Report from Australia: What I did on my spring vacation

Two weeks in Australia were wonderful. It’s a lovely country with nice people. They really do say, “G’day, mate,” but they don’t drink Fosters. In fact, I only saw one bar that even sold Fosters. [Not that I went to many bars, of course.] We saw the sights of Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Blue Mountains, Great Ocean Road and many more.

Here are some of the oddities encountered.

On line access is somewhat slow and expensive but in at least one area of technology, Australia has progressed further than the U.S. Note this business on William Street in Sydney.

Out near the Blue Mountains is a store that is much more definitive than its U.S. counterpart.

At the Twelve Apostles, an awesome seaside vista,

 

is a fairly explicit sign warning tourist about the hazards inherent in climbing on sandstone cliffs.

 In addition to kangaroos, emus and other strange creatures, unusual insects apparently threaten the land as this sign clearly warns.

Not to be overlooked are literary efforts such as these titles seen in the window of a Sydney bookstore.

And here’s another nod to classical literature.

We went to an Australian Rules Football (“Footy”) game. It seemed like organized chaos. A better name might be “Australian No Rules Football.”

A fad which apparently started down under and is spreading worldwide is “planking,” which is the assuming of a prone position in a public, preferably unusual or hazardous place while someone takes a photo. This has already led to one death and some workplace issues as a prominent retailer dismissing several employees for planking on the job.

Finally, no story about Australia would be complete without mentioning Tim Tams. 

 

They are positively addicting rectangular chocolate biscuits. While they are good when eaten alone, one can enhance the experience by performing a “Tim Tam Slam.” This is accomplished by biting off either end of the treat and sucking coffee or milk through the biscuit itself. You must try it.

G’day, mates.