Advertisement
Rainbow Lorikeet
A few hundred of these in a tree can really raise the decibel level in a campground. The birds. Whether they're squawky or melodic, tropical birds are wonderfully beautiful with their bright red/green/orange and yellow colours and mischievious behavior. They don't seem to be afraid of people and are often quite curious. We've decided that often the most beautiful birds, like rainbow lorikeets and white-crested cockatoos, have the most awful, schreechy calls. The smaller, plainer ones, like doves and magpies are wonderful to listen to. And we love the kookaburras laughing the most - probably because we don't live here and don't have to listen to them constantly!
The countryside. We've been through scrub desert and lush tropical forests now. The red dirt covers most of the country. There's a warmth about Australia that has nothing to do with the weather and more to do with the colours and scents.
The people. The friends we've spent time with and the people we've talked to in caravan parks: everybody seems to agree that Canadians and Australians have a similar compatibility. One man told us, "You Canadians 'get' our jokes".
The food. Some of it is a bit puzzling - Is there any other place in the world that doesn't eat french fries (they're called chips here)
Pastie, Peas and Mash
A Sydney favourite, it was really delicious at a local road-side stand. with ketchup? It's a real meat-and-potatoes type country which is what we enjoy anyway. But Australia is also rich in fresh, local vegetables and fruit year-round and the seafood is abundant. You never get a dinner that doesn't have a huge serving of several vegetables. And, since Australia is very multi-cultural like we are, there is a great diversity in restaurants.
Caravan parks are amazing in Australia. We've had a great time carrying our home with us but, even without one, it would have been so easy to travel around the country staying in the caravan park facilities. They're available in every town be it large or small.
Interesting Differences:
Drive-through liquor stores: You see one every few blocks. It's literally like driving through the middle of a liquor store. There are two or three car lanes right through the centre of a building. Drivers park in a lane, jump out and give the attendant their order. Within minutes they're back in their cars and on their way out. Don't ask me how I know this but it seems that big motor homes fit into the drive-through lanes too.
There are fast-food chains here too but
Drive Through Liquor Storet
They're called BWS (Beer, Wine, Spirits) stores. they aren't as prolific as in Canada. Australia has lots more chicken take-aways, though. You can get fried chicken and chips on every second block, it seems. There are also lots of fresh seafood shops, many which deep-fry their catch for customers to eat. And chips, there are always lots of chips - but no ketchup.
Chinese food is puzzling to us because nothing on the menus looks like anything we're used to in Canada. Wouldn't you think Chinese food would be the same in any country as long as it's cooked by Chinese people? I have to say, though, it's delicious. Oh, meat pies are eaten a lot here, as are sausage rolls. You find them not only in every bakery but in every filling station too. Often there are road-side wagons set up to sell fresh-baked meat pies and rolls.
All children country-wide wear school uniforms, different colours for different schools. It's also mandatory they wear hats when they're outside during school time. And, for safety reasons, all adult tradesmen and labourers wear high-visibility shirts that are either day-glo orange or florescent green.
Cheddar cheese isn't orange, it's yellow.
Round-abouts. They're everywhere and they
High-Vis Clothing
When I wanted to take a picture do you think I could find workers wearing nice, clean, bright shirts? No. really seem to work. We learned the trick, put the address you want into the GPS and let that friendly voice guide you through which exit to take.
Often, the more reasonably priced places to eat dinner are sports clubs. Lawn bowling (called Bowls) is really popular here and we often see teams of retired people playing. You can eat at a Bowls club and get a nice meal. As well, there are RSL Clubs (Returned and Services League). The money the members raise from selling food goes back to help servicemen who are serving in Afghanistan. The public is encouraged to go there; all you have to do is sign a form that makes you a (free) member for one day. Finer dining in restaurants is really expensive in comparison to Canadian prices so we've used Clubs when we can. Also, in restaurants, there is often no table service. You have to give your order at a counter and go and get your drink at the bar (if there is one). And we rarely are given a bill; we have to walk back to the counter and pay on our way out the door.
Shopping buggies. All
Ute with a tray-back
These seem to be the most popular work trucks. four wheels rotate in all directions so, as you push, you also have to control the direction the buggy wants to go. Often I see people pushing them down the aisle sideways. They'd be murder for someone with a bad back or knees.
Pick-up trucks are not quite the same as in Canada. There are trucks similar to our Toyota Tacoma (Hi-lux is one) but they aren't plentiful and they aren't meant for working. They also only have short boxes, not long ones like we have. Utes (short for Utility) are small truck cabs with short boxes or flat tray-backs. They're really plentiful as work trucks.
EFTPOS, pronounced exactly how it looks, is the little machine you put your credit card or debit card into when you pay at the supermarket. Instead of asking us, "Are you paying by cash or credit card?" they ask, "Is it EFTPOS?". The first time I was asked that (about four times) I thought the cashier was speaking a different language - or I was.
* Barry calls this a NO SH-- Story:
Golf Rules in Queensland. It is only permissible to smoke on even-numbered fairways and to eat on
Another Smoking Oddity
This golf course interpreted the rules a bit differently. odd-numbered fairways in Queensland. We told this to some Aussie campers and two of them didn't believe us. Fortunately, the third fellow is a golfer and he declared it to be true. It has to do with the law they have (similar to ours) that people can't smoke near public eating establishments.
After reading that don't you just love Australia?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.204s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 43; dbt: 0.0881s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb