Prev
Next

Top Aussie traditions we’ve left to the country

Lucy Kippist

by Lucy Kippist

19 Jan 05:40am

Must Reads

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it - this is a caption

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

180

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment - this is a caption

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

27

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest - this is a caption

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

3

Filed under: Central West, Regional Australia, Road Trip, Society, Travel

68 comments

A twelve-hour round trip is a fair distance for a weekend in the country, but there are few things you won’t do for good friends when they get married.

No inner-city delis with stainless steel counters were used in the creation of these tomatoes.

And that includes the threat of a locust plague.

It was a stifling thirty-something degrees across the New South Wales’s Central West last weekend.

The kind of heat that seems to melt the road unwinding in front of you, completely rules out the wearing of jeans or standing anywhere without shade for longer than 10 minutes.

It also makes you reluctant to leave the air-conditioned comfort of your car; unless you wade into the blissfully fabricated cool aisles of Target Country - but more on that later.

Road trips can be educational.

Putting paid to the torment of childhood car trips (before the time of portable DVD players) when there was never anything to do, there is actually a lot to see from the window of the car once you’re out of the city.

And much of it stands in tribute to some of the greatest aspects of the Australian way of life. You’ve just got to travel an average of 300km from any major city to see it.

Here’s some that I spotted on the way up the Mitchell Highway this weekend - please feel free to add yours below:

Bait and Ammo shops
False advertising has no room in shops like this - what they sell is on the door and what they sell is “bait and ammo”. They also have respect for recreation. The gun shop we spotted, packed to the gills with every kind of gun imaginable, was closed on Sunday.

Target Country
Say what you will about Target in the city, but its country cousin is worth a visit the next time you happen past one. With wide aisles, heavenly air conditioning, helpful and patient staff and plenty of stuff like sandals, hats and sunscreen on the racks for people who’ve misinterpreted the weather forecast.

Country Chinese restaurants
One thing is for sure, no matter how far you drive, almost any country town you visit will have a Chinese restaurant. Instantly recognisable by the lace curtains obstructing any view of inside the window, the air-conditioning unit protruding from above the front door and a menu (sticky-taped to the inside) featuring staples like Mongolian lamb, lemon chicken, and sweet and sour pork.

Drive-ins
Being of the generation that never actually went to a drive-in, it took a few seconds to realise that the huge billboard standing in the middle of an abandoned paddock was actually once the hub of Friday and Saturday night society and presumably the humble site of many Central West conceptions.

Real produce at real prices
Who doesn’t love buying fruit and vegetables from the side of a country road? And unlike the exorbitant prices of “organic” produce in city supermarkets, you’re actually smiling when you hand over the few coins it takes to pay for all that deliciousness.

Shops that shut at noon on Saturday
Anyone who’s ever spent a significant proportion of time working in retail, or a second job working weekends, will see the beauty of the four-hour shift and 12 noon closing. It also does a lot for the ambience of a town. The streets are quiet, parking’s a treat and the pubs are kept busy from about 1pm.

Motels where breakfast is included
It’s hard to say when hotels and motels in the city decided it was OK to whack an extra twenty or thirty dollars for “breakfast” on to the charge of the room, but drive long enough away for a weekend and a soggy bowl of cereal, glass of juice and burnt toast is all part of the service. Just the way it should be.

Cab drivers that don’t need directions
Country towns have long, wide streets that can be difficult for city people to navigate and therefore they rely on the services to get them to places and parties (that end up being not that far away). Lucky the cab drivers know the area like the back of their hand, no map, no GPS, just a street name and you’re there in 15 minutes flat.

