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[Blog Post] Afterpay is available on Australian Native T-Shirts

[Blog Post] Afterpay is available on Australian Native T-Shirts

We now offer Afterpay as a payment method in our online store! Afterpay is a way to buy from our store now and pay later in 4 equal instalments, which is paid every fortnight. This allows you to buy the items you need without the full upfront cost and has been of great benefit to 1000s of Australians who now have Afterpay accounts.

For more information about Afterpay or to register an account with Afterpay, visit their website.

[Blog Post] Old Man Emu by John Williamson – Fun Aussie Songs

John Williamson is one of our contemporary musicians and sings with a truly authentic Aussie sound, over the years he’s put out some brilliant songs that speak to the hearts of most Australians but I wanted to highlight one of his really fun songs that he put out in the early ’70s.

Old Man Emu

by John Williamson

Let me tell you of an interview with an Old Man Emu
He’s got a beak and feathers and things, but the poor old fella ain’t got no wings
“Aren’t you jealous of the wedge-tail eagle?” – dom ba da little da da da

(Spoken in tempo) “While the eagle’s flying round and round, I keep my two feet firmly on the ground
I can’t fly, but I’m telling you, I can run the pants off a kangaroo”.

doo dee ba doo doo doo , boo da da doot doo doo doo
He can’t fly, but I’m telling you, he can run the pants off a kangaroo.

Well he was the model for the fifty cents – oom ba da little da da da
The designer should have had more sense – oom ba da little da da da
If you take a look, it’ll prove to you, I ran the pants off that kangaroo.

Doo dee ba doo doo doo…Boo da da doot doo doo..
Take a look it’ll prove to you, he can run the pants off the kangaroo.

You can’t loop the loop like a cockatoo – Oom ba da little da da da
Swoop and toss like an albatross – Oom ba da little da da da
“You silly galah, I’m better by far, than a white cockatoo or a budgerigar;
They squeak and squawk and try to talk, why me and them’s like cheese and chalk”
Ba da da Doo dee ba doo doo doo…Boo da da doot doo doo doo
He can’t fly but I’m telling you, he can run the pants off a kangaroo…

Well the last time I saw Old Man Emu – Oom ba da little da da da
He was chasing a female he knew – Oom ba da little da da da
As he shot past I heard him say “She can’t fly, but I’m telling you
She could run the pants off a kangaroo”. –

Ba da da Doo dee ba doo doo doo Doo dee ba doo doo doo…Boo da da doot doo doo doo
She can’t fly but I’m telling you, she can run the pants off a kangaroo

Well there is a moral to this ditty – Oom ba da little da da da
Thrush can sing but he ain’t pretty – Oom ba da little da da da
Duck can swim, but he can’t sing, nor can the eagle on the wing
Emu can’t fly, but I’m telling you, he can run the pants off a kangaroo.

Well the kookaburra laughed and said “It’s true, oom ba da little da da da,
Ha Ha Ha Ha Hah Hoo, He can run the pants off a kangaroo”.

[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Emu

[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Emu
  • The Emu is native to Australia and it is believed to have existed almost unchanged for over 80 million years.
  • Emus grow to approximately 6 feet tall and is the second largest bird in the world.
  • Emu and ostrich are totally different birds. The only similarity they share is that they are both flightless.
  • The Emu is an omnivore. In the wild its diet consists of grains and seeds and small rodents, reptiles and birds.
  • Females can lay up to 60 eggs per season. The average egg production for a hen is 30 to 40 eggs.
  • The eggs are dark green and weigh 1 to 1 1/2 pounds (500 to 780 grams).
  • The male Emu incubates the eggs 50 to 60 days and then raises the chicks.
  • An Emu grows quickly and reaches its full height in one year.
  • Emus love water and are excellent swimmers.

We sell some terrific emu products in our store, from pewter figurines to plush toys, check them out here.

[Blog Post] Clancy of the Overflow by A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson

CLANCY OF THE OVERFLOW

by A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago
.He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just “on spec,” addressed as follows:  “Clancy of The Overflow”.

