The Brindabella Mountains. The dry heat. My husband's family. The traineeships and assistance with uni now that I'm a citizen. Our better standard of living. Gum trees.
	The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004


Kristal	Jun 3 2007, 10:29:44 AM Post #3
True Blue Mate Posts: 133 Group: Members** Member #221 Joined: Feb 19, 2007	The native wildlife my husband my doggies living near the ocean



TerritorianTori	Jun 3 2007, 10:35:53 AM Post #4
Dance to disco Posts: 4,769 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: Feb 14, 2007 I come from... Rio Grande Valley, Texas I now live in... Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia	Obviously you're going to get a LOT of different answers, based on different people's personal experiences and situations. Here's my list: 1. My husband and children, who were born and raised in this wide brown land. 2. Good, cheap public transport. The bus stop is right across the street from my flat and it only costs $.50 (with my concession card) for 3 hours of travel. In Texas, I lived out in the country and had to drive at least 15 minutes to get anywhere. If the car broke down, I was screwed. 3. Solar power. I love love :lurve: my solar hot water system. Really saves on electric bills. Sure, you can get them in the States too, but not near as common as they are here. 4. No obligation to tip everyone and his brother when we go out to eat. Waiters, waitresses, bartenders, and other service people are paid a decent wage, and tips are what they're meant to be: something extra for service above and beyond. 5. Healthy attitudes towards work. I know this is probably changing (unfortunately), but overall Aussies do not define themselves by what they do. 4 weeks of annual leave is normal for most jobs, and it's expected that you're actually going to take that time off and do something...go somewhere...have a break! :mrgreen: 6. I love that there's no hard-and-fast expectation for high school students to go to university immediately after graduation. I know plenty of people who went to work or travelled the world for a few years, to get a feel for what they wanted to do in life, and it was OK. No one is looked down upon for not having a degree. 7. Cultural attitudes towards the role of government in everyday life. Obviously this is where YMMV, but I am happy to pay higher taxes for a universal standard of health care and other "safety nets". I love the fact that there isn't a huge stigma to having to get government assistance when times are hard. It's more like "these things happen" than "it must be your fault, so suck it up". 8. The Dry season in northern Australia. If only it would GET HERE ALREADY!! :mrgreen: 9. The abundance of good programming on free-to-air TV. We have never felt the need to get cable or satellite. (and there's always the 'net for anything we can't get here! hehe) 10. The people. Friendly and lovely. That's all I can think of at the moment...
	South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd \| The Big Bang Theory \| Doctor Who \| Pet Shop Boys \| Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys


melbar	Jun 3 2007, 10:58:00 AM Post #5
Chinwagger Posts: 90 Group: Members** Member #305 Joined: Jun 3, 2007	Has to be the Gum Tree's !!!!! The beach, i have never found a beach over here (AMERICA) like in Australia And i guess after living there for 40 odd years it will always be home to me, and i will always call Australia home



dave2006	Jun 3 2007, 11:42:23 AM Post #6
True Blue Mate Posts: 867 Group: Members** Member #207 Joined: Feb 19, 2007 I come from... TX, IL, CA, NM, OH :) I now live in... Melbourne I'm planning to move to... East Coast, USA!	> Tori wrote: > Good, cheap public transport. The bus stop is right across the street from my flat > it only costs $.50 (with my concession card) for 3 hours of travel. Wow, that is cheap. It is a bit more expensive for full fare here in Melbourne, but I agree the public transport is generally much better compared to the States, and (probably as a consequence) more widely used. Caveats for Melbourne at least are that the trains are normally full (and I mean full) at peak hours and there is always the risk of Connex issues (signal issues, train derailments) to delay things. But in general, still better than public transport systems in the States I've encountered (with the possible exception of the BART in the SF Bay area). > No obligation to tip everyone and his brother when we go out to eat. I agree, although the cost of meals in most Aussie restaurants are higher than their US counterparts, which often wipes out this apparent 10-20% savings. > 4 weeks of annual leave is normal for most jobs Yes. Isn't 4 weeks actually mandated by Aussie federal law for all employers? > The Dry season in northern Australia. We have a bit more temperate climate down south, but it is still nice (although I wouldn't be opposed to more rain to alleviate the water shortage). > The abundance of good programming on free-to-air TV. I especially like SBS here in Melbourne. What interests me are their documentaries, which include documentaries on America that you probably won't see in the US. Gives a good picture of how the rest fo the world views the US. Other things: Cheap prescriptions Health cover not tied to employment Most employers must contribute at least 9% of your base pay to your super. Labeled prices already include GST, so you don't have to do the math (as you do in most US states to compute sales tax); the bottom line is provided for you. The opportunity to be able to compare first hand, the systems of another country to those in the US. BTW, this subject has been discussed in other threads as well, so a search of past discussions might help you out too.