Most commented

431Australia, you have nothing to fear but fear itself
390There's no one Thomson won't burn to save his skin
336Animal experiments won't cure me from cancer
313Thomson didn't answer the question everyone is asking
266Who murdered the Arts degree?
231Craig Thomson speaks. Meanwhile, in Australia...
231South Australia. It's the middle bottom bit.
223The world puzzles over Australia's Prime Minister

68 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • S.L says:

      05:11am | 19/01/11

      Great story Lucy. The country is definately another world to the big smoke! To add to your list…..
      Service Stations that sell automotive spare parts and employ a mechanic to fit them, not merely a surrogate supermarket.
      EFTPOS is a backwater town in Eastern Europe, not a form of financial transaction.
      Being a country cabbie thankyou for your last example!

      Reply

    • Dave C says:

      07:00am | 19/01/11

      I grew up in Central Western NSW and I agree totally with what you have written. I now live on the coast with my coastal born wife and I miss the country alot. Every 6 months or so we go back to me my elderly parents or they come to the coast to see us. Most of my mates are also gone elsewhere as thats what alot of people do in country towns. You do year 12 and if you want to get a decent career you go elsewhere for tertiary studies and then move on.

      Several years ago however we did what you did and went back out west for a mates wedding. It was 37 degrees in the church and dry as outside and I was so glad to get back to the Orange Ex Servos for a cold beer and A/C.

      Yes its a different world in the country, but a really good different world.

      Great Article

      Reply

    • Sherekahn says:

      10:45am | 19/01/11

      The only “Dinkum Aussies” left are living in the country.
      Our cities are diluted with imported Ethics and Morals.  To most of the city dwellers, a Slim Dusty is a micro-fibre duster.

    • AFR says:

      11:10am | 19/01/11

      Comments like yours Sherekahn are up there with all the “Queensland spirit” nonsense sprouted last week. I agree that in general country towns have stronger community ties, but as someone who grew up in a small Riverina town, and now resides in Sydney, your sweeping xenophobic generalisations are offensive to both country and city people alike.

    • Ryder says:

      03:38pm | 19/01/11

      I did not find Sherekahn’s comment offensive. I have lived in both the city and the bush and it sounds about right to me.

      There are some aussies left in the city who have had a gutful of what is being thrust down our throats.

    • Marianne says:

      11:02am | 20/01/11

      Yay Orange!
      Though when has it ever been 37 degrees here? raspberry

    • TChong says:

      07:43am | 19/01/11

      Ah, yes, country life. Its all good , all quaint.
      What a pretty picture you paint Lucy.
      Realities are some what different. The shop that closes half days do so because purchases dont match running costs, hence the closure, - not out of some quaint rural tradition , but it obviosly amuses tourists to think so.
      A few other rural sights include - edge of town servos, a Rotary park - usually wth a tourist info board and map, pubs , RSLs and sports clubs,  golf courses-  often some of the only large ares of green grass to be found, - and these places act like magnets for roos, wombats, echidnas , possums etc and birds by the millions.
      Country Thai restaurants are every where too, and so are Subways, Maccas and KeffnC, SRA bus stops, truck stops.
      Locust plagues are messy, but mouse plagues leave a more bloody and smelly aftermath.
      The reality is most of us good folk west of the divide are ‘townies” with wants and needs very little different from living in suburbia in the cities.
      Despite the rosey picture, unless you have the space in a garden to grow tomatoes or raise chooks, then you go to the supermarket and pay (more) than city prices.
      Country towns are often pretty and quaint with wide streets and mulberry trees, but its not for nought that many head to the city, to live and work wth the town becoming gentrified- making things even more expensive for locals. Mudgee in central tablelands NSW is a good example.
      Rural / regional life has just as many good and bad apects-  just like anywhere else.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      09:06am | 19/01/11

      I dunno, TChong - I live in a small country town, and we buy or veggies from the roadside stalls, the weekend markets, and, these days, from a veggie shop that sources local and regional produce only.  And still sells bananas for $2/kilo. 

      And most of my neighbours do grow tomatoes in their backyards.  Because the blocks are still 900 or 1000 sq m, with regular houses on them, not 500 sq m blocks with a 450 sq m house filling every bit of space.

