Australians are known for their ‘No worries’ attitude, and that is definitely true. But over the course of my travels, there are many things that people think about Australia (or Australians) that are blatantly false. I am here to remedy the most outrageous Australian stereotypes.
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Outrageous Australian Stereotypes Debunked
Here are some of the common misconceptions and Australian stereotypes people have about the land ‘Down Under’:
1. We all talk in slang that you won’t understand
G’day mate, shrimp on the barby, fair dinkum, hard yakka, Sheila… I am Australian and I have never used any of these typical Aussie slang words, except for in jest. A few words that you might come across:
- Cooee: it’s a high-pitched call to attract attention or simply just to see how good the echo is. You’ll only hear someone use it if you’re going caving or trekking through a valley.
- Bogan: someone from the country or small town that’s a bit close-minded. They don’t get out often.
- Chuck a sicky: no it’s not a type of projectile. It’s pretending to be sick to get a day off work – a normal occurrence to get a long weekend.
- Budgie smugglers: these should have been banned from coming into the country. They’re the tiniest of bathers for men, an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-nightmare-speedo-mankini.
- Thongs: sorry to burst your bubble, but this is the more common word for flip flops or sandals.
- Jumper: no, it’s not a mode of transport involving a kangaroo. It’s a sweater, or a pullover.
2. It never rains in Australia
Yes, Australia has the lowest precipitation of any of the world’s inhabited continents (Antarctica gets less) but it still rains. I love the answer that Tourism Australia gave, obviously everyone has a sense of humour:
Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
I’ve included some of the hilarious questions and answers from the Australian Tourism Board throughout this post, as they’re too good not to share.
3. Australia is just an island, how big can it be?
Australia is the word’s smallest continent but the world’s sixth largest country.
It covers an area of 7.7 thousand square kilometres, that’s slightly smaller than the United States mainland which is 7.8 thsd square kilometres.
However, 44% of Australia is desert and a further 37% is semi-arid grassland or shrub communities.
So we mainly live along the coasts, thus why you see most photos related to Australia at a beach.
Here’s a common ridiculous miconceptions and Australian stereotypes showcased in hilarious questions
Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney – can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it’s only three thousand miles, take lots of water…
4. Kangaroos and Koalas live in our backyards
Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you’ve been drinking.
‘Do you ride kangaroos to school? Where do you park them?’
Back in the 90’s when my parents took me on my first trip overseas to the US, this is one of the first questions I was asked, along with ‘do you have phone lines?’.
Kangaroos and koalas rarely come into the cities, but if you venture inland to the country communities you should be able to find some. Just don’t try to pat them.
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It’s a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It’s called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
5. We all eat Vegemite for breakfast, lunch, and tea
A lot of Australians (like others around the world) detest Vegemite.
It is an acquired taste, to say the least, and is usually spread very thinly on hot buttered toast for breakfast.
Tim Tams are the preferred treat of every Aussie household, chocolate coated chocolate biscuits with chocolate cream in the middle – you can’t get much better than that!
Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegan hunter gatherers. Milk is illegal.
6. You have a really high chance of dying from all the poisonous/lethal/most deadly things
Many of the world’s most venomous snakes are found in Australia, and one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, the funnel-web, is commonly found in Sydney homes.
With technology in anti-venoms and treatments, it is rare to die from a snake or spider bite in Australia.
Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.
The north of Australia is home to the world’s largest species of crocodile, the salt water crocodile.
Males can occasionally grow to lengths of over 6 metres, big enough to swallow anyone whole!
Each year one or two people are eaten by crocodiles in Australia.
You can greatly reduce your risk of being eaten by not camping next to an enclosed riverbank that has a sign saying, ‘Warning: Crocodiles’.
7. Sydney is the capital, or maybe it’s Melbourne?
Neither Sydney nor Melbourne are the capital of Australia actually.
Sydney and Melbourne are Australia’s largest cities but they couldn’t decide who was bigger and better, so they compromised on a smaller city in between and created Canberra.
Other things about Australia you might not know:
- Christmas is in Summer so you get to ride around on your new bike straight away
- We now have our first female ranga (redhead) prime minister
- The AU$ just reached parity with the US for the 1st time since flotation – easy way to pick the Aussie travellers in conversation, we’re all raving about it
- Instead of everyone being trained for the army, we all have to go through a gruelling Baywatch-style life-saving program at the beach. Ok, that’s a wish not a fact.
