The Outback

Australia

19 November 2008

Nicole Brady

Lindsey Lovelace

Laura Caylor

Jessica Long

Alice Floyd 

 Participant List

Anna Woerner

Bradley Pennington

Caleb McKinney

Calvin Hayes

Caroline Sanderson

Christopher Johnson

David Borum

Deanna Thurow

DeMiestro Kinzer

Emilee Tansil

Holly Jones

Jamin Simms

Jessica Miller

Joshua Ward

Kate Ballard

Matthew Curtis

Virginia Solimine

Dr. McCormick

Health, Education, and Weather

·        Health

o       Australians are entitled to Medicare (national system of health care) or can choose a private health care

§        Receive tax rebate if you choose private

o       2/3 of all hospitals are public, so know where the closest public hospital is

·        Education

o       7 years of primary education, 5 years of secondary

o       ¾ of all students complete education by 17

o       ¼ attend private schools

o       School of the Air: correspondence instruction supplemented by shortwave radio is an option

·        Weather

o       Since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere its seasons are the opposite of American

o       2 climate zones: 40% in the tropical zone, the remainder in the temperate zone

o       Considered one of the driest continents

o       Dangers: cyclones along the coast, severe droughts inland, and bushfires

Driving:

Remember:

1.     ALWAYS wear your seatbelt

2.     Don’t drive with a BAC of over 0.05

3.     You will be driving on the left side of the road which will take some practice and getting used to, so be cautious at first

4.     You have 3 months with a valid U.S. license, but also carry your passport with you. After 3 months you need an Australian license (knowledge test, a practical driving test, and an eyesight test is needed to get it)

5.     You will be using the metric system, although it will convert on a car dashboard, let practice

To convert miles per hour (mph) into kilometers per hour (km/hr), multiply by 1.61, like this:

Miles per hour (mph) × 1.61 = kilometers per hour (km/hr)

You try, 55 mph to km/h

55 mph x 1.61 =           km/h

Did you get 88.5 km/h? GOOD!

Laws and Safety:

·        No foreign organisms when entering Australia (or leaving), you must sign a declaration of this when entering the country

·        In the ocean be aware of what is around you (animals, currents, etc)

·        There is only a 0.01% death rate of “tourists”, but be careful and cautious  so it doesn’t become you

Austrian Language Tips to Remember:

*There are over 80 languages spoken, the predominant language spoken in Australia is basic English, but as with other countries, there is a distinct and sometimes colorful local variation.

*It is helpful to understand all the variants, but it is not necessary to survive your stay here.

*Some people may even take delight in the discomfort of a foreign visitor struggling to make sense of a conversation, but as a whole, we are pretty friendly and most of the time we do go out of our way to steer tourists in the right direction.

*Unlike other countries where there are regional accents, the only accents you will find here are those of the upper, middle and working classes, sometimes exaggerated if you are at a social function, but even here you should not find a problem.

*Be warned, unless you are absolutely sure of a phrase, do not use it. Slang used in America or England may not mean the same as over here. In fact quite the opposite can be the case with much resultant embarrassment, so be careful.

Common Words Used In Australian Slang:

·    aggro - aggressive

·    amber fluid - beer

·    ant's pants - height of fashion, or to think highly of yourself

·    arvo - afternoon

·    Aussie - Australian

·    av-a-go-yer-mug - traditional rallying call, particularly at cricket     matches

·    ay - pardon me

·    back o'Bourke - back of beyond, middle of nowhere

·    barbie - barbecue

·    barking up the wrong tree - labouring under a misapprehension

·    barrack - cheer on a team at sporting event, support your team

·    battler - trier, struggler

·    beanie - ski hat

·    beat around the bush - not getting to the point

·    beaut, beauty, bewdie - great, fantastic

·    belt up - stop talking!