    • Daemon says:

      09:33am | 19/01/11

      Sad TChong, sad.

      If it’s all so bad, why did you leave for Balmain or wherever it is these days.

      Tree change, sea change - it’s all good in one way or another. I’m thinking about Roma.

    • TChong says:

      10:09am | 19/01/11

      Marley -  agree country life is god, if you aint battling too hard. Tomatoes, chooks, lemon trees - great stuff.
      But, as you know, the smaller the country town , probaly with less than about 5 thou. pop., “things"which cant be grown / raised locally tend to be dearer. Fuel is also always 8 - 10 c p litre more expensive, with retailers passing on the freight costs - (No choice, I know)
      Monopolies and oligarchies can arise due to distances and economies making competition unviable.
      Education and employment is much more limited, with job vacancies in some occupations non existant till the incumbant retires or dies - Seriosly.
      All stuff you would be aware of.
      Country life isnt all drought and flooding rain, nor are we all rednecked hillbillies, but the bush isnt Wandin Valley either.

    • AFR says:

      11:12am | 19/01/11

      or Mount Thomas. Imagine having that town’s crime rate.

    • Ziggy says:

      12:12pm | 19/01/11

      I’m with TC on this one. Living in some fantasy past is not reality. The truth is very different. Grotty pubs, poor service attitudes, badly prepared food - the list goes on…. Just like the city then but hellish more expensive and quite a few services that we all need e.g access to good health facilities etc. But I’m being harsh on the city - competition forces higher standards and greater choice - something lacking in the most country areas. Still love visiting the country but you won’t catch me staying there. Been there done that.

    • marley says:

      12:32pm | 19/01/11

      @TChong - yeah, I do agree it’s not all cheap bananas and backyard gardens.  It’s low employment, lousy medical facilities and very little public transport. It’s definitely not for everyone, especially if you’re young and ambitious (I’m neither, which is probably why I enjoy it, and put up with the inconveniences in a trade for peace and quiet, clean air, and frogs in the garden!).

    • Dan says:

      07:57am | 19/01/11

      A Chinese restaurant is the defining institution in any country town. In fact, if there is no Chinese, then it cannot be regarded as a town - merely as a location.

      I think TChong is being a bit harsh. I too lived in a Central Western NSW town (city perhaps, because it had multiple Chinese restaurants) and providing you were gainfully employed, it was a wonderful life.

      Reply

    • TChong says:

      08:30am | 19/01/11

      Dan, I like the space , enviroment etc , but thre reality is that not everything is utopian,no where is.
      My line of work takes me into contact with many of those who often arent gainfully employed , for whatever reason, and for them , like have-nots everywhere, times are tough.
      Seeing the moutains or the river may be a great life style, but it doesnt pay the bills, and the bills wont / dont magically go away just because you live in “the bush”.

    • Ryder says:

      03:52pm | 19/01/11

      TChong, yes cities have better health care and more opportunities than some small country town of 1000 or less people. That is only logical. A city like Wagga can be a great place to live though. Good hospital and plenty of shops etc affordable housing and decent people.

      Sydney is fast going down hill for many of its residents now and is only going to get worse before it gets better. The NSW government for example, said recently, that we should not expect the completion of any major public transport changes in Sydney within the next 22-30 years.

      Even if major infrastructure projects were to be started tomorrow many would take decades to be finished. You do the math on where Sydney is heading.

      There has been a resurgence of interest in country town living over the past few years as we have watched Sydney and Melbourne become unlivable hell holes for the many.

      I will not be retiring in Sydney I can assure you. I have already seen first hand how white flight, for want of a better name, utterly changes the social fabric of what was a once nice place to live.

      Watch where you are stepping in Ashfield as you don’t want to slip on a chinese oyster. I remember Ashfield as a once tidy and respectable community. I am a young man in may respects and that suburb and many others are no longer recognisable to me. That is fast change has happened.

