Australia

 What's up friends! So after an amazing time exploring around Africa, I'm heading to the wonderful region of Oceania! First up, I'm heading to the land down understand, Australia! While o'm here I'll be discussing a folklore creature called the Bunyip (No, I'm not making that one up), exploring an old Australian prison, and lastly we'll be discussing some of Australia's interesting slang.

Australia is a country found in Oceania, sometimes also called Australasia. Its own continent, (the smallest one at that), the capital of this country can be found in Canberra. Known for strong accents, love of profanity, and deadly animals, this country is called home by 26.2 million people. 

Now that we have the intro stuff out of the way, let's get onto the interesting stuff.

So my first stop in Australia was at a UNESCO world heritage site. Before Australia become a country, it was used as a prison colony by the British. They used it to send criminals (and often their families) for many different offenses. Some were big like murder or treason, others however were minor, like petty theft or for simply sharing political opinions. 166,000. That is the approximate amount of men, women and children sent to Australia over a period of 80 years. 

The UNESCO heritage site is made up of 11 distinct buildings that acted as prison facilities. One such facility is on Cockatoo Island located in Sydney Harbor. It became what is known as a gaol (a prison) in 1839, replacing Norfolk Island after its closing. After some time a dockyard was built on Cockatoo Island to service naval warships for the Royal Navy. Eventually in 1869 the prisoners were transferred away form Cockatoo Island and it was transformed into an industrial school for girls and a reformatory a few years later. The Island was used by the Australian military for the first and second World Wars, and would close down in 1992. Now it is a world heritage site and is preserved in the form of the military barracks and prison facility.

It is an interesting place to say the least. With such a rich history, it feels odd how normal it feels. It doesn't feel like you were in an ex-prison but it feels like you're just at an important site. I think this comes from the feeling that since something happened long ago, about a century and a half, it loses part of its feel. You don't get a feel for how things were in the 1800's, so it is hard to truly connect with the location. It is the same as with ancient palaces or long ago battlefields. Although it may invoke a sense of wonder, at something so old and steeped with history, it's difficult to properly connect with it since it happened in a time where we can't relate. We don't know anyone or can't meet anyone who was around when these things were around, so how can we truly understand what it is like?

Now that we've discussed such an important part of Australian history, we're heading off to find out more about the folklore around the region. Australia is home to many people, but one of the most important groups to Australian history is that of the Aboriginals. These people are the native population to Australia, here before even the British started shipping people off here, that have been here for 65,000 years (that is a long time). Having influenced the continent for so long, it means the Aboriginal people have created a steep, rich history and belief system for themselves. This however got changed with the arrival of European settlers. One such showcase of this is a creature known as the Bunyip.

I went to speak with an expert I met on such topics at a fantastic restaurant in Sydney. Known as Long Chim Sydney, this Thai restaurant brings the heat to Australia. With a absolutely delicious menu filled with authentic Thai cuisine, this place has it all. With some of the nicest staff I have met and some of the most mouthwatering meals I have ever laid my eyes on, I could never not recommend this establishment to all who come through the city. I personally got an absolutely amazing Pad Ped Gai, a wonderful stir fried chicken with peppers.

I sat down with my expert on the topic of Aboriginal Mythology to speak about the Bunyip. This is what all he had to say on it.

"The Bunyip is an interesting creature. The creature is found throughout Aboriginal stories and beliefs, but the name seems to vary according to who is telling the story. It is believed that the name Bunyip comes from the Wemba-Wemba language of the Aboriginal people of Victoria (a region in Australia). The descriptions I've heard of the Bunyip almost always vary. Recorded accounts of Bunyips have been found to fall mainly into one of two categories. The most common account is of it being a seal-like creature, while many others describe it as long-necked creatures with small, slender heads. For the sake of simplicity, we'll take the descriptions of the more common kind. An amphibious creature known for inhabiting lakes, swamps and any other body of water, the Bunyip is generally known for using flippers to swim, laying eggs, and having a horrifying cry.

What's really interesting about the Bunyip is the debates over its origin. Some believe it to be a myth create by Aboriginal groups, while others believe it came from an encounter with animals. Some think it may've come from times of Seals ending up in the rivers of Australia. Some believe it to have come from early encounters with cassowaries and extinct giant birds, while others think it may be based on now extinct Australian mammals."

