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Australian road sign in the Nullarbor. The sign is a yellow animal warning sign on the left-hand side of an empty road in a treeless desert environment. There are three yellow diamond signs, with black outlines of a camel, a wombat and a kangaroo on them. Below them is a yellow rectangle sign with "Next 96 km" in black print.

Australian etiquette: the Outback Driving Wave

It’s all about being friendly when driving out in “woop woop” (the middle of nowhere) ๐Ÿค— Driving across a lot of Australia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ involves traversing not just hundreds but thousands of kilometres of roads in near-empty deserts. This huge part of Australia is known as ‘the Outback’ because, you know, it’s out back there. Once […]

Block of feta cheese on paper on a cutting board, with basil on top

Generic or specific? The issue stopping the free-trade agreement between the EU and Australia

Feta, prosecco, parmesan, mozzarella (di bufala campana), champagne…Would you believe that the names of all these famous products are the cause for the deadlock in the free-trade agreement negotiations between the EU ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ and Australia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ. How come? ๐Ÿ‘‰ All these product names (and more) are protected designation of origin (PDO) terms in the European […]

Tina Turner in flower-patterned sundress running along the beach with two rugby players to her right and one to her left, wearing speedos

Tina Turner… Australian cultural icon!

Did you know that Tina Turner has been one of the biggest contributors to Australian culture? ๐Ÿฆ˜ Honestly, her impact has been huge! Here’s how… Go to any Australian wedding or social event and you’re bound to hear the rock guitars that herald Tina Turner’s 1973 hit Nutbush City Limits. The long intro provides enough […]

Five common myths about raising bilingual children

Surprising as it may be, I was once a child, but one who happened to grow up in a multilingual environment but dominated by English. That I actually ended up having a career using my languages from childhood did not come easily. I had to overcome some major hurdles ๐Ÿšง in the form of widely-accepted […]

Businessman using megaphone Closeup Portrait isolated on White Background

Three everyday words that exist in Australian English only!

Ask what’s most unique about Australian English ๐Ÿชƒ, the answers usually are our accent and slangโœ”๏ธ. However, there are also a number of uniquely Australian English words in regular use, even in formal situations, that Australians are surprised to find are not used everywhere else in the English-speaking world (OK, sometimes also in New Zealand๐Ÿฅ, […]

Watch out, here comes the Aussie version of The Office…

Are you a fan of the cult TV comedy show The Office?๐Ÿ•บAnd which version: the UK one ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง? The US one ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ? The French one ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท? The Indian one ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ or any of the other 13 variants made? ๐Ÿ“ฃ News in is that an Australian ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ version of The Office will be hitting our screens […]

Numerous chocolate-covered chewy caramels, unwrapped on he left, broken into pieces on the bottom, and wrapped on the right. The wrapping is yellow with blue and orange ends, with writing on the yellow section

Oh no, not the Fantales!!!

The biggest news to hit Australia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ this week has nothing to do with any natural disaster๐Ÿ”ฅor a major political scandal ๐Ÿ—ฏ. It’s something far, far, far more groundbreaking… One of Australia’s most iconic lollies ๐Ÿฌ (psst… “lolly” is the Australian term for “candy” or “sweets”) will be, to use the food wholesale term, deleted. […]

Happy 50th anniversary to the Adelaide Festival Centre!

๐ŸŽ‰ 50 years ago today, the Adelaide Festival Centre, the premier performing and visual arts venue and precinct in Adelaide, Australia, opened. The centre to this day remains one of the symbols of Adelaide. ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ ๐ŸŽญ I know what some of you are thinking… it looks like a boxy version of that more famous Australian […]

What’s a “bank holiday”? Do Aussies say that too?

Today (Monday), 29 May 2023 is a “bank holiday” in the United Kingdom, our third this month! ๐Ÿ“†Now this term “bank holiday” often confuses many people not from the UK or Ireland. Does this mean that it’s a holiday for banks only? ๐Ÿง Absolutely not! “Bank holidays” in the UK and Ireland are what are […]

Tina Turner… Major Australian Cultural Contributor!

Did you know that Tina Turner has been one of the biggest contributors to Australian culture? ๐Ÿฆ˜ Honestly, her impact has been huge! Here’s how… Go to any Australian wedding ๐Ÿ’ or social event ๐ŸŽ‰ and you’re bound to hear the rock guitars ๐ŸŽธ that herald Tina Turner’s 1973 hit Nutbush City Limits. The long […]