·    bench - table top

·    better half - husband or wife

·    bikey - motor cyclist

·    billabong - water hole in dried-up river bed

·    billy - tin container used to boil tea in the bush

·    biscuit - cookie

·    black stump - where the 'back o'Bourke' begins

·    block - do your block: get angry

·    bloke - man

·    blower - telephone: on the blower

·    blowies - blow flies

·    bludge - do nothing

·    bludger - lazy person, one who won't work

·    blue - argument or fight: have a blue

·    bluey - swag, nickname for a red-haired person

·    bonzer - great, ripper

·    boogie board - half sized surf board

·    boomer - very big, large male kangaroo

·    boomerang - curved flat wooden instrument used by Aborigines for    hunting

·    booze - alcohol

·    booze bus - police van used for random breath-testing for alcohol

·    bottle shop - liquor shop

·    bottler - something that has gone the way you want: you little bottler

·    brass - money

·    brekkie - breakfast

·    brown-eye - to show one's bottom, mooning

·    Buckley's - no chance at all

·    bundy - Bundaberg rum, also time-clock for employees

·    bung on - put on

·    bunyip - Australian yetti, or bigfoot

·    burl - have a try: give it a burl

·    bush - country, away from the city

·    bushranger - Australia's equivalent of outlaw of American Wild West

·    bush tucker - native foods, usually in the outback

·    BYO - bring your own (booze) to a restaurant

·    cask - wine box (an Australian invention)

·    cheerio - good bye

·    chock-a-block - full

·    chin wag - to have a good chat

·    chips - french fries

·    choof off - to go

·    chook - chicken

·    cobber -mate

·    coldie - a cold beer

·    come good - turn out all right

·    corroboree - Aboriginal festival dance

·    cozzie - swimming costume

·    crook - ill, badly made, substandard

·    cuppa - cup of tea

·    cut lunch - sandwiches

·    dag, daggy - mildly abusive term for socially inept person, nerd, nerdy

·    damper - bush loaf made from flour and water, cooked in camp oven

·    deli - delicatessen

·    didgeridoo - cylindrical wooden Aboriginal musical instrument

·    digger - Australian soldier

·    dill - idiot

·    dinkum, fair dinkum - honest, genuine

·    dinky-di - the real thing

·    dob in - to tell on someone

·    docket - receipt, bill

·    dole - unemployment payment

·    don't come the raw prawn - don't try and fool me

·    dunny - toilet

·    earbash - talk nonstop

·    esky - insulated box for keeping beer etc cool

·    fair go! - give us a chance

·    fairy floss - cotton candy

·    fanny - crude term for female genitalia

·    flat chat, flat out - going very fast

·    footy - football

·    full as a boot - drunk

·    funny farm - mental institution

·    galah - noisy parrot, hence 'noisy idiot'

·    game - brave

·    gander - look: have a gander

·    garbo - person who collects your garbage

·    gas bag - talk a lot

·    give it away - give up

·    g'day - good day, traditional Australian greeting

·    good oh - OK

·    good on ya - well done

·    grazier - large-scale sheep or cattle farmer

·    grog - alcohol

·    grizzle - complain

·    hang on a tick - wait a minute

·    hoon - idiot, hooligan, loud show-off

·    hoo-roo - good bye

·    how are ya - standard greeting

·    how ya going - how are you doing

·    howzat - asking how something is

·    idiot box - television

·    iffy - risky or suspect: something a bit iffy

·    irrits - irritating: you give me the irrits

·    jack of it - fed up with it, had enough (of a situation)

·    jiffy - short time: see you in a jiffy

·    job you - hit you or punch you: I'll job you

·    journo - journalist

·    jumper - sweater

·    keen - very interested

·    Kiwi - person from New Zealand

·    knickers - underwear

·    knock - criticise, deride

·    knock off work - time to go home

·    lamington - square of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and    coconut (an Aussie icon)

·    lift - elevator

·    lollies - sweets, candy

·    lurk - a scheme

·    manchester - household linen

·    mate - friend, general term of familiarity, whether you know the person    or not

·    middy - 285 ml beer glass

·    missus - your wife

·    mobile phone - cellular phone

·    mozzies - mosquitoes

·    nappy - diaper

·    Never-Never - mythical, remote, isolated place in the outback

·    nick - steal

·    nick off - go away! get lost!