    • Kathy says:

      11:08am | 20/01/11

      @Dan
      I like this comment as it made me laugh. There is a certain pride that comes with a multitude of Chinese restaurants.

    • Former Farm Boy says:

      08:07am | 19/01/11

      You forgot to include B&S’s and ute musters

      Reply

    • Dan says:

      08:25am | 19/01/11

      I lived in Orange. Far too gentile for B&S balls and ute musters. They were held in Dubbo.

    • Davida says:

      09:22am | 19/01/11

      Pubs that double as Bottleshops.  “Roadies” sell well. Also, these Bottleshops fall into two catagories.  Most stock 3 reds, one white, and rum.  Every so often, though, you’ll find the most amazing wines, not at city prices, but discounted because they haven’t sold in the preceeding decade.  These are the ones to grab with glee whilst innocently stating “This will have to do, I guess…..”

    • Kanga says:

      10:36am | 19/01/11

      @Dan Is that so?  Gee things have changed since the old Orange Ag B&S days.. what a shame.

    • Rebecca says:

      08:28am | 19/01/11

      Don’t forget the men in their akubra’s and their “good” pair of light tan coloured Moleskin jeans!
      And the ram & livestock auctions, and the agriculture fairs, and pony club with gymkhana’s.
      And the fact that there are four pubs, but one supermarket.
      Growing up in rural NSW brings back the most wonderful memories..

      Reply

    • R says:

      01:35pm | 19/01/11

      funny story in relation to country clothes.  My dad is also a country doc as well as a farmer.  We have two farms.  Any way dad went to work with is new R M Williams on.  His first pataibnt was a retired farmer.  He lookes down at dad boots and says ” You must have had some good rain at your other property. “
      Dad said. ”  well yes, but that not the reason i am waring new boots.”

    • Steph says:

      08:34am | 19/01/11

      Can’t beat actually knowing who runs the shops and who are regulars at the pubs, either smile It’s a community that knows everyone.

      Also, can’t forget a General Store. If the town is too small for a supermarket, chances are they have a little General Store that’s been there since the dawn of time :D

      Reply

    • AFR says:

      09:06am | 19/01/11

      It took you six hours to get to get to the Central West? Did you go via Canberra or somethnig?

      Reply
    • Lucy Kippist

      Lucy Kippist says:

      10:09am | 19/01/11

      No, but it sure felt like it! Actually we went all the way to Narmomine ... is that justification enough? smile

    • A Bob says:

      09:15am | 19/01/11

      You forgot public toilets. Competition on the major highways is quite intense to get buses to stop and unload. (Pun intended.) A bunch of tourists mulling around to buy snacks and mementos can be a major source of external income.

      Nhill, on the Western Highway between Melbourne and Adelaide, would have to be my favourite. First time I stopped there it was quite a shock. Can you imagine doing a crap to the strains of Mozart at 2AM? All rather surreal. Certainly one of the cleanest, brightest loos on the trip but the 24 hour piped classical music is, well, strange. Kudos to the council though for trying something different.

      Kaniva and Beaufort also come highly recommended. When I pass through towns during daylight hours I always try and spend a dollar or two when I spend a penny. Chongy’s post above may focus on the negative, but it’s not necessarily untrue. I wouldn’t romanticise it too much. Support the community that provides these free services if you can. Remember, it’s better than going behind a bush.

      Done the Mel-Adel return drive maybe 100 times now. Took 20 hours just to get to Adelaide last weekend trying to avoid the floods. Have to try and get back this weekend, looked hopeful until the latest news a about levee bursting.

      And locusts? What a wuss. I was thinking of taking a picture of what is stuck to my radiator and sending it to Hollywood for their next alien flick. Some of them are locusts, but there other things I can’t identify, especially when they have bits of locust embedded in them. Cool and gross at the same time.

