With Australia Day next week, it got me thinking to what it would take to be considered a local by Sydney standards. I’ve been in the lucky country for just over a decade in total, if not consecutively, and although I like to think I can keep up with the best of them on a good day, there are certain ways you can tell the difference between a FOB (fresh-off-the-boat) and someone born and bred in Australia. Here are 7 signs you’re a true blue Aussie.
Capturing (and releasing) a huntsman spider
1. You’re all about critter conservation
When confronted by a huntsman spider (which can grow up to 12 inches in leg span) in your home, you bypass the Mortein and instead reach for a plastic container in order to perform a delicate capture-and-release spider operation. You wish the little critter good luck and hope it eats all the roaches when you release it outside.
No. Fosters.
2. You do not drink Fosters. Ever.
No true blue Aussie drinks Fosters. There’ll be Fourex, VB, even Melbourne Bitters, and any number of a wide range of imported beers – Coronas, Heinekens, Stellas – and increasing in popularity, local microbrews. But never, ever, Fosters. I actually don’t think bars in Sydney even stock it. Goon bags, though – that’s okay, and perfectly acceptable especially smuggled into music festivals.
Aussie slang
3. You can abbreviate with the best of them
Australians love to shorten words. Try cossie, mozzie, bikkie, arvo, combo, servo, on for size. If you’re a true blue Aussie, you’ll be able to make entire sentences out of abbreviations. Like this: “Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas.” And you’ll also know that Stevo is totes an abbreviation of Steve. Because it just is.
Who knows?!
4. You’ve mastered the art of cricket
Better, you play cricket and have mad fast bowling skills. Even better, you have watched an entire Test match and contributed significantly to the beer snake that miraculously came about, somewhere around the middle of the second day.
Two up – otherwise known as “We’ll gamble on anything”
5. Your plans for Australia Day involve the beach, two up, and beer
Australia Day is the perfect day for indulging in that curious Aussie mash up of interests – the great outdoors, the beach, gambling and beer (of course). If you’re doing anything else (besides maybe a thong race – not what you’re thinking) then you’re simply not a true blue Aussie!
No worries!
6. You say “no worries” at least three times a day
I love this quintessential Australian phrase. It’s slightly lackadaisical, completely relaxed and very charming. It also gets to the heart of the Australian psyche. There are no worries, not here, where there are relatively high wages, blessedly beautiful outdoors and a high standard living – Australia is the lucky country!
Havaiana thong race
7. You think thongs are acceptable footwear basically everywhere
The humble Havaianas is practically a national dress code and is perfect for any and all social situations. You wear them on the walk to the office, to the city, for a 5km coastal hike (true story), and for beachside weddings you pull out the special pair of thongs, the ones with metallic highlights. Also, in lieu of thongs, going barefoot in shopping malls and on buses can also be perfectly acceptable. We love our thongs so much we have annual inflatable giant thong races. #AustraliaIsAwesome
What do you think makes you a true blue Aussie? Sound off below and have a fair dinkum Australia Day!
Taking to the Open Road 
Kiwi’s and Aussies probably both know that:
– “An ankle biter” is a small child / toddler
– a “stickybeak” is someone who always has their nose in everyone else’s business.( and is probably also the town gossip)
– a “prezzie” is a gift (present)
– “a fair go” is to give someone a chance to do something new (or if someone hasn’t had a Fair Go, / been wronged, then things need to be done to rectify it)
– that the “Postie” delivers your mail
– that a “bushman’s Breakfast” consists of just a pee pee and a look around (not sure if this is also Aussie, but it’s definitely a Kiwi phrase.)
– a “flat” is shared accommodation generally for young people and students, “to go flatting” means that, you have your own bedroom in for instance a large house, all costs are split between the number of people sharing and often cooking for everyone is done on a roster basis (this keeps costs down, and allows young people to live in a house with a garden / a more expensive area of town etc) Sometimes one of the group is a young home-owner and has others in to share the cost of the mortgage etc.
(you also need to know that blocks of single or double accommodation student apartments are very rare to non existent in most Aussie and Kiwi towns.)
– an “Aussie salute” is a wave of your hand to stop flies from settling on your face.
– ” plonk” is an inexpensive wine
– “eski” is a cool box for food for picnics or the beach (but in New Zealand these boxes are called “chilli bins”.
– a “batch” in New Zealand refers to a holiday home , often on or near a beach (in the south of the South Island they have Scottish ancestry and call it a “crib”.
– that no one uses the word “village” to describe a small town, you just have tiny small towns, small small towns, small towns, decently sized small town etc, then you jump straight to “city”.
– “out in thee wop wops” means the middle of nowhere, far from everything, way way off the beaten track.
I could probably think of many more if I put my mind to it, I certainly know that I startled many a work colleague and my husbands family members when I was settling down in Europe and used Kiwi phrases that they were completely bamboozled by.
Does this list get me made into an Honorary Aussie by any chance ? if not, well … no worries 🙂