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jazzyrags Jan 19, 2006

nice post nice to see all the Aussie together    THE END

rufnut Jan 19, 2006

Wow all the aussie girls have summed it up very well, I have no more to add there.   Well done girls.  Also well done to Melissa from a NZ prospective. Glad you love Melbourne so much thats where I am from.

I have been to the US about 4 times, and I would say it is very similar plenty of shops, populated city areas, sounds, air, polution in the city, country, etc etc , just that you guys/gals drive on the wrong side of the road. hehehhe........

Nanc to answer your questions -

What is your favorite thing to do or where to go and what do you love about being there? 
Definitely love going down the coast to the beach as I live in the north western suburbs of Melbourne, build up neighbourhood area, about 45 minutes drive from Melbourne which is the capital city of Victoria. 
I love to laze on the beach and go down to the coastal beaches of the West side of Victoria its called the Great Ocean Road, to places like Torquay, Anglesea, and go for long walks along the sand and through the water, take heaps of sunset photo's and catch some waves.

I will probably never be able to visit there, so give me a little vision through your eyes.
Never say never, always be positive.     Let me say that whenever I have been overseas travelling, I always love coming home. It feels safe to me,   I think that is true for everyone.

Are you native or did you move there from somewhere else? I was born here in Australia.

I know a little history about it, but have not studied that much...anything exciting you would like to share?
Always important to travel in your own country and experience as many things as possible, gives you a good grounding for when you travel elsewhere in the world.

Also I dislike anything that starts with S, ie. snake, spider, shark, cannot think of any others at the moment.

Here is a photo of my property which is 35 minutes drive north, it is 10 acres, we hope to build here when my kids are grown up.   Well thats the grand plan anyway. There are some kangaroos in the background they often come and feed in the wet areas and they are a definite nuisance to us, I hit one last year by accident on my way to work, it made an aweful mess and it was only a baby.  Also frightened the absolute living daylights out of me at the time too. . Here is a photo of my little girl with our horse.   

Thanks for asking about Australia Nanc.

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJan 19, 2006

I just can't imagine what it would be like to see kangaroos jumping out onto the road while driving.  They're so absolutely exotic here; it's just unfathomable.  It would be as if the zoo gates had flung open and released the animals of the world onto our unsuspecting highways.  I guess you get used to it, though, eh?, like we are used to seeing skunks and opossums and raccoons and jackrabbits here, in our backyards, in fields, and -- sadly -- as street-side roadkill, here in NorCal.

I still want to hear about the funnel web spiders....

!!!

     

NancyAndFriends Jan 19, 2006

Karen....THANK YOU!!! for those wonderful pictures.  I have really enjoyed all the pictures posted here.  It is so funny to see the 'roos' in the background.  I have seen the same thing here in the states, except it is DEER!!
The horse is beautiful...but that little doll who is generously passing out a little love...is just plain adorable.  I love the way she is holding her other little hand away from the horse....so 'girly' !!!  She is a lucky little girl to be growing up in such a wonderful place.
Thank you so much...I am really getting a feel for the 'true' country side.

:hug:
nancy

kimkc Jan 20, 2006

Shelli,
its rare to see a kangaroo just jumping out onto the road!!!  why does everyone overseas think this??!! If they are seen on the road, its either at dusk or dawn, as they are most active when its cool. of course this often leads to them being hit by vehicles, especially semi-trailers. we hit one once in the sedan my parents owned, messed up the car really badly.
As we've had such a severe drought, they have been seen closer to people, but still not so often. they are in search of water of course. two year ago i was driving past some vineyards at saw one at the end of a row of vines, the owner had watered so i guess the 'roo was trying to drink. but really, they don't just hop on through our backyards!

Jellybelly Bears Jan 20, 2006

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide

This is a great link with photos of my home, Adelaide.  It is one of the quiet cities of Australia and it is said that people come here to retire lol.  I don't see any wildlife where I live in the suburbs (kangaroos, koalas)  but a short drive into the county and my sister has a koala living in her front yard lol. 
It is really hot here at the moment, we are having a really big heat wave and the end is not in sight still (7 day forcast we look at every night)  It is terrible. 
It is much harder to grow a garden because of this heat in the summer.  But our winters and springs are beautiful.  It rarely gets below around 0C or 30F on a winters night adn I think this is freeeezing lol
I think what I like most about aussies is that we love to laugh at ourselves.  I know we have had so many medical breakthroughs here etc etc, but we are more known for other things lol

Oh has anyone ever watched the aussie episode of the simpsons lol.  So hilarious, but totally steriotypical and not the way we live.  I watched an old murder she wrote the other day in australia, and it was located in the desert on a sheep ranch or something, and the pub was so old and dusty etc lol.

Another thing that amazes some of my US friends is that we only have 20 million i think people living here.   It is small, and we are a young country too with the first settlers only arriving in 1788.

Jellybelly Bears Jan 20, 2006

One thing I wonder, when you see an Aussie putting on an American accent, do you know...like do you all think that is someone putting on our accent??  Like Julian Mcmahon, Nicole etc etc
For us it is really easy to pick an American or English using an Aussie accent. It iwll be interesting to find out.

