Australia About Australia
Outback Australia, The Birdsville Races
Are you in Australia and looking for something unique and different to do? Right up there with the Lightning Ridge Great Goat Races and the Parkes Elvis Festival, The Birdsville Races are quintessentially Aussie. The Aussies looooove their horse racing. The glamour, the excitement, the money, the thunder of the hooves, and the cold refreshment of the booze.
Birdsville is one of the loneliest Outback places on the continent with about 100 people usually residing in the region along the “Birdsville Trak.” Over the famous race weekend …
Date: July 3rd, 2007 |
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Oz Survival Guide to Food- Fresh Juice Shops
Oh the Aussies really nailed it with this one! One of my favorite ways to start a day is with a freshly squeezed juice. The best part about it- you get to pick the fruit/veggies/flavors you want in it. MMMM! Watermelon, Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Mint, Ginger, Carrot, Celery, Pear…you name it!
Granted at the moment it is winter and the fruit isn’t the best but it is still miles better than anything you can get in the states outside of California and Florida. Years ago I was given a …
Date: June 20th, 2007 |
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Aussie Translation Guide #6
Hey you Mob! It is time for another colorful Aussie Translation guide! Today we are going to talk about Car related words. One of the fun things of Travel is learning the local lingo. Australia has no shortage of their very own Aussieisms. They are fun and inventive, though occasionally hard to translate. Feel free to add a few of your own in the comments section.
Australian = North American Translation
Ute = Elllll Caaaminnnoooo! The half car/half truck thing that failed miserably in the States. Wildly popular with Tradies (Trades people) and cowboys (Jackaroos). It makes North Americans giggle, while the Pommies just don’t know what to make of them. The Term Ute can sometimes mean truck, but more often than not, it means an El Camino.
Tarago = Toyota Mini Van, but it has become a generic term for the Mini Van. The Tarago is considered a full size van in Australia with Avis saying you can fit 8 people in them. We tried with a women’s soccer team on our trip to Griffith (see picture above). We fit- but I would not call it comfortable
Tyre = Tire. The round rubber thing on a car. He he he.
Boot = The trunk. The back end. Where you store things. Also used in Pommie English…..
Kerb = Curb. The hard cement thing that denotes where the edge of the road is. People tend to back into them while trying to parallel park on ridiculously narrow streets. Known to wreak havoc on wheel rims.
Petrol = Gasoline. The thing that makes the car go, unless you have a solar powered car, which are illegal in Australia even though they hosted the first big solar powered car race…..
Prang = Doh! A crash.
Bingle = DOH! DOH! A little crash, minor accident, sometimes a big crash but someone is trying to make it sound better. “Sweetheart, I might have had a little bingle this morning…”
Date: May 23rd, 2007 |
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The Kimberley, Visit the Bungle Bungles
OK, The individual who pointed out it is a LOOONG way between electrical power points in the Kimberley is absolutely right. Durning my last couple of weeks up there, I have to admit, I was forced to drink a few marginally Kimberley cold beers from my cooler at the end of the day. Any hooo, the real story here today:
The Bungle Bungles in Purnululu National Park are a World Heritage listed natural attraction. They are soooo cool. A freaky natural process has caused red and dark stripes to surround the gigantic beehive like structures in a totally unique rock formation. A bit like having to go see the Grand Canyon, takes awhile to get there, but worth it.
Slingair and East Kimberley Tours are an excellent option to the huge international conglomeration of APT. The staff at APT were incredibly unhelpful and downright rude when I was trying to book a tour with them. They kept me on hold for 35 minutes! They were going to require FULL payment up front BUT they would not tell me if they could even get me on a tour UNTIL I paid in full. After I gave them my money- then they MIGHT have a tour for me to go on- if not- regardless that my vacation plans had been ruined- would then issue a REFUND. DODGY!
I called the Kununurra YHA. Even though I wasn’t staying there, their friendly staff had me booked onto a tour within about 5 minutes and only required a standard deposit. They booked me onto Slingair and East Kimberley Tours who are the original tour operators in the area.
A family run business their staff and facilities were all very clean, professional, efficient and helpful. Some of the highlights of their service:
Date: May 14th, 2007 |
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Oz Survival Guide to Food- Pizza
MMMMMMELT PIZZA! Yummm! The exception to the rule. (Gluten Free Pizza also Available!)
