Australian Slang – How to Get By Down Under

Posted on by
Reply

In America we all know an ankle-biter is an obnoxious child, and avos are avocados. These are just a couple of Aussie slang words we have picked up and use daily. Aussie being a prime example of Australian Slang, we also know that “down under” is either Australia or New Zealand.

Mozzies are definitely the disease-carrying mosquitoes, but a billy is something you boil water in. A wombat is someone who eats shoots and leaves, and is probably just a vejjo (vegetarian).

Whatever you do in Australia, please don’t whinge (whine), as it is unsightly. You’d be better off getting a wobbly boot on (get drunk) than getting all wobbly (excited). Someone may be accused of having kangaroos loose in their top paddock if they appear a bit deranged.

Continue reading →

Indigenous Australian Foods: Bush Tucker

Posted on by
Reply
The continent of Australia, being remote as it is, evolved along different pathways from the rest of the world. The indigenous peoples here survived some 60,000 years without interference from European or other civilizations. These people survived on the meager resources of this continent, in perfect harmony with nature, using the natural resources without destroying them.
Native Australians survived in the bush without such things as pots and pans, and did not usually boil water. They didn’t brew teas and make coffee. They drank water from rivers and streams, or the dew from grass. The natives used foods from their area, and did not trade foods with other groups.

Continue reading →

Daintree River Ferry Crossing

Posted on by
Reply

When traveling north on the Captain Cook Highway you will cross the Daintree River on the way to Cape Tribulation. Here you must use the ferry to cross the rapidly flowing croc infested Daintree River.

Charging 16 Australian Dollars (return) for the ride, this ferry operates on cables that cross the river.

The 21-car ferry runs from 6 AM thru Midnight 7 days a week.

Ten kilometers upriver from here is the village of Daintree, where you can hire a boat to explore the mangrove lagoons and see crocs up close.

Emergency Telephone Numbers Australia

Posted on by
Reply

Emergency Telephone Numbers in Australia:

Dial 000 for Police, Fire or Ambulance from anywhere in Australia.

Emergency Number from everywhere in Australia (from a mobile telephone, you must tell the operator from which state you are calling).

Embassy of the United States of America Chancery: Moonah Place, Yarralumla ACT 2600 Tel: (02) 6214 5600, Fax: (02) 6214 5970

British High Commission Chancery: Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 Tel: (02)6270 6666, Fax (02)6273 3236

High Commission for New Zealand Chancery: Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Tel: (02) 6270 4211

Here is a link to a list of International Embassies in the nation’s capital, Canberra.

Public Holidays in Thailand

Posted on by
Reply

Public Holidays for 2006 in Thailand include:
January 1 New Year’s Day
April 6 Chakri Day
April 13 0000 to April 15 0000 Songkran Days (Thai New Year)
May 1 Labor Day
May 1 Mid Year Day (Banks only)
May 5 Coronation Day
May 7 Royal Ploughing Ceremony
August 12 Queen’s Birthday
October 23 Chulalongkorn Day
December 5 King’s Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 31 New Year’s Eve

Crocodiles in Australia

Posted on by
Reply

Crocodiles are the world’s largest reptiles,
and that is why you see warning signs such as these
when traveling thru the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland in Australia.
Crocs rule here.

There are 23 species of crocodiles worldwide, but only two live in Australia, the estuarine (Crocodylus johnstoni) and the Freshwater (Crocodylus porosus).Freshwater crocs can only be found in Australia, and are seen in freshwater rivers, billabongs and swamps. You can track them down in Northern Queensland, the Cape York Peninsula and in the Gulf of Carpinteria regions.

Continue reading →

Nucifora Tea

Posted on by
Reply

Nucifora Tea is a delightful full-bodied smooth black tea grown outside Innisfail in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland in Australia. It is without a doubt one of the finest black teas I’ve consumed – ever


You can buy Nucifora Tea on the roadside or in shops.

Grown in the rich agriculture district of Palmerston, the Nuciforas have been growing tea here for more than 15 years. They only harvest the tender young tips of the plants, which produces top quality tea.

Nucifora Tea is grown without pesticides or herbicides in a tropical paradise. The weather in the area near Innisfail is surrounded by vast banana plantations, miles of paw paws, millions of acres of sugar cane, and pasture land stretching from the eastern fringe of coastal forests on the Coral Sea to the Atherton Tablelands to the west. This is a very special place.

Stop by any time, day or night, and get some tea from their roadside stand, just leave the few dollars they ask in the can and when you get home brew a pot of delicious tea from Queensland. Continue reading →