- Most Aussies under 40 haven’t seen much of Australia outside of their home, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane + some close coast/snow/wine trips. Everything is so far away that if we’re going to travel somewhere, it may as well be overseas
- Most people blow their RTW budget here – best to plan the end of your trip here
- We have plastic money, that’s right, you can’t rip up our big boys
A couple of months ago we wrote a post on Canadian Stereotypes. It was a lot of fun to share our views of how people perceive us and this is even more fun to see how Australians perceive themselves!
Thanks to our friends Lauren and Todd for sharing their Australian expertise.
Travel to Australia? Read More about Australia’s cities and adventures
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- Great Ocean Walk – A Beautiful Way to Experience the Twelve Apostles
- Things to Do in Brisbane – Everything You Need to Know
- 23 of the Most Iconic Places to Visit in Australia
- Maria Island – Escape from Civilization in Australia
- Diving the Great Barrier Reef – Australia’s Ultimate Adventure
- Fraser Island tour, You’ll Love This Unique 4WD Adventure
That is where I got all my ideas of Australia too… Men at work and their vegemite sandwiches
Thank you so much for sharing this powerful info
born and bread aussie and everything in this is accurate hahaha but I ride kangaroos to school everyday that’s not just a stereotype XD
when was this created
What about chucking a sickie? https://outbackdictionary.com/chuck-a-sickie-chucking-a-sicky
I think the whole chucking thing seems a bit Straya if you ask me
can people get any more stupid. riding on kangaroos? seriously?
actually i use all the words you said we dont use at all.. lol.. and i know quite a few people who use them actually.. 😛
and ricky bobby is to blame for american stereotypes XD
Great series idea. I was born and raised in Alaska. I didn’t have to leave the country to get asked stupid questions. In fact, last week I was planning my road trip home to Alaska and a co-worker (a software engineering manager) said “you can’t drive to alaska; can you?”. Yep…I just told him that I’d ignore he ever asked me that.
please put in the link for Australian Tourism
and bloody funny
Cute post! I think Crocodile Dundee is the culprit in spreading Australian stereotypes. It’s a fun movie but makes the country look like a total backwater!
Haha, Crocodile Dundee is definitely the culprit, just like Bob and Dough Mackenzie are to blame for Canada:)
Yep, I was def disappointed to find out some of the things on this list. Oh well.
.-= Brooke, WhyGo Australia´s last blog ..Iconic Aussie Food- Lamingtons & How to Make Them =-.
Fun read…learned a lot, actually. Love that slang!
.-= Lisa E @chickybus´s last blog ..Trippy Travel Photo 2- Guess What & Guess Where =-.
Very engaging post. Definitely helps me see Australia in a whole new way. I blame it all on that Men at Work song 🙂
.-= Margo´s last blog ..Visions of Barneys- Gumps and Macys Danced in their Heads =-.
Haha, That is where I got all my ideas of Australia too… Men at work and their vegemite sandwiches.
This post is amazing! Had a nice chuckle going on. I have to admit, most of what I knew of Australia growing up was Crocodile Dundee and kangaroos.
But I mean, I live in Texas so I get really bizarre questions about life here too lol.
All in good fun!
.-= Erica´s last blog ..Hometown Tourism – Santa Rampage-Santa Con =-.
Erica, I am right there with you. At least we thought Crocodile Dundee was really cool so we though Australians were cool. Unlike Canada. Everyone thought we were all like Bob and Doug Mackenzie…Take off eh
:-)Best laugh of the week! I can say that the average kiwi does often say G’day mate, so perhaps this is where this misconception is coming from since so many people think NZ is just another Aussie state… but that could be a completely different post 😉
.-= Merav | AllWays Car Rental NZ´s last blog ..Photo Friday- Thunder Creek Falls =-.
Hi Merav. We will gladly take a guest post on the Kiwi Stereotypes are you up for it???:)
Ooooooh, I hope I am. Love taking challenges (it comes with the age :-P)
.-= Merav | AllWays Car Rental NZ´s last blog ..Accommodation- Motel Hostel Free and the Age Old Question To Book In Advance Or Chance It =-.
You guys make me smile — great, and funny, post.
.-= Michael Hodson´s last blog ..Cold Showers from Hell =-.
This is great news. I don’t need to go to Australia any more if I want to see kangaroos in the streets. Wohoo! 😉
.-= Federico´s last blog ..Washington DC in a Day =-.
you forgot to explain what “a root” means to us!!! oh dear…
.-= jamie´s last blog ..Wikileaks – A Traveller’s Thoughts =-.
