Our Aussie Blog

[Blog Post] General Australian Facts and Trivia

• The first Australian Aboriginal word in the English language was “kangaroo” and was used by Captain James Cook. The original spelling was “kanguroo”.
• The so-called ‘dingo fence’ in Australia is the longest fence in the world, and is about twice as long as the Great Wall of China. It has a gate every 19kms along it’s length.
• When driving around Australia, make sure that you circum-navigate the continent anti-clockwise, as it’s about 900 metres shorter going this way than clockwise.
• There are over 21,000,000 people in Australia, of which 85% live within 50km of the coast.
• The Australian federation consists of six States and two Territories.
• In land area, Australia is the sixth largest nation after Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and its outlying islands.
• Australia has possibly the lowest population density of any country in the world, ie, 2 people per square km. Japan has 327 people/2km.
• Australia has an area of about 7,600,0002km. This is large enough to swallow all of Europe and Turkey and Scandinavia. This gives up a coastline of about 36,700km.
• Australia has more beaches than any other country, about 7,000 of them.
• Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent.
• Since 1945, over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers.
• The mining town of Coober Pedy in Australia got it’s name from the local Aboriginals. It means something like “White fella down a hole”.
• The original fifty cent piece in Australian decimal currency had around $2.00 worth of silver in it before it was replaced with a less expensive twelve sided coin.
• The first Europeans to discover Australia were the Dutch. The first documented evidence is that in March 1606, the Dutch ship Duyfken, captained by Willem Janz, landed in far north Queensland, but left very quickly when one of the sailors was speared by an Aborigine. The next visit was in 1616, by Dirck Hartog, who landed in Western Australia. He nailed a pewter plate to a tree, which is now in a museum in Holland. Captain Hartog named the new country “Eendrachtsland”, which fortunately we don’t use these days.

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[Blog Post] Australian Medical Inventions and Firsts

We haven’t been left behind in Medical breakthroughs here in Australia with some great inventions and procedures coming from our sunny shores, here’s a list of some of them.

1. Anthrax Vaccine – John McGarvie Smith secretly discovered this and donated it to the NSW Government before he died.
2. Heart Pacemaker – A doctor who wished to remain anonymous invented the original pacemaker in 1926.
3. Zinc Cream – This white sun block made from zinc oxide was developed by the Fauldings Pharmaceutical Company in 1940.
4. Redback Spider Antivenom – released for use against the poisonous bite of the redback spider in 1956.
5. Plastic Spectacle Lenses – were designed in 1960 and were the world’s first plastic lenses for spectacles weighing 60% less than glass lenses.
6. Ultrasound – the first ultrasound scanner was built in 1961 by Australian Scientists at the Commonwealth Health Departments.
7. Latex Gloves – though the Ansell company had been making household gloves since 1925, in 1964 they came up with disposable latex gloves for use in surgery.
8. Polyvalent Snake Antivenom – was created in 1968 and is a snake antivenom which acts against the poison from most Australian snakes.
9. Microsurgery Pioneered – not only did Professor Earl Owen design the first microsurgery tools with Zeiss, he also performed the first microsurgery operation where he rejoined an amputated index finger in 1970.
10. Bionic Ear – 1979 saw the Cochlear Implant, which helped the hearing impaired and profoundly deaf.
11. Reading Machine for the Blind – invented in 1990 and also a world first.
    Flu Vaccine Redenza – the world’s first anti-influenza drug developed in 1996 and approved for release in Australia, Europe and the USA in 2000.
12. Night and Day Contact Lenses – developed in 1999 which allowed more oxygen to get to the eye allowing people to wear them for up to 30 days and nights.

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[Blog Post] Australia & Europe Comparison Map

Many people don’t realise just how large an island continent Australia is, so here is a map showing how much of Europe fits in nicely within the borders of our land.

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[Blog Post] Australian Citizenship Test (Not Really, Just Joking!)

This is our unofficial Australian Citizenship Test, see how well you understand the questions below, are you a True Blue Aussie?