Kristal	Jun 4 2007, 09:32:08 AM Post #7
True Blue Mate Posts: 133 Group: Members** Member #221 Joined: Feb 19, 2007	TerritorianTori Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:35 pm Good, cheap public transport. The bus stop is right across the street from my flat and it only costs $.50 (with my concession card) for 3 hours of travel. In Texas, I lived out in the country and had to drive at least 15 minutes to get anywhere. If the car broke down, I was screwed. I love that there's no hard-and-fast expectation for high school students to go to university immediately after graduation. No one is looked down upon for not having a degree. I love the fact that there isn't a huge stigma to having to get government assistance when times are hard. It's more like "these things happen" than "it must be your fault, so suck it up". The Dry season in northern Australia. The abundance of good programming on free-to-air TV. We have never felt the need to get cable or satellite. It's $2 for 3 hours if you don't have a concession card which is still pretty cheap I suppose. In some areas it depends on where you're going as to how much it costs. That's how it was in Towsville. I think to get from my house into the CBD which was maybe a 15-20 minute drive by car was about $5 one way, but there was a bus stop about a block away from my house. A lot of things that people like or dislike about Australia are specific to their area and whether or not they even like where they are living (everyone knows I hate Darwin ha ha). Public transport is not as good in the cities in smaller rural areas as it is in the cities. Where I came from in the states public transport was awesome and cheap too AND the bus stopped right in front of my house :-) Here I think I have to walk to a dangerous looking area to catch the bus which would be about a 20 minute walk. I think it is a negative thing in Australia that it is not frowned upon for kids to leave school after year 10 and also to not go on to university. You're not looked down upon for not having a degree, you just have a heck of a time getting a decent job. That's why I want to go back to school!! :-) But I suppose there is more of the traineeship's and things here. I think people that receive government assistance are more likely to approve of the easy going attitude over here than people that do not. It's hard to see people on the dole living better than you are when you're not on the dole. Is that how you spell dole? ha ha Don't even get me started on the dry season hahaha Although the last couple of days have been pretty good. Not worth the 7 months before where I wanted to nearly kill myself from sweating soo much. :rollin: I would agree that ABC & SBS have some good programming but other than that up here in the sticks TV pretty much sucks. And if you don't have a digital set top box you're screwed.



Bindie	Jun 4 2007, 06:35:48 PM Post #8
True Blue Mate Posts: 2,192 Group: Alumni Staff Member #43 Joined: Feb 18, 2007 I come from... The US, North America, Earth, The Milky Way I now live in... Canberra, ACT, Australia, Earth, The Milky Way	Kristal Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:32 am I think it is a negative thing in Australia that it is not frowned upon for kids to leave school after year 10 and also to not go on to university. You're not looked down upon for not having a degree, you just have a heck of a time getting a decent job. That's why I want to go back to school!! :-) But I suppose there is more of the traineeship's and things here. I think people that receive government assistance are more likely to approve of the easy going attitude over here than people that do not. It's hard to see people on the dole living better than you are when you're not on the dole. Is that how you spell dole? ha ha Don't even get me started on the dry season hahaha Although the last couple of days have been pretty good. Not worth the 7 months before where I wanted to nearly kill myself from sweating soo much. :rollin: I would agree that ABC & SBS have some good programming but other than that up here in the sticks TV pretty much sucks. And if you don't have a digital set top box you're screwed. I don't. I think year 10 is pretty much frowned on, but encouraged to go to year 12. I think it's great that there is no pressure to go to uni if you don't want to. The truth is that uni isn't for everyone. And it's good that there are traineeships and the like to cater to those who aren't interested. The public service offers traineeships and apprenticeships... if finished, they are set up for life. It sad to think that their life would be "over" because they stopped at year 12. There needs to be more options. There are HEAPS of people who own their own trades and businesses making heaps of money. You don't need a uni degree for that. It's worse to go to uni and drop out, than to do a trade.
	The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004


