Questions About Australia

[argon]

It's not the roo's that are the problem, it's those bloody dropbears

oh jeeesus don't get me started on them feckin' things

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Kangaroo terds I assume?

larger, angrier Koalas, which drop out of trees & eat foreign backpackers.

 

[EMalmgren]

larger, angrier Koalas, which drop out of trees & eat foreign backpackers.

Someone should do something about that. I can loan you a firearm.

 

[Pennywise]

Think Koala with rabies and claws like a freakin' bear. Got a mean growl on em' to, it's usually the last thing any unsuspecting bushwalker hears before they drop out of the tree tops and start rampaging everywhere. They usually hunt in packs of 3 or more

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

So whats with the whole "Mate" thing? There something to that or what?

Mate is what you call someone who is your friend. Or somebody who is not your friend. Or what you call a complete stranger. Or somebody who you can't remember their name. depends on the context.

 

[Bribie G]

mate = "buddy" as in can you spare a dime or "pal".

last kangaroo I saw was on the end of my fork. Contrary to organisations such as PETA, kangaroo populations are now very high due to farming activities which have increased the amount of pasture and water available to them. Most Supermarkets now sell kangaroo meat (sausages, steak, fillet). I like the fillet - tastes a bit like venison.
Doesn't taste like chicken :lol:



Compare the USA where you can now get Bison steaks etc.

 

[joshuahardie]

So whats with the whole "Mate" thing? There something to that or what?

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

Mateship is an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship.
There are two types of mateship, the inclusive and the exclusive; the inclusive is in relation to a shared situation (e.g., employment, sports, or hardship), whereas the exclusive type is toward a third party (e.g., a person that you have just met).
Russel Ward, in The Australian Legend (1958), saw the concept as a central one to the Australian people. Mateship derives from mate, meaning friend, commonly used in Australia as an amicable form of address. Mateship can also be expressed in such qualities as loyalty to one's mates in preference to the law.

 

[EMalmgren]

LOL @ PETA.

God Bless America

 

[EMalmgren]

I wondered if it had a bigger deeper meaning than just "buddy/bro/friend".

 

[brett mccluskey]

Wow, that blows my mind. I really cant imagine that.

Not quite correct,if you're a member of a registered hunting/target shooting club you can own an appropriate firearm.No full auto weapons at all.Basically only licensed hunters,target shooters,or farmers only .Oh,and the odd bank robber or two :lol: Opps,missed a few posts...

 

[stux]

Wow, that blows my mind. I really cant imagine that.

A friend of mine just got a gun license. Had to join a target shooting club first. Now he can buy a rifle to use on a target range.

 

[Asha05]

New Zealanders are close enough to being aussies, that many of them here. And if they get famous we claim them.
I work on thepowerlines and 60% of our guys are kiwis. We have to have a license for a gun and its a bit of a process to get one. You must have a gunsafe bolted to the floor and ammo kept seperate from the gun also locked away. No semi or full automatic allowed. Illegal.

In my opinion our gun laws are great, dont have to worry that everyone is carrying like in the states.

 

[drfad]

How many of you have actually seen a Kangaroo in the wild? Is it fairly common or not so much?

Living in Canberra, the Australian Capital City, they are bloody everywhere to the extent that we have culls to thin the numbers. They make a big mess of the car when you run into them too.

 

[Asha05]

Its funny the mate thing, a few years back we had an american guy come out to play baseball with us at our club and he couldnt quite understand why we would hang **** on our mates...As in mucking around, if they did something bad on the field as in make an error or something we get stuck into him..ie your a knob or nice play ****...He just couldnt grasp the concept of it...we were just mates having fun and meant nothing of it. He wanted to know why we werent getting angry at each other for bagging each other.

He got it in the end.

 

[bowie in space]

I believe we're the only nation in the world that eats it's own national emblem/coat of arms. I have eaten Kangaroo and probably won't do it again. Not unpleasant, there's just more tastier and readily available meat on the market.

Wallabies are more commonly spotted in towns outside cities. Kangaroos are seen more commonly in the outback.

Rugby league is Australia's best football code. The team is known as the Kangaroos.

The Rugby (union) teams are the Wallabies.

Australian Rules is good too, but can't really fathom a sport that rewards teams for missing the target. The Australian team is called the ...um.....ahh....wotsit.....oh yeah, a bit like the All American Football team. The best players get selected but don't play anyone because it's uniquely Australian.

Test match cricket is the number one sport in my opinion. Many others find it boring. Two teams of eleven players are given five days and two innings each to win the match, which can sometimes end up in a draw. Fascinating stuff....no, really it is. I don't like T20 cricket, but it's a hit with the kids...and India. It's fast paced and colourful.

I don't have any family of friends who own a gun, but a lot of people go pig hunting with guns in the bush. It is just not commonplace to own a gun in Australia. Most people will tell you the same.

Average wage is about $60,000 per annum. You get about 80% of that after tax.

Overall, it is a young and free country becoming increasingly more culturally diverse. A great place to live and many vastly different areas to see all over the country.

Now, if we could just get the rest of the country to start drinking some real bloody beer.

Cheers,

Bowie

 

[EMalmgren]

"Australian Beer"...does it exist, and what is it?

I look forward to the response.

If anyone says Fosters I'm going to kill a kitten.

 

[argon]

ahh... kitten joke... i think you're been here for a while.

Australian Beer = Coopers Pale Ale. One of the best examples of a uniquely Australian beer. While not the best beer in the world, or Australia, it has a unique quality inherent in it's use of Pride of Ringwood and Coopers own yeast. If you want to make a good version of this i suggest you give this recipe a go. The best Australian beer i've ever had

Yes Foster's is also Australian but you struggle to find it here. The most widely sold beer in Australia is VB - Victoria Bitter. I am not a fan. It is made by Carlton United, which is owned by Foster's Group.

Common beers here are light lagers and low carb varieties of the same.

At the average pub you typically only get a choice of about 4 or 5 taps. Depending on who the pub's parent company is you only get their selection of beers. For example a Carlton United Brewery (CUB) Pub will have on offer VB, Carlton MID, Carlton Draught, Pure Blonde, Pure Blonde Naked. All pretty much the same light lagers ranging from 5%ABV to 3.5%ABV.

For some decent (uniquely) Australian Beers have a search for the following (most probably not available in the US);
- Stone & Wood Pacific Ale
- Barons Lemon Myrtle Witbier
- Coopers Pale Ale

While not uniquely Australian, these beers are quite popular craft brews (using that term loosely in some cases);
- Little Creatures Pale Ale
- Alpha Pale Ale
- Coopers Best Extra Stout

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Coopers sparkling would be closest to a "traditional" Australian ale. It's a pale beer. About 5 % abv. Not very hoppy bittering addition only. Most of the character of the beer comes from their yeast which is quite fruity banana/pear.

 

[joshuahardie]

Only Australian beers / styles would be

Coopers Pale and Coopers Sparkling

Id also consider Australian beers with uniquely Australian ingredients
Like Bridgeroads Galaxy IPA

 

[EMalmgren]

Looks like I've got some bottles to look for next time I go to the LHBS