1. Do you understand the meaning, but are unable to explain the origin of, the term ‘died in the arse’?

2. What is a “bloody little beauty”?

3. Are these terms related: chuck a sickie; chuck a spaz; chuck a U-ey?

4. Explain the following passage: ‘In the arvo last Chrissy the relos rocked up for a barbie, some bevvies and a few snags. After a bit of a Bex and a lie down we opened the pressies, scoffed all the chockies, bickies and lollies. Then we drained a few tinnies and Mum did her block after Dad and Steve had a barney and a bit of biffo.’

5. Macca, Chooka and Wanger are driving to Surfers in their Torana. If they are travelling at 100 km/h while listening to Barnsey, Farnsey and Acca Dacca, how many slabs will each person on average consume between flashing a brown eye and having a slash?

6. Complete the following sentences:
a) ‘If the van’s rockin’ don’t bother ?
b) You’re going home in the back of a ?
c) Fair crack of the ?

7. I’ve had a gutful and I can’t be fagged. Discuss

8. Have you ever been on the giving or receiving end of a wedgie?

9. Do you have a friend or relative who has a car in their front yard ‘up on blocks’? Is his name Bruce and does he have a wife called Cheryl?

10. Does your family regularly eat a dish involving mincemeat, cabbage, curry powder and a packet of chicken noodle soup called either chow mein, chop suey or kai see ming?

11. What are the ingredients in a rissole?

12. Demonstrate the correct procedure for eating a Tim Tam.

13. Do you have an Aunty Irene who smokes 30 cigarettes a day and sounds like a bloke?

14. In any two-hour period have you ever eaten three-bean salad, a chop and two serves of pav washed down with someone else’s beer that has been flogged from a bath full of ice?

15. When you go to a bring- your-own-meat barbie can you eat other people’s meat or are you only allowed to eat your own?

16. What purple root vegetable beginning with the letter ‘b’ is required by law to be included in a hamburger with the lot?

17. Do you own or have you ever owned a lawn mower, a pair of thongs, an Esky or Ugg boots?
18. Is it possible to ‘prang a car’ while doing ‘circle work’?

19. Who would you like to crack on to?

20. Who is the most Australian: Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson, John ‘True Blue’ Williamson, Kylie Minogue or Warnie?

21. Is there someone you are only mates with because they own a trailer or have a pool?

22. What does “sinkin piss at a mates joint” and “getten para” mean?

23. How far would you wear your mockies?
Inside only?
Back yard only?
To the letter box?
To the milk bar for a packed of winni blues?
To the movies?
To shoppo? (large shopping centre)
To the pub?

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[Blog Post] Historic Eureka Flag Information

The Eureka Flag came about from a 1854 gold miner’s uprising in Victoria.

The Eureka Stockade was a short-lived revolt of the gold miners due to the ongoing harassment from a corrupt police force where miners were asked to show their gold digging licenses several times a day as well as the high cost of these licenses. They were also fighting for equal laws and equal rights.

After a number of protests, the miners, headed by Peter Lalor built a stockade to defy the authorities. This is when the now instantly recognisable Eureka Flag came to be and was used.

Within a few days approximately 300 men had assembled to attack the stockade and within 15 minutes the stockade was destroyed and many of the rebels killed.

The Eureka Flag has since been widely adopted by a variety of people and causes as a symbol of protest.

We have the Eureka Flag on many different products in our store – click here to view them.

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[Blog Post] Australian Pavlova Recipe

Ingredients:

4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup castor sugar
1 cup whipped cream
2 cups mixed fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwifruit, passionfruit pulp, etc)

Method:

Line a baking sheet with foil. Draw a 23cm circle on the foil.
In a large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar and salt at high speed until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Spoon onto prepared cookie sheet within your marked circle, mounding higher around the edge.Use a small spatula to forms little peaks around edge of pavlova.Use a small spatula to forms little peaks around edge of pavlova.

Bake in preheated oven at 120°C for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours until crisp on outside and firm to the touch.

Turn off heat and allow to cool with door propped open.
Pavlova can be stored in cool, airtight container for several days.

Spread whipped cream in centre of shell and top with fresh fruit. Chill until serving time.