Oh Steve Irwin, forgot him...when I first talked to some of my American friends from a health group I am part of, they were sure I would sound like Steve Irwin lol     I did a 'crikey' just to please lol

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJan 20, 2006

Shelli,
its rare to see a kangaroo just jumping out onto the road!!!  why does everyone overseas think this??!!

Because in the post just above mine, Karen just today wrote:

There are some kangaroos in the background they often come and feed in the wet areas and they are a definite nuisance to us, I hit one last year by accident on my way to work, it made an aweful mess and it was only a baby.

That's why!!!!

It never occurred to me before.  Except while watching Kangaroo Jack.  Which features a kangaroo... that jumps out in front of a car... and gets hit...

kimkc Jan 20, 2006

Ok Shelli, i'll let you off!!!!
Drove me batty when we were on holiday in the US, everyone kept asking about kangaroo's being kept as pets and randomly roaming through the cities like they were dogs or something!!! :doh:

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJan 20, 2006

Ok Shelli, i'll let you off!!!!
Drove me batty when we were on holiday in the US, everyone kept asking about kangaroo's being kept as pets and randomly roaming through the cities like they were dogs or something!!! :doh:

Thank you for the grace period, Kim.  I'm learning Oz with eagerness and interest, truly.

Just FYI, in defense of myself and to at least partially rescue the reputations of the non-Aussie set   ... I have NEVER personally held the belief kangaroos run about in cities like feral cats, or that they sleep under people's porches, and so on.  I figured, even without education to the contrary, that kangerros were wilderness-type, indigenous, field-roaming-where-they-can-find-it, critters; sorta like deer are here, or mountain lions, or rattlesnakes (and yes, we have them in both Northern AND Southern California!)  Furthermore, on some of the nature shows I like and watch so much -- the ones called AUSTRALIA'S SCARY CREATURES!!!, or some such frightening title as that -- they have stated more than once that kangaroos, while terrifically cute looking, can be somewhat dangerous.  I can't remember why they said that would be; Is it during mating season?  Due to a bad mood?  Famine?  Can't remember; sorry.

But I recall thinking, "How on earth can that thing be dangerous?  It's just waaaaaaaaaaaay too cute!"

I have a great male friend -- a PhD in structural engineering, specializing in quake-proofing huge buildings -- from Australia.  He is full of vim and vigor and good spirit; very friendly, always cracking jokes.  When I first met him he left a very favorable impression on me, of the continent Down Under... and in the years since, that impression hasn't changed one bit. 

I've also had one close Aussie girlfriend, some years back; she hailed from somewhere near Bondi Beach and spoke so highly of it, with that wonderful accent!, and of the scorching, nose-peeling beauty of the coastline in Australia.  I don't have, in my head, any kind of map that tells me where Bondi Beach is -- or, for that matter, Sydney! I am "geographically challenged" for certain -- but I sure would love to visit there someday, given the picture of it she painted in my head many years ago.

As a sidenote:  I have always prided myself on being especially good at mimicking accents of all kinds (English especially, and French, Indian, etc.)  But I've gotta tell you, the one I just CAN'T get down -- no matter how often I hear it -- is Australia/New Zealand.  Well... and, for that matter -- South Africa, too.  Frustrating, that!

Anyway, after all this photo viewing and talk of friendly folk and furry critters, it's decided. I'm visiting, as soon as it can be arranged. 

Who wants me as a houseguest????

Cleathero Creations Jan 20, 2006

Shelli,
kangaroos can be very dangerous, not that they hunt you down or attack you at all.  but like anything it will defend if it can't escape or feels threatened.
They lean on their tails and kick with their back legs.
They can gouge very badly although I have to admit I don't think anyone has died from a kangaroo attack, if anyone had heard differently  I apologise.
It is usually the big ones that cause the most damage but really you have to be doing something terribly wrong or terribly stupid to incur the wrath of a roo.
Koalas can scratch and bite too.
But the rolling hills, the dry red outback, the rainforests are all available to us and i wouldn't swap it for the world.

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJan 20, 2006

Do Australians visit Ayers Rock?  I've seen it in movies, photos, and documentaries; it looks spectacular, and so remote.  It seems like something a person from the continent would want to see... like how people in the US want to see the Grand Canyon, or Mount Rushmore, or Washington, DC.  (I've been to Mt. Rushmore only.)

Do I sound like an idiot stereotype, muttering idiotic stereotypes about an entire continent?  Eek.  If so, that's not my intent.  I am just very curious about this land of yours... but my knowledge is quite limited and I am generally not a one-shot-learner when it comes to geography and topography.

Cleathero Creations Jan 20, 2006

There is something special about Uluru (Ayers rock) and although I have never been there I want to go and so do most of the population.  I think a huge number of Australians go there it calls to people I think.
I know it sounds silly but really it seems to call to people.  It is a scared sitie to the Koori people and when my parents went they said you could feel it and hardly anyone goes away feeling untouched.

rufnut Jan 23, 2006

Nanc thanks for your lovely comments about my little girl, she is a real gem.

Sorry Shelli, about the funnel web spiders I have never seen one, only heard about them, and read about them.