      Reply

    • AFR says:

      09:48am | 19/01/11

      With locusts. Just leave your car outside, the birds will eventually eat the guts off your radiator.

    • Reg says:

      09:27am | 19/01/11

      Until you’ve experienced steak sausage and a fried egg at a Wowan cafe, you don’t know what hunger can do to such dreadful stuff. But wait, the Dajarra pub, now there’s a little bit of heaven in an endless wasteland of grass with a dusk of one kangaroo per square metre as far as the eye can see. Or there are the multi-wagon cattle trucks who can’t afford to brake just because a mob of stupid sheep have decided to wander onto the road. I must admit though that the flash of red and white fluttering in the breeze does offer some visual relief to the landscape. But locusts are much more fun as they crunch under the wheels, unfortunately they get even by doing awful things to the radiator . Then there is always that stupid pair of emus with one zigzagging in front of you like a Somalian pirate as the other stares wide eyed through the open window, all at ~ 60 or 70 kmh.  No, I don’t miss it at all.

      Reply

    • C1 says:

      09:28am | 19/01/11

      The Ladies Lounge in Pubs.

      They are still out there!!!

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      05:28pm | 19/01/11

      Yeah but there’s no ladies lounging there. The butcher, baker and plumber, and their wives, play canasta there where the master of ceremonies - the Rotary President - takes up the scores.
      These towns are dying, and PM Gillard should build new training facilities there as a scope for new employments, rather than spending our money promoting skilled-migration programs in India.

      And who is the bloody goose giving this woman advice ?

    • Reg says:

      04:31am | 20/01/11

      It’s alright Stephen, Woolworths is about to ride to your rescue. I saw it on A-Pac the other night. They’ve been guilted into it.

    • Fiona says:

      09:40am | 19/01/11

      Growing up in the Victorian Western District, I can relate all to well to your article. But like many of my friends, I left the country to find a job in the city. Even though it’s an 8 hour round trip to go home for the weekend (or day in some occassions), I never tire of the following:
      - Being able to see so many stars at night
      - The quietness and not being woken up by trucks/cars driving past my house
      - The fact that it takes 10 minutes to get from one side of town to the other
      - Weekend sport where it seems like the entire town turns out, then afterwards head to one of the numerous pubs to disect the days play.

      My favourite thing however, is the drive home itself. I hate to think how many times I’ve done it, but I never bore of it. Open fields that are one day brown, and the next green or yellow depending on the crop. Hay bales during harvest season, lambs during spring! Love it. And the best bit, is the left hand turn just after Ararat when all of a sudden you have the Grampians stretching out on your right - time your trip for sunset and you’ll never be disappointed!

      The city may be great, but in many ways the country can be better grin

      Reply

    • Toad says:

      03:47pm | 19/01/11

      Aaaahh Fiona from the WD. It’s the only place in Australia where I litter, the rest of the time I’m a proud keep Australia beautiful man but I once I get a wiff of the the scent of arrogance coming from the WD I throw all the rubbish out of my car that I’ve saved up all year.

      By the way, just like the “Shire” in Sydney, say the name of your town because no one else on earth has a clue what you’r e talking about when you refer to that region as “THE WESTERN DISTRICT”. It’s a made up name that has no relevance to anyone else on earth.

      And what is with all the out dated stone front fences??

    • Hamlyn says:

      10:40pm | 19/01/11

      Love the Grampians. One of my very favourite places. Love the vanilla slice in the Halls Gap bakery… Must be due to go back soon!!

    • James1 says:

      10:05am | 19/01/11

      Casual racism is another.  I still vividly remember being looking down upon for having an Irish family and not speaking Italian while living in Innisfail in far north QLD.

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      10:39am | 19/01/11

      No one likes the Irish and don’t get me starting on the Italians.

    • fairsfair says:

      11:44am | 19/01/11

      If you don’t speak yobbo in Innisfail more like. They have a new KMart after cyclone larry though, so I think they are settling down. KMart is way up there with Target Country. I love it.

