Question for Aussies!

[Ashling]

color, colour; mom, mum... we seem to like our U's!

Oh and fairy floss VS cotton candy!

My american friend thinks our NO sounds like NER...

[huntress]

Yous guys add allot of unneccessary U's and e's and I watch too much TV,lol! I like the word "blokes". I guess its the british in you. Tell me the diff. What you like about your country? What would make me come to live there? I mean we have considered it. What is better about the USA ?? anything?? What would make me NOT want to live in Australia. Throw it all at me. Maybe its a fantasy but we have always liked what we see from afar and the grass may seem greener............

[Ashling]

Where do I start? "All you who have not loved her, You will not understand"

I love the unique animals and landmarks- the rainforests and deserts teeming with beautiful creatures, the abundance of parrots and birdlife- the sound of lorikeets, rosellas, toos and wattlebirds calling.

Animal care- There are heavy laws and penalties for animal cruelty all over the country. RSPCA comes down hard on any acts of cruelty, there are no puppy mills that I've ever heard of, and even the abatoirs and slaughterhouses are as humane as possible.

The BEACHES! Surfing, swimming and exploring :D

The way that, not counting big cities, anyone will give you a hand when it's needed. Have a chat with a beer or a cuppa. The people are friendly and there is that aussie word "mateship," that I love :D People are very welcoming. I love the "no worries" approach and the carefree lifestyle.

The legends, stories, history etc. is very interesting and makes most aussies proud. The aboriginals are pretty intereting too, and it's great to go and see their century old drawings and learn about how they lived.

The constantly changing weather- the crisp, misty mornings, scorching afternoons and chilly nights- or the warm mornings, smuggy afternoons and humid nights. I've lived in the cooler and warmer states, so I've seen it all!
huntress- In reply to your thread showing where you live, I was going to show you a pic of where my godbrother lives when the morning was completely white with gum trees looming from the distance- as opposed to sunshine and green grass :D But that was in the mountains...

The health and quarantine- What I love best is NO RABIES! YAAAYY! Very strict quarantine rules and health care.

The high cost of exotic birds- greys, conures amazons and macaws etc- is a drawback, but is good if you're breeding! The natives are very cheap- especially the toos. Would you be able to take your birds across?

We don't have coyotes, bears, wolves or cougars! The biggest native carnivour you'll come across is a dingo.

People always talk about all the venemous spiders and snakes here, but I think I've seen a 'venemous' snake once and it was the first day I moved to the wamer state, and it may have been a king brown or only a harmless olive python! I've never been bitten by a spider and have only seen a redback two or three times and have never seen anything much more venemous.

I would add/ remember more- but it is 2 in the morning!


I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me.

The tragic ring-barked forests
Stark white beneath the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
An orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the crimson soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart around us
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold;
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown Country
My homing thoughts will fly.

[cashmerekiddy]

I think that Melanie has pretty much summed it up. I haven't travelled os but I do know one thing for sure that I LOVE Australia. I've done a bit of travelling around our beautiful country and can say that there is alot of diversity here. Deserts, outback storms, magnificent beaches, the smell of our great gum trees (I can't imagine NOT having gum trees), wildflowers set aginst the red dust and vast blue skies, the list could go on and on...
We have a reasonably good health care system. There isn't such a wide social gap in access to healthcare.
Less violent crimes per capita here but that's on the rise. Pretty hard to get a licence to own a firearm here. Which I agree with.
In general people here are 'down to earth' and and most have good sense of humor.
What do I see as things we could improve? Well I hate the cities and I've heard they are poorly signposted compared to other countries. I know I can't find my way around when I'm behind the wheel! There isn't a great public transport system here - pretty much need a car to get around in a lot of areas.
We need to address the many problems that our aboriginal people face and help them - this has started but we have a loooong way to go.
Voting is compulsory here - fined here if you don't have a good reason why you didn't vote in a political election.
Oh and you already know the prices of macaws and African Greys here - unaffordable for most
My husband moved here from the states and he would NEVER go back over there to live. He's been back for a visit but is always happy to be back in this country.

[brilliantfeathers]

It sounds amazing there!
My younger cousin was there once for a wrestling tournament...he was so ptoud when he beat Australlia's Triple crown, lol! But hey he was only 13 so thats pretty cool!
Im sure he undersetimated the beauty there! Hmm If I could talk the hubby into it we would move there I think...well if we could find a way to bring our birds! Haha

[Ashling]

If you ever do come, you'd have to go everywhere possible- from the hot, dry deserts of Alice Springs, to the humid, rainy, sunny Northern Queensland. Then also Melbourne for the shopping! The diversity of the land is amazing. "Droughts and flooding rains."

[kali]

i love this country, the only place i'd ever consider moving to would be Vanuatu!

[Ashling]

I actually want to travel in America for a while (I mean everywhere! South America, Alaska, Canada, US...) and learn more about parrots and other native creatures. I can't wait to go.
"But no matter how far, or how wide I roam, I still call Australia home!" Gotta love all those songs...

[Courtzrocks]

OI!!! I'm a logan bogan, lay off us! Although I don't say sheila either lol. Yeah the downer is the cost of the exotics but the cost of the natives are good. I have a one to add to the list, red capped parrots OMG and they're native and so cute! I'm usually into the exotics but these are beauties!

Oh yeah and the native bird life is awesome in oz! Everyday in my yard I see rosella's, lorikeets, galah's, crows, piwi's, scrub turkeys, kookaburra's, butcher birds, magpies and just down the road are heaps of sulpher crested too's. My mum gets king parrots, sea eagles, king fishers and emu's too.

And yeah, love those songs, that's my favourite! "I've been to cities that never close down, from new york to rome and old london town..." LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

[red192]

I have enjoyed reading this thread! I have always wanted to visit your country. When people as me where would I visit if I could travel any where and I always say "The land Down Under!"