Pizza in Australia is generally pretty uninspiring to those of us from other corners of the globe. For starters they don’t really put sauce on their pizza, there isn’t much salt content, which while it isn’t that good for you, it is what makes pizza tasty. The crust isn’t amazing, and the toppings are generally just down right weird. That said, many people do manage to choke down the occasional big doughy piece late at night from those Kebab shops in Kings Cross….dodgy…..
Late night binging aside, the pizza thing has me, and most of my internationally born buddies, down right disgruntled.
UNTIL! Two weeks ago- I discovered Melt Pizza! Theirs is quite honestly probably the best pizza I have ever had- weird ingredients and all. That is a HUGE call to make coming from a native Chicagoan.
On the North Shore of Sydney in Neutral Bay, across from the notorious Oaks, their pizza is out of this world. Creative and absolutely delicious, they have been winning awards in Australia for years- but also just went to an international pizza competition in Las Vegas. While there, they managed to sweep up a Best Pizza Award with their Morrocan Lamb. Here are a few of their AMAZING pies on offer.
Date: April 19th, 2007 |
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John Williamson- Aussie Exports to Look For
During the Tamworth Music Festival last January I had the great pleasure of going to watch John Williamson perform. I knew absolutely nothing about him other than a friend of mine had bought the tickets. I was thoroughly enchanted. Watching him on a big stage with nothing more than a chair, guitar, and his “campfire,” the crowd was completely transfixed for over 2 hours. This man is a True Blue, Fair Dinkum Australian Performer. More balladier than just singer- each of his songs …
Date: June 24th, 2007 |
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Qantas vs Choice Magazine, The Flying Kangarude?
UH oh, it has been in the news lately that the flying Kangaroo has been named the flying Kangarude! Now my personal experience with them, has to this point, been very good, but thought I’d at least report both sides of the coin.
Qantas has recently been named the worst international airline in a major survey with travellers. Those completing the survey have labeled the national carrier arrogant and overpriced.
In a double blow, the flying Kangaroo’s low cost subsidiary Jet Star was named worst domestic airline. A …
Date: June 5th, 2007 |
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Darwin, National Treasures from Australia’s Great Libraries
The Museum of Art and Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is hosting a free travelling exhibit of the Australia National Treasures drawn from the magnificent collections of Australia’s National, State and Territory libraries.
It contains a diverse range of iconic objects that tell the story of this nation’s history, folklore and identity. Manuscripts, maps, drawings, paintings and objects from the everyday to the exotic are certain to inspire, fascinate and educate visitors about the people, places and events that have shaped Australia.
Having just seen it- it is pretty cool! Death Masks, journals from cannibal convicts, Ned Kelly’s Helmet, and all kinds of facinating things kept me and the several hundred other people spell bound for the better part of an hour. The Museum is trully one of the Must Do stops in Darwin, but with this exhibit- you can’t afford to miss it. Besides, the Water Ski Club hosting it’s outdoor bar and Live Jazz is right next door with views to make a grown sailor cry.
The National Treasures from Australia’s Great Libraries will run until June 11th.
There are several other worthwhile travelling exhibits there at the moment as well. I had NO idea how affected Australia, let alone Darwin was by WWII until I saw Australia under Attack 1942-1943. Did you know Australia had a cowboy patrol that kept watch on the Northern Coast with the help of the Aboriginal people to help ward off the invading Japanese?
Date: May 22nd, 2007 |
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Happy ANZAC Day!
April 25th is ANZAC Day. The Day that Australia and New Zealand celebrate, or rather use to commemorate, the the Service Men and Women who have fought in campaigns around the world. The day officially commemorates the battle of Gallipoli, the ill fated charge of a Turkish beach where thousands of young Anzacs fought and died gallantly. Marked with many parades, Rememberance Services, and the game of Two Up. RSLs, or Returned Service League’s Clubs become a hotbed of activity throughout this very special day.
A National Holiday, most businesses are closed.
Now on …
Date: April 24th, 2007 |
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Oz Survival Guide To Food- Ketchup
It goes without saying that The Aussies are a saucy bunch, however, for your own safety, there are a few things you need to know about their management, preferences and presentation of the local food and condiments. First in yet another series of Survival Guides.
First off- Ketchup- they don’t really have it. They have a similar substance called Tomato Sauce. (say it with the snobby tomahhhhto) Tomahhto Sauce, while it is different- it is basically Ketchup without the thickeners and the sugar. Not bad….most times. (You can get Ketchup in grocery stores if you …
Date: April 12th, 2007 |
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