      The sugarcane industry equals high Itialian populations (god they are hard workers) and I’d agree. Places like Ingham and Mareeba have huge “Eye-talian” populations and the proportion of concrete and red brick in the landscape support your theory.

      Too right MarK, I’m Irish and as a family we all look down on each other smile

    • Reg says:

      04:27am | 20/01/11

      It looks like MarK is having one of his traditionally bad days.  wink

    • Brewstermac says:

      10:05am | 19/01/11

      No Indian restaurants - how horrible

      Reply

    • Ashlee says:

      10:07am | 19/01/11

      Oh, sure, the country is great to romanticize, especially for city folk.

      But there are problems too.  A lack of opportunities.  Dying towns.  Years of drought.  Far distances to essential social services.  Long term neglect by the state government.  Local councils struggling to maintain basic infrastructure due to low revenue.  Try doing your HSC when the library doesn’t have most of the books you need, or when the mobile library only comes to town twice a week.

      I grew up in a regional area, thankfully not tooooo small, and there were great parts of it I wouldn’t trade in for anything… and the dry rugged beauty or rural NSW is unlike any other place I’ve seen in the world.

      But then there were really tough parts… especially the parts where you are a bored teenager with nothing to do, feeling trapped in a place so much smaller than your dreams.  And the parts where other bored teenagers of your age did stupid things for fun that ended up ruining or ending their lives. 

      And the food at those dinky country Chinese restaurants is always pretty terrible anyway…  you’ve got to hit up the local bakery, that’s where the good stuff always is.

      Reply

    • Kay says:

      12:33pm | 19/01/11

      I agree.  Growing up in a town of 1300 in North West NSW can be tough.  Especially when you prefer spending your time NOT talking about pig chasing/roo shooting etc being racist, B and S’s, getting drunk in the scrub and all of the things that the teens do out there to pass the time until they are old enough to leave.  We didn’t have a Chinese restaurant and the town only just got a bakery.  So the local IGA was the place to shop.

      On a positive note having a class of 6 for some senior school clases was pretty awesome and knowing everyone in the town by name was handy (until of course they caught you missing school or misbehaving then it would be town gossip).  It was also fun leaving school early when heavy rain came to avoid being stuck in town. 
      But you take the good with the bad.

    • Dave C says:

      10:11am | 19/01/11

      The other interesting thing about the Central West is the mispronunciation of towns by city dwellers. The big race is held in Bathurst said quickly not Bath Huuuuuuurrrst. While its called the Central West Slopes and Plains not Plaaaaaaaanes… by a city weatherman.

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      10:40am | 19/01/11

      Ha - try telling people how to say Goonoo Goonoo.

      It is a laugh.

    • S.L says:

      11:41am | 19/01/11

      Peter Brock stared that trend not city dwellers but all Victorians have followed suit since. I have no connection to Bathurst but it grates on me too!
      To make matters worse the Top Gear guys pronounce it Barth-hurst…..

    • fairsfair says:

      12:30pm | 19/01/11

      Addmittedly, I do say Bathurst, but I go for a Barth. Most of the English pronounce the town of Barth, Bath. So I can see why JC does it. It is the good old Aussie vernacular - a little bit of this, a little bit of that and good luck trying to identify a pattern.

      Funniest thing I have ever seen was a 60 Minutes ep where the Engish teacher was attempting to explain how widely the F word is used in Australia to a bunch of new arrivals. She plain face stood up in front of the class and ran through F You, oh F Me, F this, well I’ll be F’d, I couldn’t be F’d etc etc. The was a whole whiteboard of it.

