Myth 1: All Australians wear khaki shorts and say crikey!
The late Steve Irwin was an extraordinary ambassador for Australia, but many Americans and British still seem amazed to discover most Aussies don't live in the bush.
Fact: most Australians have never wrestled with a crocodile or owned a corked hat. The “Aussie Dream” is aspiring to live in a detached house on a quarter acre block. Boringly suburban, I know, but true. And yes, we do have electricity.
Myth 2: All Australians drink is beer
Although Australia is known for lagers like Foster's (which have to be drunk ice-cold, thus inspiring shivers of revulsion from most Brits.) and beers from Carlton United Breweries are the stuff of legend, our fine wines are some of the best in the world. The French would smile approvingly if they knew that wine-savvy Australians nonchalantly down a glass or two of Cabernet Sauvignon with their lamb chops. They're good value, too. Seek out wines from South Australia's Barossa Valley, New South Wales' Hunter Valley and Western Australia's Margaret River. Special occasion wines include collectables like Penfold Grange Hermitage and Henschke Hill of Grace.
Myth 3: It's always hot in Australia
Australia's climate is extremely variable. True, in the Northern Territory the average temperature rests around the mid 30s in Winter, climbing to dizzying heights of 40 + in Summer. Back on the East Coast, however, we have four genuine seasons every year. Remember, of course, that our Winter is a Northern Hemisphere Summer (hence the term Down Under). I live in Melbourne and the joke is, we have four seasons every day. No self-respecting Melbournian would go out without an umbrella.
Myth 4: Australia is cricket-mad
This is a half-truth. Australia is sport mad. Sport is the lingua franca that binds the melting-pot of this nation together. Saturday wouldn't be Saturday without the “footy” (Australian Rules Football). Footy Tipping competitions are standard in every office, our national Institutes of Sport are crammed with young talent and the whole of Australia grinds to a standstill for the AFL Grand Final in September and on the first Tuesday in November for one of the most prestigious horse-races in the world, the Melbourne Cup.
Myth 5: Australians don't speak English
Australians speak “Strine” - or Australian English. You can spot Aussies at 50 paces because they always abbreviate words: “Smoko” - smoking break, “Arvo”- afternoon, “Barbee” - Bar B Q (not the doll), “Footy” -, see 4 above. Steeped in its convict settler past, the Australian accent is a relic of English Cockney, tipped with an upward inflexion at the end of a sentence, a throwback to the Welsh lilt. However, there are regional differences. South Australians (the first free settlers) pride themselves on having a more “English” sounding accent then their Victorian or New South Wales cousins. You rarely hear Australians say: “Streuth!” or “Cobber” or “Fair Dinkum”! Such traditional demotic has almost vanished because Australian English, like RP, has become increasingly Americanised.