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected,
(And I think the same was written with a thumbnail dipped in tar)
‘Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
“Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving, and we don’t know where he are.”

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving “down the Cooper” where the western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover’s life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I’d like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cashbook and the journal –
But I doubt he’d suit the office, Clancy, of  “The Overflow.”

[Blog Post] Home Among The Gum Trees Lyrics by W. Johnson and B. Brown

Great Aussie song that has been around a long time but brought back into modern Australia due to Don Burke and his “Burke’s Backyard” show, they used a slightly modified version of this as the theme song to the show.

Home Among The Gum Trees

by W. Johnson and B. Brown

I’ve been around the world a couple of time, or maybe more,
I’ve seen the sights, I’ve had delights on ev’ery foreign shore,
But when my friends all ask me the place that I adore,
I tell them right away.

Give me a home among the gum trees
With lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo.
A clothesline out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair.

You can see me in the kitchen cooking up a roast,
Or vegemite on toast, just you and me, a cup of tea.
Later on, we’ll settle down and mull up on the porch
And watch the possums play.

Give me a home among the gum trees.
With lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo.
A clothesline out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair.

There’s a Safeway on the corner and a Woolworths down the street,
A New World’s just been opened where they regulate the heat,
But I’d trade them all tomorrow for the simple bush retreat
Where the kookaburras call.

Give me a home among the gum trees.
With lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo.
A clothesline out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair.

Some people like their houses with fences all around,
Others live in mansions, and some beneath the ground,
But me, I like the bush, you know, with rabbits running round
And a pumpkin vine out the back.

Give me a home among the gum trees.
With lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo.
A clothesline out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair.

[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Cassowary

[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Cassowary
  • The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the Ostrich and Emu.
  • The name cassowary comes from two Papuan words, ‘kasu’ meaning horned and ‘weri’ meaning head, referring to the prominent casque on its head.
  • An adult cassowary can stand up to 1.8 metres (6’) tall.
  • Cassowaries are solitary birds except during courtship, egg-laying, and sometimes around ample food supplies.
  • The male cassowary is solely responsible for incubating the eggs and raising the young. They sit on the nest for 50 days until the eggs hatch.
  • The father teaches the chicks how to forage and by nine months they become independent.
  • There are only about 1500 cassowaries left in the wild.

[Blog Post] Pumpkin Scones Recipe

[Blog Post] Pumpkin Scones Recipe

2 ozs. butter
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup well mashed, thoroughly drained cooked pumpkin
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
pinch salt
1 egg beaten well
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 cup milk

Method:

Soften butter, beat in the sugar until creamy. Stir in the pumpkin, spice and beaten egg, mixing thoroughly. Sift together flour and salt and mix in. Add the milk, mix to a soft dough and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll out to 3/4 inch thick, cut into rounds with a 2 inch cutter, flouring it each time you cut. Arrange scones on a lightly greased oven tray, brush tops with milk and bake in a hot oven about 15 minutes or until browned.

[Blog Post] Waltzing Matilda Lyrics by A.B. “Banjo” Paterson

A real favourite and probably our most known song outside of Australia.

WALTZING MATILDA

A.B. “Banjo” Paterson

Oh! There once was a swagman camped in a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree;
And he sang as he looked at his old billy boiling,
‘Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda my darling,
Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag –
Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water-hole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee;
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker-bag,
‘You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!’

Down came the Squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;
Down came Policemen – one, two, and three.
‘Whose is the jumbuck you’ve got in the tucker-bag?
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!’

But the swagman, he up and he jumped in the water-hole,
Drowning himself by the Coolabah tree;
And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong
‘Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?’

We have Australian made pewter belt buckles depicting a scene from Waltzing Matilda, view them here.

[Blog Post] Interesting Australian Inventions - Early 1900s

The Australians have always been an inventive lot, not only did the Aboriginals invent some amazing things, in more recent history we have created some much needed things to make life easier and more comfortable. Here are more of our marvellous inventions.