·    no hoper - hopeless case

·    nose - on the nose: something stinks

·    no worries - she'll be right, that's OK

·    ocker - uncultivated, uncultured, boorish Australian

·    off-sider - assistant or partner

·    off the beaten track - on an unused road, in a remote area

·    oldies - parents

·    once over - looking something or someone over, checking it out

·    outback - remote part of the bush, back o'Bourke

·    Oz - Australia

·    Ozzie - Australian

·    paddock - field

·    pavlova - meringue and cream dessert

·    perve - to gaze with lust

·    pinch - steal

·    piss - beer

·    pissed - drunk

·    pissed off - annoyed

·    piss in your pocket - brown-nose

·    piss-weak - no good, gutless

·    Pom, Pommie - English person

·    pokies - poker machines

·    postie - mail man

·    prang - motor vehicle accident

·    pub - hotel

·    pull your head in - mind your own business!

·    push bike - bicycle

·    put up or shut up - prove you can do it or keep quiet!

·    rack off - get lost!

·    Rafferty's rules - no rules, a mess

·    randy - sexually excited, horny

·    ratbag - friendly term of abuse

·    rapt - delighted, enraptured

·    reckon! - you bet! Absolutely!

·    rego - registration: car registration

·    rip off, ripped off - you have been cheated

·    ripper - good, also: little ripper

·    rip snorter - something that is great

·    root - have sexual intercourse

·    rooted - tired

·    ropable - very angry or bad-tempered

·    rubber - eraser

·    rubbish - deride, tease: to rubbish

·    sacked - fired from work

·    Salvo - member of the Salvation Army

·    sandshoes - sneakers, joggers

·    sanger - sandwich

·    scallops - fried potato cake in New South Wales,   shellfish elsewhere

·    schooner - large beer glass

·    semi-trailer - articulated truck

·    session - lengthy period of heavy drinking

·    sheila - woman (can be somewhat derogatory)

·    she'll be right - no worries, everything will be fine

·    shonky - unreliable, suspect

·    shoot through - leave in a hurry

·    shout - buy round of drinks, or pay for someone

·    shove off - go away!

·    sickie - day off work ill (or malingering)

·    sloppy joe - cotton fleecy-lined sweater

·    smoko - tea break, go and have a cigarette

·    snag - sausage

·    Speedo's - male swimming costume

·    spit the dummy - throw a tantrum

·    stickybeak - nosey person

·    stir - tease or joke with person

·    strides - trousers

·    Strine - conversation with a lot of Aussie slang

·    stubby - small bottle of beer

·    stuffed - very tired, had too much to eat

·    sunbake - sunbathe (not recommended)

·    surfies - surfing fanatics

·    take-away food - fast food, to-go food

·    tall poppies - achievers

·    tea - evening meal, dinner

·    tinny - can of beer

·    too right! - absolutely!

·    tracks - make tracks: leave to go home

·    truckie - truck driver

·    true blue - dinkum

·    tucker - food

·    two-pot screamer - person with low tolerance for alcohol

·    two-up - traditional heads/tails gambling game

·    uni - university

·    up yourself - have a high opinion of yourself

·    ute - utility, pick-up truck

·    vegies - vegetables

·    verbal diarrhoea - talking non-stop, usually nonsense

·    wag - to skip school or work: to wag school

·    walkabout - lengthy walk away from it all

·    weatherboard - wooden house

·    wharfie - dock worker

·    whinge - complain, moan

·    wobbly - disturbing, unpredictable behaviour, temper tantrum: throw a    wobbly

·    Wog - derogatory term for foreigner

·    wowser - spoilsport, puritan, old-fashioned

·    write-off - car involved in an crash that is not worth repairing

·    yabbie - small freshwater crayfish

·    yacking - talking non-stop

·    yahoo - noisy and unruly person

·    yakka - work

·    yobbo - uncouth, aggressive person

·    yonks - ages, a long time

·    youse - the plural of you

·    zonked - really tired

• zebra crossing - painted pedestrian crossing on street

Name That Australian Word!