    • Nico says:

      12:46pm | 19/01/11

      MarK: I know how to say Goonoo Goonoo!
      and, as you can see, am way too excited about that fact. Carry on smile

    • AFR says:

      01:38pm | 19/01/11

      With regards to Goonoo Goonoo, I only know how to pronouce it properly as I once dated a girl from Tamworth. I even went once to the Redneck, I mean, Country Music Festival

    • carolyn cordon says:

      10:42am | 19/01/11

      A service station where they’ll happily fill up your tank and clean your windscreen if it needs it, smiles and chit chat from people who actually do care rather than following their sales script. Players playing for the pride in their club, not for the money. Skies that stretch all the way across from horizon to horizon.

      Reply

    • Who says:

      10:51am | 19/01/11

      Take out the real produce and cab drivers bit and your talking about Perth.

      Reply

    • Kerrie O'Rourke says:

      12:18pm | 19/01/11

      we have overgrown Australian traditions in the cities.
      we have American traditions instead in cities.
      we have Bbritish traditions in rural and regional Australia

      Reply

    • Thommo says:

      12:44pm | 19/01/11

      Living in the country you have got everything right except the target Country bit - our local store has the worst staff in Australia. You’ll never ever see anyone on the floor. The stock is a mess and the aisles are cramped. Thank god Big W just came to town.

      Reply

    • A Reltih says:

      12:46pm | 19/01/11

      I would say the beer bong and the old footy club gang bangs.  Sunday school, and ‘fake’ bucks shows - all still alive and well in Country Footy Clubs.

      We are still partying PC free out here!

      Reply

    • Hamlyn says:

      10:37pm | 19/01/11

      Ha Ha! Thats funny. PC free alright. I have to tell my son to be careful what he says when we stay in the city. He still calls black people black etc. And his Asian mate at high schools called “Token” He certainly doesnt dislike other people based on race etc, but still has the attitude that you are what you are and certainly uses stereotypes such as “wogs are all good at soccer ” or “abbos are all really fast” . Ok , It may be wrong, but his asian mate isnt insulted - he takes the piss just as much and they all respect each other more for it. Every country towns different. You wouldnt be seen dead in moleskins and an acubra in our area. Its all trailbikes and skatepark. And of course AFL.

    • Rupert says:

      01:39pm | 19/01/11

      Top Aussies who’ve left the country?
      Pat Rafter springs to mind. Tina Arena, Natalie Imbruglia, Naomi Watts, Clive James, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Germaine Greer, Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue to name a few others.

      Reply

    • St. Michael says:

      03:31pm | 19/01/11

      Mel Gibson was US-born, he moved out here with his family when he was young.  Therefore not an Aussie.

      On the other hand, Geoffrey Robertson, who also wound up as a bit of a stage actor, is expat Australian.  His accent still fights to escape English repression on TV.

    • fairsfair says:

      04:17pm | 19/01/11

      Nicole Kidman was born in Hawaii - thankyou Fantales!

    • stephen says:

      11:14pm | 19/01/11

      If you don’t live here you’re not an Aussie and we should be proud enough to say this.

      Our Nicole has just had a baby in the US and she had to say that, as she was too well known here, the birth,( which was minus a real mother) was to be in indoors, minus Aussies.

      She and her brood will come here to retire, like Helen Reddy, Johnny Farnham, (and barbara streisand tried to but she would have got lost in tram-tracks) and sing songs like,
      ‘I still call, ostraya, hooome’!!!

      We may be ‘Mickey-Mouse’, but at least we’re still loved.

    • TheRealDave says:

      03:01pm | 19/01/11

      What…no mention of the rampant inbreeding, xenophobia, lack of personal hygiene, poor service, barely edible basic food, lack of facilities after the sun goes down etc?

      And that was only an hour or two outside a capital city…...the two weeks I was trapped out at Tara in the early 90’s were a friggen nightmare let me tell you! It was like Woodridge/Hebersham/Dandenong with the charm and personality.

      Try Wagga in the late 70’s…two TV stations Regional Channel 0 and the ABC…and the ABC was the most interesting one! No decent fast food, after a year we drove to Albury just to have a Macca’s…...

