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Day 2,446, 21:32 • Published in Ireland United Kingdom • by wingfield


Australia - The Sunburnt Country

G’day!

I live in Australia, one of the far-flung outposts of the Irish Empire (Diaspora).

Things are different here. The sun and moon move from right to left across the sky. Both the Man in the Moon and Orion the Hunter are standing on their heads.




We are currently in the depths of winter. That has its upside – you can go to the beach at Christmas and watch the cricket the next day – more on that later.

Some things are the same. We have lousy politicians and bureaucrats. Public transport is just as bad. We also have to live next door to New Zealand, that is, when they don’t come and camp on our doorstep!

Ireland is GREEN. Australia is BROWN.




We have a nice flag. Look at all that blue, with the Southern Cross in full glory. Shame about the bit in the corner, though it has many fans. The other star is supposed to represent the Australian Federation. Our States were once separate British Colonies, like another place I can think of.



Here is another of our national flags, the one created by the indigenous folks. Very symbolic and quite beautiful.



While our national language is English, which is spelt properly (unlike others), though the accents are atrocious, we have hundreds of languages spoken here, both from the original peoples and immigrants from all over the world.

Our Capital is a strange place in a mountain valley hundreds of miles from anything decent. The politicians and bureaucrats live there and the rest of us keep well away! However, there are some great tourist sites there.






Yes, it’s true – there are kangaroos everywhere – even outside the old Parliament House in Canberra.


They are our national symbol, they can be as prolific as vermin and they are delicious as well!

The true capital of Australia, in spirit, is Melbourne. This was where the capital was based after Federation in 1901, until enough of the scrub had been cleared to build a temporary Parliament House in Canberra. The permanent building was not opened until 1988.


The OTHER big place is Sydney, you know, with that fantastic harbour, the huge coat-hanger, our quirky Opera House (the outside is in Sydney but the inside is in Melbourne), the Blue Mountains and … and … well, not much else.


Religion hold a cherished place in Australian life. There are two main sects, which, interestingly, share temples and worshippers. The main temple is in Melbourne and the two holiest days are the last Saturday in September and Boxing Day (26 December).



Here is the scene at the conclusion of the last major festival in September 2013. As you can see, everything was right with the world that day.


Another faith draws worshippers on most Saturdays and other special occasions, most notably the first Tuesday in November, when there is a dedicated religious public holiday for the event.



We, too, have beautiful scenery, beaches, mountains, sun, surf and, well, you know the rest!




Then there is our national drink, again with tolerance for minority believers.


We have many forms of dance, the oldest around a fire but with numerous other styles.



Space does not permit me to reveal all about our wonderful country. The best thing to do is “BUY A TICKET” and come on over!



More religion, you say? Here are some more pics to show our tolerance: