Whats it like in Australia?

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sunnycoastcraig

You would need a whole book to even scatch the surface of what it is like!!

Such a big country means a huge diversity in geography, from vast outback deserts, to rolling green hills, alpine mountains for skiing in the winter, endless kilometers of suburbia in the big cities, rural towns, regional cities, state capitals with millions of residents, thousands of kilometers of beaches, tropical islands, wetlands, rainforests, reefs etc etc.

Many people from other western nations will find a lot to remind them of home, with international chains in hotels (Novotel, Marriott, Hilton, Best Western etc), cafes and restaurants (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Starbucks etc), retailers (Borders, Calvin Klien, Boss, Target, Kmart, Aldi etc).

The culture can be very similar to British and American due to the popularity of movies and tv shows. We may not have the vast range of cable tv in the U.S. but there are at least 5 free to air channels, and at least 99 channels available on Foxtel/Austar/Optusnet.

We get around in Aussie cars, such as Holden, but you can find cars from Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Peugot, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and just about any other car make you can name. People do use public transport in the cities, such as buses or trains, but I think the car still reigns supreme!

We eat steak, salads, Asian food, pizza, Mexican, seafood, Italian and just about any other food you can name. The beer is ALWAYS cold, and the wine is GOOD. Coke is the most popular softdrink, but you can easily get Pepsi, 7up, Schwepps or many others. I don't believe that American style root beer is widely available.

We like going to the beach, walking, enjoying our friends company at a BBQ, playing sport, surfing, fishing, watching TV, playing Play Station, surfing the net and any other way you could imagine to pass time.

I live just a few kilometres from where Steve Irwins zoo is. Some of the other contributors are right, he was a bit "over the top" and made some people cringe, but many around here think he was a passionate guy who had big dreams, even if he could have shown some sense of style in getting his message out. He is terribly missed by many.

If you want to see native wildlife, then you will most likely need to go to a zoo or national park or nature reserve as urban development and cats, dogs and introduced species have threatened their former habitats. That said, you could easily spot many wild birds, reptiles and possums especially have adapted to living in urban areas. You don't need to travel too far out of the cities to see kangaroos, especially with the crippling drought in most of Eastern Australia, as they can be seen even in outer suburban areas at the right time of day (no, you won't find them kept as pets, generally speaking - as it is illegal to keep native animals as pets unless you have a permit).

I think Australia is one of the best countries in the world too!! Of course I am biased too, but millions of people have moved here from nearly every country on the planet. Some have gone home, but many many more have made a life here and contributed even more to making this a wonderful place to live and visit.

Hope to see you all downunder soon :)

coolbryce14

I haven't been there, but it sure looks like a very neat place.

sarahmill3r

a beautiful country with friendly people and rich culture. a place worth visiting

Elizabeth

As an Aussie, I suppose I'm a little bit biased.
Australia is the best place in the world.

Today, where I am, the weather is fine and warm, under a clear blue sky.
We have an extremely diverse country both geographically and culturally.
We have no land borders with any other country, so if you want to get in you can't just walk in.
For me life is good.
I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

We have one big problem and have had for quite some time.
Much of our beautiful country is suffering a crippling drought. This is badly affecting people in the towns and cities, but, especially those poor farmers who are affected by it.
It stands to reason, it will rain eventually, but sadly it may be too late for many folk who have had to leave their farms.
The suicide rate and depression, in the farming areas, is very high at the present time. The drought is responsible for this.
So our clear blue skies can be a curse, too. We'd all love to see some real rain for a few weeks or more to fill the dams etc.

Ken E

Drought now heading into it's eighth year in some places.

If you arrive, don't go on about Steve Irwin. Some people here thought he was an annoying twerp. I did, and if I did, many others did too.

As for animals, you will not see many native animals in the towns apart from birds and maybe lizards. Town animals are dogs and cats. On the outskirts you may see a roo once in a blue moon.

But Why??

I havent been there either, but it sure looks like a really neat place.
Oh sorry, no im here, and yep its neat, I tidy up after meself.

scooter

Go to WA, Freemantle + Perth specifically. If you make Freo, say hello to the Sail + Anchor pub for me, happy days.....

auburn

Where I live is full of native Australian animals with Roos in the yard when they feel like it and koalas making growing noises at night. We have many different sorts of birds who come to feed at my bird feeder.

And as for Steve Irwin, my family and I regularly go to the Sunshine Coast and I refuse to visit Australia Zoo as not only was Steve Irwin a complete dill but his wife is nothing but a money hungry cow who makes her daughter appear everywhere. That little girl doesnt know what it is to be young as she has never been allowed to.

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