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[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Koala

• Koalas are not bears although many people call them “koala bears.” They are marsupials, a group of mammals that carry their young in a pouch.
• The koala has fingerprints that when viewed, even with electron microscopes, are similar to those of humans; it can be quite difficult to differentiate between the two.
• The koala is one of a very few mammals (aside from all primates) that has fingerprints.
• The Koala’s closest living relative is the wombat.
• Koalas rarely drink water, due to their diet of eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves contain enough moisture to supply most of the koala’s water needs.
• Koalas have slow metabolisms. They sleep or rest for most of the day.
• Baby koalas are called joeys.
• Koalas almost became extinct. But due to conservation efforts, koalas have made a comeback. Loss of natural habitat due to logging, residential construction and real estate development, and farming still keeps koalas at risk.

At Australian Native T-Shirts we stock many koala designs as well as a variety of different products, click here to check them out.

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[Blog Post] A Funny Aussie Poem

The sun was hot already – it was only 8 o’clock
The cocky took off in his Ute, to go and check his stock.
He drove around the paddocks checking wethers, ewes and lambs,
The float valves in the water troughs, the windmills on the dams.

He stopped and turned a windmill on to fill a water tank
And saw a ewe down in the dam, a few yards from the bank.
“Typical bloody sheep,” he thought, “they’ve got no common sense,
“They won’t go through a gateway but they’ll jump a bloody fence.”

The ewe was stuck down in the mud, he knew without a doubt
She’d stay there ’til she carked it if he didn’t get her out.
But when he reached the water’s edge, the startled ewe broke free
And in her haste to get away, began a swimming spree.

He reckoned once her fleece was wet, the weight would drag her down
If he didn’t rescue her, the stupid sod would drown.
Her style was unimpressive, her survival chances slim
He saw no other option, he would have to take a swim.

He peeled his shirt and singlet off, his trousers, boots and socks
And as he couldn’t stand wet clothes, he also shed his jocks.
He jumped into the water and away that cocky swam
He caught up with her, somewhere near the middle of the dam.

The ewe was quite evasive, she kept giving him the slip
He tried to grab her sodden fleece but couldn’t get a grip.
At last he got her to the bank and stopped to catch his breath
She showed him little gratitude for saving her from death.

She took off like a Bondi tram around the other side
He swore next time he caught that ewe he’d hang her bloody hide.
Then round and round the dam they ran, although he felt quite puffed
He still thought he could run her down, she must be nearly stuffed.

The local stock rep came along, to pay a call that day.
He knew this bloke was on his own, his wife had gone away
He didn’t really think he’d get fresh scones for morning tea
But nor was he prepared for what he was about to see.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief at what came into view
For running down the catchment came this frantic-looking ewe.
And on her heels in hot pursuit and wearing not a stitch
The farmer yelling wildly “Come back here, you lousy bitch!”

The stock rep didn’t hang around, he took off in his car
The cocky’s reputation has been damaged near and far
So bear in mind the Work Safe rule when next you check your flocks
Spot the hazard, assess the risk, and always wear your jocks!

Received via email – Author unknown.

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[Blog Post] The Man from Snowy River by A.B. “Banjo” Paterson

This is an old Australian favourite, made even more famous internationally with the release of ‘The Man From Snowy River’ movie.

THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER

by A.B. “Banjo” Paterson

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses – he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stockhorse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up –
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle girths would stand,
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast,
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony – three parts thoroughbred at least –
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry – just the sort that won’t say die –
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, “That horse will never do
For a long a tiring gallop – lad, you’d better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you.”
So he waited sad and wistful – only Clancy stood his friend –
“I think we ought to let him come,” he said;
“I warrant he’ll be with us when he’s wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.

“He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko’s side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough,
Where a horse’s hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen.”

So he went – they found the horses by the big mimosa clump –
They raced away towards the mountain’s brow,
And the old man gave his orders, “Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills.”

So Clancy rode to wheel them – he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stockhorse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, “We may bid the mob good day,
No man can hold them down the other side.”

When they reached the mountain’s summit, even Clancy took a pull,
It well might make the boldest hold their breath,
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat –
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringybarks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the further hill,
And the watchers on the mountain standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely, he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges, but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam.
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten, then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around The Overflow the reed beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.

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