A to Z on…
By sishy7
@sishy7 (27167)
Australia
December 1, 2017 11:42am CST
# 96
A – AUSTRALIA: the name Australia originally comes from the latin terra australis incognita meaning "unknown southern land".
B – Barbie: not the doll but the favorite pastime or BBQ.
C – Cricket: one of the most popular sports in Australia.
D – Dingo: a feral dog which is quite common in Australia.
E – Emu: one of the animals that become a symbol of Australia.
F – Fishing: another favorite pastime.
G – Great Barrier Reef: the largest coral reef system in the world.
H – Hamilton Island: a favorite tourist destination near the Great Barrier Reef.
I – Indigenous Australians: the original inhabitants of the Australian continent.
J – Jellyfish: one of the many deadly creatures in Australian waters.
K – Kangaroo: one of the official symbols of Australia.
L – Lamingtons: an Australian cake, made from squares of sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut.
M – Melbourne: the capital city of an Australian state of Victoria and second-most populous city in Australia after Sydney.
N – New South Wales: a state on the east coast of Australia with Sydney as its capital city.
O – Opera House: located in Sydney, it is one of the most well-known buildings in the world.
P – Phillip Island: just a short trip from Melbourne, it is another popular tourist destination which is also home of well-known circuit for MotoGP and F1 racing.
Q – Qantas: Australia’s official airline.
R – Red back spider: highly venomous spider native to Australia.
S – South Australia: a state in the southern central part of Australia known for its extreme wilderness. The red back spider is believed to be originated from SA.
T – Thongs: not the underwear but the footwear or, specifically, flip-flops.
U – Ute: Australian term for utility vehicle like a pick-up truck.
V – Vegemite: Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives.
W – Western Australia: a state covering the entire western third of the country with Perth as its capital city.
X – Xmas: it falls in the middle of summer and it is common for Australians to celebrate it at the beach.
Y – Yulara: an isolated town in the Southern Region of the Northern Territory, Australia.
Z – Zebra rock: a distinctive reddish-brown and white-banded sedimentary rock from the east Kimberley of Western Australia.
Hope you enjoy the little tour down under…
49 people like this
43 responses
@AmbiePam (93831)
• United States
2 Dec 17
@hereandthere The people were incredible, and the scenery was majestic.
8 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
2 Dec 17
what did you like when you were there?
9 people like this
@much2say (55969)
• Los Angeles, California
1 Dec 17
I thought this was going to be A-Z all about sishy7 . But I love this too! A lot of my Australian "knowledge" came from The Wiggles when my kids used to watch them. Ohhhh, I hope you will write more about "Lamingtons" sometimes - I've never heard of that one !
7 people like this
@much2say (55969)
• Los Angeles, California
2 Dec 17
@hereandthere .. . Oh, that's a tough one! My very favorite was actually not a Wiggle, but a pirate - Captain Feathersword . But if it must be a Wiggle, I loved Anthony's (blue) forever enthusiasm . . . and of course let's not forget Jeff (purple) - the one who always fell asleep (I would love to have his job ).
5 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
2 Dec 17
and which wiggle (color) did you like?
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (160933)
• United States
2 Dec 17
Now I have learned a few more things, but keep those spiders to yourself.
5 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
2 Dec 17
yeah, christmas down under means barbie and beach.
the only ones that's new to me are yulara and zebra rock, speaking of which, why not the massive red rock uluru for u?
by the way, just how do you pronounce ute?
5 people like this
@sishy7 (27167)
• Australia
3 Dec 17
@hereandthere Yes, it's a popular brand as well... But their thongs are a bit fancier and pricier than the ones people usually wear to the beach... Crocs are definitely comfortable for walking around all day though...
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
2 Dec 17
@sishy7 well, then can you do the caramel slice and the jelly slice shown here too?
Australia's culinary love affair with desserts is much more than pavlova and lamingtons. Discover the sugary, delicious foods you are missing out on!
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
2 Dec 17
i love timtam, but fantasize about the pavlova.
3 people like this
@Shiva49 (26770)
• Singapore
2 Dec 17
Nice to learn about the "Lucky Country".
Been there thrice - first visit to Gold Coast, Sydney, Canberra
Second to Melbourne and third to WA.
I was called to the stage to act out sort of a play at the Gold Coast.
I was among the hundreds but I couldn't refuse.
I did my best though I couldn't understand some parts due to your unique accent! siva
6 people like this
@Happy2BeMe (99380)
• Canada
1 Dec 17
Very cool. I learned a lot from this post that I never knew!!
5 people like this
@marguicha (223720)
• Chile
1 Dec 17
Thanks for the post. I only knew about Melbourne.
4 people like this
@marguicha (223720)
• Chile
1 Dec 17
@sishy7 There are many so to say, twin cities, all around the world.
2 people like this
@cmoneyspinner (9219)
• Austin, Texas
2 Dec 17
I can't believe it! Somebody who actually knows what thongs are! I said that word to my kids and they were like "What??" They didn't know thongs were shoes!
4 people like this
@cmoneyspinner (9219)
• Austin, Texas
2 Dec 17
@sishy7 - Uuummm … LOL … yeah they did. It's why they were so confused when I kept using the word.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137576)
• United States
2 Dec 17
Very nice, sishy!
Have you ever read any of the books written by Sir Terry Pratchett? He wrote one book titled "The Last Continent". If you haven't read this book, may I suggest you take it for a spin? You never know, you might think you recognize the place and the people the book could be, but isn't, based on.
In his book, Sir Terry Pratchett describes some... uncommon? (Yes, I think that word works for this!) creatures/things, like "drop bears", "cork hats" and the "Peach Melba". (He is a pretty funny author!)
The name of that continent is Xxxx!
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137576)
• United States
6 Dec 17
@sishy7 Hmmm... the continent referred to in the book as Xxxx MIGHT resemble some aspects of Australia, but might not to someone who actually grew up and lives there.
To an American the way Pratchett described things seem to come across as very funny but eerily descriptive of some aspects we hear about here.
If you want a link to the ebook by Sir Terry Pratchett, let me know. (I LOVE his books!)
2 people like this
@rina110383 (24492)
•
2 Dec 17
Learned a lot of interesting facts today just by reading your post. This is a good one.
4 people like this
@catsholiday (460)
• Derby, England
2 Dec 17
Vey good! Do you remember the advert "We're happy little vegemites" ?? II still sing it to my adult kids when we have some vegemite - we can buy it here in the UK now
4 people like this