Uh Oh, Lauren, Todd, any answers to the question?:)
Or explain why the sentence: “Hi, I’m Randy and I’m rooting for you,” is hilarious to Australians. And possibly offensive to sum as well.
Great post, had me laughing all the way through – I’m a bit embarressed about the guy from the UK and the rain/wind question.
.-= Poi´s last blog ..Getting stuck in Tunnels! =-.
So funny! I can’t wait to visit next spring for the first time!
.-= Joya´s last blog ..Enter OneTravel’s iPhone App Contest for a Free Trip to Brazil! =-.
Oh No, you’ve just blown all the sterotypes away – Us Aussies won’t be able to make fun of foreigners when they visit us any more! I’ll have to get in touch with Oprah before she does her shows in Australia show that I can have her re-instate these stereotypes.
See ya later cobber!
.-= The Travel Tart´s last blog ..Big Five Game Drives at Phinda Private Game Reserve =-.
Haha, don’t worry. Oprah’s audience will definitely believe all the stereotypes.
Fun post 🙂
Re dangerous animals: in the Sydney Aquarium, after walking past all kinds of interesting creatures, you’re presented with the deadliest of them all: humans. Way worse than any spider, snake, shark or croc! In Oz and everywhere else.
.-= Sophie´s last blog ..Magic of Cities 2- Copenhagen =-.
So true Sophie.
Cute! We’re having a ridiculously wet one at the moment in Victoria. I think people easily forget (or never bothered to find out in the first place) how big Australia is and how different it is from region to region.
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..Happy Feet- One Gal’s Tennis World Tour =-.
Love this, when I was in Australia it rained ALL the time. Travelling up the East Coast it poured with rain in Byron Bay, got stuck there because there were floods up to Brisbane and then I got caught in a cyclone in Airlie Beach! I’m still convinced there’s a government conspiracy to make tourists think that it’s always hot and sunny in Australia.
.-= Pommie Travels´s last blog ..Getting to Belgium from London- Plane- Train or Bus =-.
Wow, now that is some bad weather you were in. If there is a conspiracy, the government is definitely doing their job well. Sunshine and heat is excellent for the tourism business:-)
Great post! I love the photos. Having been to Australia, I’d say a few stereotypes are true– mainly, the deadly animals (jellyfish, crocs, etc) and the national love of beer and BBQ. Then again, those last two are pretty popular in the US as well 🙂
And in Canada too! At least the beer and BBQ
Great post! You’ve certainly cleared up a couple of misconceptions I’ve had about Australia……but I still plan to visit someday to see for myself that you don’t all ride kangaroos to school. 🙂
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..How to Get Invited on Press Trips =-.
What!?! Aussies don’t ride roos to work??????
.-= Andi´s last blog ..Cuba- Day 6 Part 2 =-.
nah sorry we don’t …but i hear you’s all fly bald eagles to work right???? …
Oh, thanks for this. Brings back good memories of my high school in South Australia.
.-= Jill – Jack and Jill Travel The World´s last blog ..Santa Barbara Mission – Travel California Series =-.
So what you’re saying is that Aussies DO NOT ride kangaroos to work everyday? I’ve been wrong all these years! Every Aussie tries to get me to like Vegemite, I’ve tasted it, but it just aint happening. I do love their meat pies though! 🙂
.-= Cam´s last blog ..Photo of the Week- Giant Sand Dunes of Huacachina- Peru =-.
Oh, Austria! I love Austria – I did a Sound of music tour there once 😉
.-= Victoria Gibson´s last blog ..Travel To India In The Pursuit Of Happiness =-.
Haha love it! Oh budgie smugglers… it has to be my favourite slang. And someone at Tourism Australia has an awesome sense of humour… I like the one about hippo racing at Kings Cross… come naked :).
I think the most frequent conversation I have with people living here in Sweden is about how dangerous they think it is in Australia. Everyone goes on and on about snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles (my boyfriend thinks there might be dragons too) but they get pretty disappointed when I say the most dangerous thing is going swimming in the ocean. They ask “because of the sharks?” and I say “no because of the water!”
.-= Verity´s last blog ..At home in Australia =-.
It is true, we have always heard about how dangerous it is in Australia. I had visions of deadly spiders and snakes sneaking into houses and attacking people in their sleep.
Haha I regularly say “g’day mate” as a greeting to others but agree that I use the others very sparingly.
Check out our post about Australian Rhyming Slang if you want to get even more confused!
.-= Kieron´s last blog ..The challenge of delayed gratification =-.
Ooh, totally looking forward to reading that post! I will study it well before I visit Australia.