TerritorianTori	Jun 4 2007, 07:06:48 PM Post #9
Dance to disco Posts: 4,769 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: Feb 14, 2007 I come from... Rio Grande Valley, Texas I now live in... Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia	dave2006 Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:12 am Wow, that is cheap. It is a bit more expensive for full fare here in Melbourne, but I agree the public transport is generally much better compared to the States, and (probably as a consequence) more widely used. Caveats for Melbourne at least are that the trains are normally full (and I mean full) at peak hours and there is always the risk of Connex issues (signal issues, train derailments) to delay things. But in general, still better than public transport systems in the States I've encountered (with the possible exception of the BART in the SF Bay area). It was more or less the same in Sydney. I remember paying somewhere in the neighbourhood of $40.00 for a weekly train pass between Seven Hills and Chatswood. And there were always crowds at peak hour...delays...cancelled trains. They didn't call it ShittyRail for nothin'! :mrgreen: But I still loved riding the trains. If there's anything I miss about living there, it's that. Quote: Isn't 4 weeks actually mandated by Aussie federal law for all employers? It used to be. I'm not sure what the deal is now that the IR laws are in effect...
	South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd \| The Big Bang Theory \| Doctor Who \| Pet Shop Boys \| Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys


TerritorianTori	Jun 5 2007, 03:15:23 AM Post #10
Dance to disco Posts: 4,769 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: Feb 14, 2007 I come from... Rio Grande Valley, Texas I now live in... Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia	Kristal Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:02 am In some areas it depends on where you're going as to how much it costs. That's how it was in Towsville. It used to be that way in Darwin too, up until the end of last year. The fares were on a per-zone basis, one zone = $1.40, two zones = $1.80, and so on. I'm not sure why they changed it, but I remember riding the bus for free a lot of times since about half of them had malfunctioning fare machines. :mrgreen:
	South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd \| The Big Bang Theory \| Doctor Who \| Pet Shop Boys \| Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys


SanDiablo	Jun 5 2007, 03:40:34 PM Post #11
True Blue Mate Posts: 996 Group: Members** Member #280 Joined: May 1, 2007	The ABC and Triple J Fruit Bats Feeding Cockatoos from my balcony Chicken Schnitzel Pubs, even though I stink at Trivia Night Rugby League - especially when their pants fall down How everyone says "Thank You" to the bus driver when they get off the bus How the bus drivers say "Sorry" to the passengers when they have to slam on the brakes School kids in straw hats with striped hat bands and knee high socks Free public salt water swimming pools at the beach, and showers That every little podunk town has clean public toilets Postie Bikes The Big Issue Those crazy short-shorts worn by truckers When people say "We'll beat that accent out of you yet." The fact that the Liberal Party is conservative Round-a-bouts What I hate: Cricket
	"I'll try anything twice."


me1iss	Jun 9 2007, 10:18:14 PM Post #12
Anklebiter Posts: 15 Group: Members Member #314 Joined: Jun 9, 2007	lol at you hating cricket. i just dont get it. swear that dad explains it a million times every summer.... getting me onto why i love australia is a very dangerous topic. i could go on for hours but i think its best for all if i just make a really long list. - footy (league, the real stuff) - winter (or a nice fat lack of it up in qld.) - my backyard mango tree. - thongs - ''mate'' ''champion'' ''shell be right'' - stupid slang sayings that noone really understands - beach to bush in 5 minutes apx. - trackies. flannies. chestys. the fact that any word or name can be shortened within an inch. - alf from home and away. - really bad tv. - blue heelers(not to be confused with really bad tv) - rove. - the multiculturalism of this country is rad. - school was awesome. that its so laid back. - the pub and the tav. the glitterstrip, aka surfers. - the police uniform (its so cute) - the word mole. - the fact that there is about a zillion songs about aus and most people at least know the chorus, or can fake it accordingly. - really ridiculous tv adds. - truckers. - venomous and poisonous creatures and the subsequent reaction that they get. eg. to a foreigner ''OMG A REDBACK'' to me ''daddddd. theres a fred on the pool cover.'' (long story about the redback/fred thing, basically they are the same) i could clearly go on forever. oh i love that telstra ad that has the we are australian song. RAD. ''aussie aussie aussie .....oi oi oi'' and bogan. hehehehehe



rhimb	Jun 11 2007, 01:44:13 PM Post #13
True Blue Mate Posts: 434 Group: Members** Member #91 Joined: Feb 18, 2007 I come from... Houston, Texas I now live in... Perth, Western Australia	Funny you mention Rove, I love him too!! Hamish and Andy also crack me up. And you're right about the absolutely ridiculous tv ads. I just stare at the tv dumbfounded by the ads most nights! Half the stuff they show would never make it on US television! Has anyone seen the Nando's commercial with the stripping mom???
	Rhianna


Bindie	Jun 11 2007, 02:24:09 PM Post #14
True Blue Mate Posts: 2,192 Group: Alumni Staff Member #43 Joined: Feb 18, 2007 I come from... The US, North America, Earth, The Milky Way I now live in... Canberra, ACT, Australia, Earth, The Milky Way	My favourite is the dancing viagra men playing a duet on the piano with their penises. CRACKS me up every time I SEE IT.
	The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004


me1iss	Jun 11 2007, 08:39:41 PM Post #15
Anklebiter Posts: 15 Group: Members Member #314 Joined: Jun 9, 2007	yes hilarious. and utterly idiotic. the stripping ad is funny. my personal favourite of all time would be the bugger add. so funny.



imafranktoo	Jun 11 2007, 09:28:43 PM Post #16
Little Miss Key Breaker Posts: 1,612 Group: Members** Member #67 Joined: Feb 18, 2007	Even though we're not staying this is what I love about Australia: being accepted not as a foreigner, but as part of Australia seeing Koalas in the wild seeing kangaroos/wallabies in the wild Tim Tams rainbows (never seen so many) winters where everything is green and summers where everything is brown the birds, the songs and even the cockatoos! My favorite though is the Magpie
	FRANKIES[color][font][/color][/font]


TerritorianTori	Jun 12 2007, 01:16:36 AM Post #17
Dance to disco Posts: 4,769 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: Feb 14, 2007 I come from... Rio Grande Valley, Texas I now live in... Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia	Bindie Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:54 pm My favourite is the dancing viagra men playing a duet on the piano with their penises. CRACKS me up every time I SEE IT. Great, now I've got that piano tune running through my head. Thanks Bindie. :mrgreen: The one that cracks me up every time is the Toyota ad with the chicken dance ringtone. I love how all those rugged outback guys look around trying to figure out whose phone is ringing, and of course no one would dare answer it. :rofl:
	South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd \| The Big Bang Theory \| Doctor Who \| Pet Shop Boys \| Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys


JenbeTas	Jun 12 2007, 02:06:25 AM Post #18
Hippie Wannabe sailing the deep blue sea Posts: 1,182 Group: Members** Member #31 Joined: Feb 18, 2007 I come from... Rushville, Illinois......unfortunately I now live in... Kuala Lumpur till we suffer thru my partner's visa I'm planning to move to... Home to Australia ASAP!!!!!!!	1.The gorgeous, unique landscape, beaches, flora, fauna, beaches, etc. With that, the clean air and water of Tassie (well, at least where I am). The lush green of Tassie. 2. Lamingtons and all the other deadly delicioso pasteries. 3. The interesting fact that there are more sheep in Tassie than people. 4. The way some mainland Aussie's forget Tassie exists--and the Tasmanian residents that prefer it that way. 5. The small towns, filled with terrific little shops, bakeries, ect.... 6. The sheer number of people walking around barefoot (I hate shoes). 7. Sitting on the beach, watching the surfers (when the surf is kind enough to oblige..which on the NW coast of Tassie, isn't very often). 8. Devonshire tea 9. Ginormous whopping gum trees and the smell of tea trees 10. Education systems (TAFE, Uni, traineeships) 11. Not having to worry about going bankrupt over a medical emergency 12. Superannuation and holiday time 13. Watching a tv show or movie and not hearing the BEEP censors all the time 14. Aussie Rules, when they get their shorts yanked almost completely to their ankles. 15. Recycling seems to be more commonplace. 16. Akubra, Slouch hats, seeing an old rancher wearing one. 17. The night sky and how it looks like you can reach up and grab all the stars....and how you can actually see them, even in a small city. 18. Last but not least, my mother in law and all of my husband's family. I shall leave it at that :). There are loads more but pretty much what everyone else has said covers it.
	"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and goshdarnit, people like me!"


Susan	Jun 22 2007, 03:37:25 PM Post #19
Unregistered	The gorgeous sandy beaches & sunshine two things that do not exist in Seattle
Unregistered


canaussie	Jun 24 2007, 11:32:08 PM Post #20
True Blue Mate Posts: 1,049 Group: Members** Member #249 Joined: Mar 22, 2007 I come from... Toronto, Canada....hubby from Queensland I now live in... Townsville QLD I'm planning to move to... one day - into a home we own - in Townsville	I love it all! Laid back lifestyle. The amount of vacation time people get. The beaches/ocean are close even though I'm not a beach type of girl. Miss Joining my RAAF hubby for lunch - always went to the beach down the road from the base. I like that it doesn't take a long drive and you could be in the bush. The scenery. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge....beautiful! The beautiful NQ weather. The markets (I MISS them ALOT!) I really miss hanging my laundry out and have it dry in 30 mins (in Darwin) a bit longer down south :goodonya: Sunset cruises in Darwin - beautiful! The colourful birds Threads like this make me "homesick". :((
	Paula (dual Canadian/Australian) married to an Aussie since 1999 and mummy to an Aussie since 2000

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