      Reply

    • Sam Chowder says:

      03:49pm | 19/01/11

      Ivan Milat is the poster boy for regional living

      Reply

    • P. Thornton says:

      03:49pm | 19/01/11

      Some coastal country towns are good places for buying cheap produce. North Coast around Byron is ace for this. Western dustbowls are often just that. Stifling hot, full of hayseeds and crap food. Often the only form of “entertainment” is the free movie night at the chintzy local club. Things happen in the city. Time passes in the boondocks.

      Reply

    • david says:

      08:42pm | 19/01/11

      Hi Lucy

      There’s still a drive-in here in Perth - right in the suburbs. What a treasure!

      Reply

    • Spite says:

      02:07am | 20/01/11

      There’s a drive-in cinema at Blacktown (about 35 minutes west of Sydney city), and it’s fantastic. You don’t have to go to the country to go to the drive-ins! There are also a lot of stray cats around there that will come and eat any popcorn you drop out the window.
        I am sure I heard somewhere that there are plans to open a drive-in (or “open air”) cinema in or around the Sydney CBD… how effective that would be in an area that is such a nightmare traffic-wise, I’m not sure - I don’t think it would have the same charm as other drive-ins.

      Reply

    • Kel says:

      10:13am | 20/01/11

      It all sounds lovely and then you end up in Parkes, NSW truely hell on earth!

      Reply

    • David says:

      03:46pm | 21/01/11

      All this chat about life in the bush and its pluses and minuses has me homesick. But after two years in China, I’ll never go to another Chinese restaurant in Australia that’s for sure.

      Reply

    • Dave-o says:

      09:37pm | 21/01/11

      Being able to drive to the pub and leave your car there for three days while your wallet and keys are on the bar.

      Being able to walk across town in under 15 minutes. Meaning that no matter how bad the “walk of shame” it will be at least brief.

      Everyone turning up for a sporting match, irrespective how bad the team is going.

      Reply

    • Heather says:

      02:38pm | 26/10/11

      Does it really matter whether we prefer the city or the country. Both have their good and bad sides. The point is that we are so lucky to live in this beautiful country. We have an abundance of fresh food, great health facilities, schools of all nationalities, no war, available jobs & beautiful weather. What more could we want?? I have lived in both the city and the country and I am proud to say I am a country girl, mostly because people are who they are. I found people in the city were false and quick to judge. Each to their own eh?. I am happy to live across the road from the beach and be only an hour and a half from a major city. Ahhhh. This is the life

      Reply
 
Comment

Facebook Recommendations

Read all about it

Punch live

Up to the minute Twitter chatter

Anthony Sharwood

antsharwood 28 May 12 12:01AM

#markwebber just wasted petrol faster than everyone else in monaco #f1

Anthony Sharwood

antsharwood 27 May 12 10:49PM

In my sports column on The Punch tomorrow: why Eurovision was easily the best game on the weekend. Mummy bloggers, you'll like this one!

Daniel Piotrowski

drpiotrowski 27 May 12 10:12PM

The Logies could learn a lot from Eurovision #lamethings#sbseurovision

Daniel Piotrowski

drpiotrowski 27 May 12 10:03PM

RT @ellehardytweets: Already despondent about the next fifty one weeks. #sbseurovision

See all tweets

Recent posts

The latest and greatest

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

by David Penberthy

180

Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it

An email was sent to almost every politician in Australia this week saying that someone should cut off…

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

by Paul Toohey

27

Our special forces don’t always need special treatment

We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely…

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

by Angela Mollard

3

A good holiday is about unrest, not rest

Like a fat full-stop, it lay in my hand. A small orange – not exactly fresh, but purchased anyway…

Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

Michael S says:

"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]

From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone

Change Up! says:

I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]

Light weight

Gentle jabs to the ribs

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more

243 comments

Newsletter

Read all about it

Sign up to the free daily Punch newsletter

Subscribe to The Punch RSS feed