Welcome To Australia: 27 Posts That Explain Why It’s One Of A Kind

Every country and its people have at least one stereotype about them. That's just our human nature; we find it easier to categorize people and things according to traits. Australia is no exception: people think they know what and how Australians drink and eat, what nature's really like over there, and what the most popular slang phrases are.

In 2024, Preply polled over a thousand Australians and asked them their opinion about the way folks from other countries stereotype them. 66% think that stereotypes about Australians and Australia are mostly positive. Yet they have two that they really dislike: that all Australians love 'putting shrimp on the barbie' and say 'g'day, mate'.

Yet not all stereotypes are bad. Some paint Australia and its people in a good light, and Australians are way more likely to like those. In fact, at least 42% of the Australians Preply surveyed said they liked people thinking that Australians are laid-back people. They also like the stereotype that Aussies abbreviate words (37%), and I have to agree. 'Brekkie' is a way better way to refer to breakfast.

Only 19% of Australians also agree with the stereotype that all Australians are fearful of animals. It's probably just because they grow up there and know which ones are safe to pet and which ones they'd better avoid. In fact, most local Australians will tell you that the wildlife is more scared of you than you are of them! 

Contrary to popular belief, Aussies don't go around getting into punching fights with kangaroos. And they don't ride them, either. Kangaroos often get a bad rap: if we were to believe that one video online, all 'roos' are out to get you and your dog. But, in reality, kangaroos are pretty chill animals if they're not being disturbed.

Some people make the mistake of trying to keep kangaroos as pets. However, they've never been domesticated, and keeping a kangaroo as a pet can be incredibly dangerous. Graeme Coulson, professor at the University of Melbourne, calls kangaroos 'vegetarian gladiators'. He explains that kangaroos only attack when provoked or cornered.

Large pets and dingoes are the main predators of kangaroos, and that's why the cornered animals may feel the need to defend themselves when faced with a human and their dog. "Domestic dogs and kangaroos do not mix," Coulson writes. "Many attacks on people occur when a kangaroo defends itself against a dog, then the owner tries to intervene."

For those who wish to see a kangaroo, it's best to do so from a distance. 'Roos' roam in grasslands, outback plains, vineyards, and islands. In Western Australia, some kangaroos even hang out at beaches. "Their favourite spot seems to be at the western end of the beach just next to the campground where they laze around and feed on the seaweed that’s washed up," travel blogger Mark Fitz writes.

If you ever have the chance to visit Australia, Pandas, you'll probably hear that no Aussies ever say the phrase "shrimp on the barbie". That's actually a phrase from American ads popularizing tourism to Australia, titled "Come and say G'Day". In the ads, Australian actor Paul Hogan says "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you", but Australians don't even call them shrimp! They say 'prawns'. 

'Brekkie', 'avo', and 'mozzies' (mosquitoes!) aren't the only diminutive nicknames Aussies use. They even have a unique way of referring to McDonald's and call it "Macca's". For Australia Day in 2013, most restaurants in the country sported the abbreviated name for a day: on their website, menus, drive-thrus, and even on signs outside selected stores. The most-ordered item might surprise you as well: as it turns out, Australians really like their Macca's hash browns!

Another thing people often assume about Australia is its weather. Contrary to popular belief, it's not always a sun-soaked paradise. In fact, if you're in Melbourne, you might experience four seasons in one day. The Australian Alps near the capital Canberra even experience snowfall, and sometimes more than Switzerland during the peak of winter.

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