1906 – Feature Film
The Story of the Kelly Gang was the world’s first feature length film.

1906 – Kiwi Boot Polish
The boot polish that could restore the faded colour of brown shoes was first available for sale.

1913 – Automatic Totalisator
Invented by George Julius, this was the ‘tote automated betting’ at horse races.

1922 – Rotary Hoe
Cliff Howard, with help from his brother Albert built the first full-size rotary hoe cultivator. It uses energy to turn the soil directly, rather than dragging a plough behind a tractor.

1924 – Car Radio
The first car radio was fitted to an Australian car built by Kellys Motors in New South Wales.

1928 – Royal Flying Doctor Service
Reverend John Flynn was the founder of the world’s first Aerial Medical Service, now known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). In May 1928, Dr St Vincent Welch made the first official RFDS visit.

1928 – First Crossing of the Pacific
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew performed the world’s first air crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

1928 – Speedo Swimwear
This swimwear originated in Sydney when the MacRae Knitting Mills manufactured the company’s first swimsuit, the razorback, made from silk and joined in the middle of the back. Speedo introduced the world’s first nylon swimsuit in 1957.

1930 – Letter Sorting Machine
Sydney GPO was the site for the first mechanised letter sorter which was developed by an engineer with the Postmaster-General’s Department.

1933 – Utility Vehicle
The ute, with a front like a car and rear like a truck was designed by Lewis Bandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.

1945 – Hills Hoist
This rotary clothesline with a winding mechanism allowing the frame to be raised and lowered was invented by Lance Hill of Adelaide in 1945.

1946 – Shepherd Castors
George Shepherd invented strong, easily manoeuvrable dome-shaped castors for furniture. These replaced traditional pivoted wheel castors.

1947 – Cloud Seeding
Scientists at CSIRO conducted the first successful cloud seeding experiments, making rain fall near Bathurst, NSW.

1950s – Distance Measuring Equipment
Every airliner in the world uses a piece of navigation equipment called DME, or Distance Measuring Equipment.

1950 – School of the Air
The first ever radio lesson was broadcast using the transmitter at the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Base at Alice Springs.

1952 – Victa Lawnmower
The Victa version of the petrol lawnmower with rotary blades was developed by Mervyn Victor Richardson, and became an Aussie icon.

[Blog Post] Australian Inventions - Late 1900s

The Australians have always been an inventive lot, not only did the Aboriginals invent some amazing things, in more recent history we have created some much needed things to make life easier and more comfortable. Here are more of our marvellous inventions.

1982 – The dual flush toilet
As dunnies have a celebrated status in Australia, it is apt that Australia has taken a central role in their evolution. In 1982, the dual flush toilet was responsible for savings in excess of 32000 litres of water per household a year. Pretty important in the world’s dries inhabited continent.

1984 – Baby Safety Capsule
Babies in a car crash used to bounce around like a soccer ball. In 1984, for the first time babies had a harness for their safe transportation in cars.

1985 – World’s Most Efficient Solar Cells
Dr Stuart Wenham and Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales produced the world’s first 20% efficient solar cell.

1988 – Plastic Banknotes
CSIRO and Note Printing Australia developed the world’s first polymer banknote made from tough flexible polypropylene plastics. These notes last longer and are more difficult to counterfeit than paper money.

1988 – Biological Pesticides
The world’s first non-chemical biological pesticide was invented at the University of Adelaide.

1995 – Jindalee Radar System
The United States of America spent $11 billion developing an aeroplane that could not be detected by radar. Scientists at the CSIRO then concluded that if the plane could not be detected, perhaps the turbulence it makes passing through air could be. $1.5 million later, the Jindalee Radar system had transformed the stealth bomber into nothing more than an unusual looking aircraft.

1998 – Hybrid Toilet
A lightweight, fully–enclosed toilet system which requires no water and minimal maintenance was released for sale.

2000 – Biodegradable Packaging
The Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science developed new biodegradable packaging materials based on starch.

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