It truly is interesting how one little creature can have so much contention on its origin, one that isn't even real, even. It wouldn't be shocking however if it comes from an extinct animal. If the Bunyip did exist, it would only make sense that a creature like that would come from Australia. While talking with my expert, I learned that as European Settlers came, they saw the Bunyip as a hidden wonder of Australia. They thought of it as a sort of bigfoot like creature, a yet to be discovered animal hiding in the untamed wilderness of Australia. It is fascinating to learn how these same myths can spread for years and years, creating such interest in a general audience.

Last, but not least, for my stop in Australia, I'm taking the time to understand some of the country's slang. Australia is famous across the rest of the world for having interesting slang that many find confusing, so I want to take the time to help everyone understand it and bring people together once they know what the Aussie population is talking about!

I made my way around the streets of Canberra (as seen above), as that is where my flight would be taking off from later in the evening. I spoke to some Aussie citizens on the street and asked them some questions on their slang. Here's some of the wonderful conversations I had!

"Okay sir, I'm going to say some Australian slang and words, and I would like you to tell me what they mean, as you would explain it to a tourist. First, we have billabong"

"Ahh, a billabong. It is a part of a river that makes a loop and doesn't really follow the current. I believe you Americans call it an oxbow lake or something such as that"

"Fantastic, absolutely interesting! Okay next up we have an earbashing. What exactly is that?"

"Oh an earbashing! I used to get those from my mother all the time when I was a younger man! It's like a telling off, like when you didn't do something, you get a real good earbashing."

"Wonderful sir! I got one more for you before we move on, so I'll make it a good one! What exactly does it mean when something has gone walkabout?"

"Oh oh oh, that's the worst. As I get older that happens more often! It's when something disappears, when ya just can't find it. Like the other days my keys had gone walkabout, come to find out I left them in the drawer at work! Couldn't even get into my own place. Shame it is, truly."

That's just the tip of the iceberg with Aussie slang. Here's a few more conversations I had with people on some slang terms.

"So ma'am, I'm going to be giving you some situations and I'd like you to respond as you normally would and maybe give a bit of explanation as to what it means! So, what would you say if a friend of yours was having a bad day and you wanted to lift their spirits a bit?"

"Apples, she'll be!" 

"Apples, she'll be? What does that mean?"

"Ah well it just means that everything is going to be okay! When someone is down and you need to cheer them up you just tell them Apples, she'll be, and it'll get the message across."

"Well that makes more sense! Next up, what would you say about someone who's getting really angry and heated in an argument?"

"Oh well they're just spitting the dummy. It's getting real upset at something. Depending on what it is can't quite blame them, now can I?"

"Great! Lastly, what would you say when you did something or witnessed something that was exciting and amazing?"

"Well it depends on what exactly you're speaking of, but there's a few phrases. Sometimes you may call it a bonzer, maybe a ripper, and other times you'd say it was a rip snorter! They all mean the same thing, but everyone likes to use them how they like."

Wonderful. Now you know when you're in Australia how to react to some situations!

"Hello there, lad! I just wanted to ask you about some Aussie slang. So I'm going to give you some examples of people and I'd want you to tell me what you would call them based on their traits. Firstly, what would you call a more foolish person?"

"Ah well that's simple, you'd call them a Galah!"

"Okay and what about someone who is doing well for themselves, some who is successful?"

"Oh well that right there would be a Tall Poppy! They're the rich mates that're doing well for themselves! Everyone wishes they could be friends with a tall poppy, you're lying if you say you don't!"

"Wow that's truly interesting. Okay for the last part I'm going to give you some personality traits of people and I would like you to tell me what they'd be called, rapid fire style. Ready? Great! What would you call a jokester, someone who's harmless and entertaining others?"

"Well that right there would be a Larrikin. My cousin's certainly one herself!"

"Okay, what about someone who isn't exactly the brightest?"

"Well there's a few options. You could call them a dipstick, that works well, or you could also call them whacker or whacka! Really mean the same thing, they do."

"Wow, there's many options for calling someone stupid, huh? Okay last one, what would you call someone you doesn't do much, lazy some might say?"

"Ah well that one's real easy! A bludger is what they are! If you got a lazy bloke, you call him a bludger. That's just what they are."

In Australia friendly jabbing and insults seem to be a sort of show of love, so it isn't surprising that they have to many words to call someone in a negative way. If you're ever in Australia and you're getting called names, don't be angry or offended. It's their way of showing they like you. Now if they're not insulting you, that's another story. It is really interesting how slang develops as a part of culture and evolves in every country and area, even so different from the other country's speaking the same language. If you ever find yourself somewhere and you don't quite understand what people are saying, don't be afraid to ask. It's confusing but it helps understand those around you, which is vital when traveling abroad.

That's it for my time in Australia, tune in next time friends to join me in New Zealand!