Australian culture and customs

Aboriginal culture Definition

Aboriginal history of Australia

“The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” Mark Twain Since the European invasion of Australia in 1788, the Aboriginal people have been oppressed into a world unnatural to their existence for thousands of years. First came the influx of the strangers who carried with them diseases, which decimated the immediate population of the Sydney tribes…

Australia Travelling

Traveling to Australia is a pricey proposition - the airfare alone could bust your budget, and the sheer length of the flight encourages most visitors to stretch their visit for well over a week (it ll take you that long just to get over the jet lag!). So how can you afford a two-week or longer journey to the Land Down Under? It may not be as difficult as you think. We ve put…

Native Australian

Hi my name is Nick and here is how my obsession with these adorable little guys began… A few years ago my brother-in-law found a nest of native bees building in a water meter box. He showed me and instantly I was intrigued. I went home and began to research how to keep these little guys as a pet. I built a box and my wife filmed the process. Since then I have rekindled my obsession…

Typical Australian things

Buying Australian gifts for an American friend and her baby I ve seen similar questions asked but couldn t seem to locate them. I m travelling to the US in the next few months to visit a lifelong pal who s recently had a baby (her daughter will be 7 months old when I arrive in November). Over the 11 years we ve known each other the various differences between Australia and…

Aboriginal wedding ceremony

Warning. Australian Stories may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased. Australian Stories also contain links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased. Ceremonial performances are seen as the core of cultural life. For example, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders these ceremonies bring…

Christmas information for Kids

WHAT IS CHRISTMAS ALL ABOUT? Christmas is the date set aside for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians celebrate it on December 25th all over the world. Jesus was not born on December 25th exactly but this date was chosen to coincide with the pagan Roman celebrations honoring Saturnus (Harvest God) and Mithras (Ancient God of Light). The day of this celebrations…

Social Etiquette in Australia

Generally the social and cultural etiquette of Australia differs little from the standard customs of the Western world. But as with any country or region, Australians have their own take on what they consider to be good etiquette. Egalitarians Australia’s history as a British penal colony is somewhat brutal, with many stories of struggle and hardship. It is worth noting that…

Australian Body language

Cross Pose – Body language against the grain brings together Australian artworks from The University of Queensland Art Collection that draw on the human body as expressions of cross-cultural subjectivities and visual politics. The visual languages of the body in these artworks ‘pose’ questions, challenges, and interventions into normative thinking. We confront bodies generating…

Who were the aboriginal?

Avik Roy—a former adviser to Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney—wants to rescue conservatism from Trump’s divisive tribalism. But can he persuade his party to join him? Avik Roy, disaffected Republican, surveyed the upstairs room of a tony Palo Alto restaurant where a group of journalists and conservative intellectuals was sipping cocktails before a private dinner. “It’s…

Australian Santa Claus pictures

Vadodara: It was no less than a fairytale for an eight-year-old girl from Vadodara, whom an Australian couple who had clicked her pictures during their India visit, tracked her down with the help of friends without even knowing her name to provide her education and good life. Dick Smith and his wife Pip were on the tour of India in November when they spotted Divya, a homeless…

Australian Aboriginal religious beliefs

Olga Gostin – Australia [The following article is from the Theosophical Encyclopedia , edited by Philip S. Harris, Vicente R. Hao Chin, Jr., and Richard W. Brooks (Quezon City, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 2006), pp. 70-74.] While it is now taken as a matter of course that indigenous Australian spirituality has a place in any encyclopaedia of world religions…

Australian Christmas tree decorations

When the festive season comes around one of the first things that people think about is getting their decorations up. For many, this normally involves going up to the attic or store room and retrieving the decorations that have been used for years. There is no need to be a scrooge at this time of year and we urge lovers of the festive period to check out what we have to offer…

Australian Customs Adelaide

Important information for travellers to South Australia. The information in this section pertains to overseas or interstate passengers who are either visiting South Australia or just passing through, and the people who come to receive them. Please read through this information and familiarise yourself with the instructions provided so that your visit can be processed easily…

Best festivals in Australia

The beauty of music fests in the Southern hemisphere is that they start heating up as the Northern Hemisphere begins to cool down. That means truly dedicated festies and culturally curious travelers alike can extend their festival adventures into a year-round endeavor. We ve already named the music festivals blowing up in Asia – several of which occur in the Southern Hemisphere…

Typical Aussie

Here are some of the common misconceptions people have about Australians and ‘Down Under’: We all talk in slang that you won’t understand G’day mate, shrimp on the barby, fair dinkum, hard yakka, Sheila… I am Australian and I have never used any of these typical Aussie slang words, except for in jest. A few words that you might come across: Cooee: it’s a high-pitched call to…

South Australian Aboriginal Tribes

This guide to sources relating to the Aboriginal history of South Australia was last updated by Library staff in 2016. It comprises selected material held by the State Library or available online. To find further material relevant to this topic, try searching with this subject heading in the State Library catalogue: Aboriginal Australians - South Australia - History Aborigin*…

Values of Australia

At PwC our aspiration is to build an inclusive culture which embraces differences – where we live our values every day, can be ourselves and feel empowered to realise and discover our potential. We know that when people from different backgrounds and different points of view work together, we can create the highest value – for our people, our clients and society. All roles…

Different cultures in Australia

Do you ever wonder what makes you think the way you do or where your ideas come from? Many things influence who we are in life and what is important to us. We become who we are and learn how to think as we observe, experience and find out about life. People, places and families can be a big part of this. Culture is also a big part of this. What is Culture? Culture can be described…

Australian culture facts for Kids

Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse nations in the world resulting from a diverse Indigenous heritage, a British colonial past and extensive immigration from many different countries and cultures. Immigration has been a major contributor to Australia s population of around 21.5 million, with almost 5.5 million migrants settling in Australia over…