1.         Amber Fluid _____________________________________

2.         Ay ______________________________________________

3.         Better Half ______________________________________

4.         Booze ____________________________­______________

5.         Brekkie _________________________________________

6.         Dunny __________________________________________

7.         Gas Bag _________________________________________

8.         Idiot Box ________________________________________

9.         Mate ____________________________________________

10.                    Nick Off! ________________________________________

11.                    Uni _____________________________________________

12.                    Yakka ___________________________________________

13.                    Ozzie ___________________________________________

14.                    Lollies __________________________________________

15.                    Hoo-roo ________________________________________

Australian Money Tips to Remember:

* 1 Australian dollar = 0.6696 U.S. dollars

* The word for dollar used in Australia is “note”.

* Notes are divided like American money into:

        $5, $10, $20, $50, & $100

* Coins are divided and are similar but different from American money:

                5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, & $2

*Shops round prices up or down to the nearest 5c on your total bill, not on individual items.

*CREDIT CARDSà The cards widely used for payment for most goods and services are:

      American Express

      Master Card

      Visa

      Diners Club

Credit cards can be used to get cash from any bank (take some form of photo ID).Credit cards and usual cash cards can be used in ATMs (cash dispensers).Traveler’s checks are accepted.

Australian Dress

The type of clothing that is worn in Australia reflects the diversity in the Australian society and Climate.

There are no rules or laws on clothing, but in most occasions there will be “Dress Standards”.

1. Most Clubs, movie theatres, and social places require people to dress neat, and wear appropriate footwear.

2. In the same places one would not be allowed to enter wearing jeans, sneakers, or thongs (flip flops).

There are guidelines for “Business Dress” in the workplace:

          Men:

·        Black or Navy Suit

·        White Shirt

·        Tie

Women:

·        Skirt or Trouser Suit

·        White Blouse

* Jackets may be removed during the summer months

Women are best not to wear jewelry or lots of make-up as it is seen as extravagant and “showing off”.

Many organizations observe “Casual Fridays” which follow the “Business Casual” guidelines

·        No Jeans

·        No Singlets (Tank-tops)

·        No Open Shoes

·        No Thongs (Flip Flops)

(Australian Dress Cont.)

Outside of Work – is a personal choice, Australians usually dress for comfort, social situation, or weather/climate.

Formal Invitations – when sending invitations always mention dress code, if there is not a mention of dress code ALWAYS ask what is the dress code before attending event.

The last form of dress is “Smart Casual” which is quite common meaning tailored pants and top with a collar for men and dress or tailored pants and top for women.

There is not national dress for Australia, they are very tolerant society with many different cultures all of which are accepted and encouraged.

Other forms of dress:

• Local Dress                                                               
• Stockman
• Goddess Swimmers and Surfers
• Larrikins – Urban Cool
• Footwear – Boots and Thongs
• Headwear and Millinery
• Motifs and Textiles

Aussie Food!!!

Activity

Famous Foods:

Anzac Biscuits

Apple Currant Yoghurt Cake

Apple and Passionfruit Shortcake

Aussie Beer Batter Fish

Aussie Rice Salad

Australian Meat Pie

Boiled Chocolate Cake

Boiled Patty Cakes

Boysenberry Cheesecake

Carpetbag Steak

Cheese and Sage Damper

Chinese Chews

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Chocolate Crackles

Chunky Casserole

Cornish Squares

Coronation Chicken

Creamy Chocolate Whip

Damper

Dinkum Chili

Dumplings and Cocky's Joy

Dundee Cake

Festive Pork

Illawarra Plum Spare Ribs

Jelly Slice

Jolly Jumbuck in a Tuckerbag

Lamingtons

Macadamia Bread

Mango Bread

Oyster Soup

Pavlova

Patio Salad

Pikelets

Raspberry Shortbread

Sausage Rolls

Sticky Date Pudding

Traditional Aussie Lamb

Whisky Bread and Butter Pudding

Whisky Truffles

Witjuti Grub and Bunya Nut Soup

Dining Etiquette:

• Table manners
• Tipping
• “BYO”
• BBQ
• Drinking rounds

Food Slang:

bangers - sausages
biscuits - cookies
bundy - Bundaberg rum
lollies - candy
pavlova - traditional meringue dessert