Also Ayers Rock is on my agenda to do one day.     It's amazing I have actually been to the Grand Canyon but not Ayers rock.

matilda Jan 23, 2006

Here in WESTERN AUSTRALIA the young head up to the resort at ULARU and work for a year. The resort apparently is very large.

psichick78 Mar 16, 2006

Wow, to die for!
Australia has always been #1 on my most wanted to travel list. Sigh, if only it was closer..............

Megelles Mar 16, 2006

HI Everyone

I will add my little bit - I am Aussie born and bred!!!!

We love this country and always love to travel.

I have been on the road for the last few days and am currently in Dubbo which is in central the Central of NEW SOUTH WALES.

We have been to the beach for the last few days- along the NSW coast- we should have dropped in to say Hi to LISA R.

We are now taking the children to the Zoo in Dubbo and then onto the Blue mountains.

On Sunday we are going to SYDNEY for the SYDNEY Teddy Bear Fair.  I will hopefully catch up with Denise and a few others

I will post a few pictures when I get home to Brissie.

Big hugs Lisa

Best Dressed Bears Mar 17, 2006

G,day, YEP HERE COMES another Aussie!!!!!!We appear to have bombarded this formum. Hi to all my fellow Aussies and you have all descibe this amazing country so beautifully.
I am a born and bred Australian also. Growing up in a country town  called Shepparton it is in the area of the State of Victoria. It is commonly known here as the Goulburn Valley. The home of SPC and Ardmona fruit companies. Just outside of Shepparton was the Cambells Soup Factory.
I grew up riding my bike to school throught the SPC Canary where on hot summer days you could smell the apricots being stewed, and see the peach kernels piled up outside the factory.
Shepparton was and still is a very hot and dry in Summer.  The temprature would quite often reach into the 40 degree levels, we spent a lot of time at the River not the beach where the city dwellers could go.
I live in Melbourne now with my daughter Ashlee and husband David.
Melbourne is a very diverse city it has an amazing amount culture. We have many nationalities living  in and around Melbourne. We have great eaterys and terrific art festivals. We have four seasons in one day (which sometimes is a good thing and sometimes not).
So there is my little blurb about this great land; its not much; but like every other Aussie we could go on for ever. If you are ever wanting to come over here you  would be welcomed with open arms.
So thank you again for asking about Australia,
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

DebbieD Mar 17, 2006

:hug: Thank you all for sharing so much about Australia  :hug:   I have to admit to being a big WUSS and the stories of the things that could kill you in Australia set my hair to curling     I sincerely doubted I would ever set foot on the Island, but after seeing glimpses perhaps one day I will come and visit this gorgeous country Down Under.  And I promise not to try to mimic you  !!!  I know how annoying that can be 

Just Us Bears Mar 17, 2006

Hey Deb...if the things that could kill you were THAT lethal....there would be no Aussies!
I could count the dangerous animals in Oz on one hand...it really is a very safe place to visit...and friendly too!

Wenbears Mar 17, 2006

Absolutely wonderful posts from wonderful people!!
My daughter Rachael went to Australia on a student work visa for a year in 2001.  When I read that Lisa said "If you ever come to visit, you won't want to go back home.", that was my daughter's sentiment exactly.  She came home and enrolled in 'Travel and Tourism' at a college in order to work in a field that will hopefully allow her to go back.  She LOVED it down there!  Kind of funny, while she was there she had no asthma and her skin cleared up.
Her favourite places were the Whitsunday Islands and Byron Bay to name a couple.
I emailed her after reading some of your Aussie posts, and her email back was:  "I just loved the whole d** country and want to live there!  There you go in a nut shell."
Goodness, if it ever comes true, it'll be a long way to visit the grandchildren!
 
Wendy

DebbieD Mar 17, 2006

I do think I'll stop being such a wimp!      Afterall, we have copperheads and rattlesnakes here....and yes, people and livestock DO get bit...but a snake is a snake is a snake.  Plus we get the fun rides of tornadoes through here...cougars etc, so I should quit being such a wuss.  Afterall, as Hayley says...there'd be no Aussies if everything were truly that horrific   

rufnut Mar 18, 2006

Good on you Lisa for restarting up this thread again and adding so much more info to it for all our friends. 

I am running out of net time at the moment, so I might get back to it tommorrow and add some more to it.

rufnut Mar 19, 2006

Thanks Lisa.

Here is a link to some information about Melbourne, Victoria, this is my home town. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne  Too much info to post here, but worth a look.

Also a link to whats on in Melbourne at the moment - the Commonwealth Games are currently being hosted by Melbourne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Commonwealth_Games
Here are some wonderful scenes from the Opening Ceremony last week and Melbournes City Skyline at night time and fireworks.

Mmmm just remembered South Australia and Western Australia are known for their wonderful beaches and wineries.   They are lovely places to visit.

Aleta - The Silly Bear Mar 19, 2006

Absolutely stunning pictures!!  Thank you for sharing your part of the world!  It's just beautiful.  I'd love to visit sometime.  Perhaps when it's winter here!!

Warmest bear hugs,  :hug:
Aleta