Being australian means:
Knowing that while we call our friends ‘mates’, we don’t use terms like ‘sheilas’ and ‘shrimp on the barbie’, contrary to popular belief. You’re secretly proud of our killer wildlife. Believing that stubbies can either be drunk or worn. You know that none of us actually drink Fosters beer because it tastes like shit. Pronouncing Melbourne ‘Mel-bin’. We know that the Metric… system will always be better than anything inches, feet, pounds and Fahrenheit will ever offer. You believe that the letter ‘l’ in Australia is optional, and it’s perfectly ok to call it ‘Straya’. You think ‘Wooloomooloo’ is a perfectly reasonable name for a place. You’ve drunk your tea/coffee/Milo through a Tim Tam.. Beetroot with your hamburger…of course! You see people walking bare-foot on the sidewalk and don’t scorn…. because you’re doing it too.. You believe that the more you shorten someone’s name, the more you like them. You understand that ‘excuse me’ can sound rude, but ‘scuse me’ is always polite. You know it’s not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle and a seat belt buckle becomes a pretty good branding iron. You know how to abbreviate words, all of which usually end in “o”: arvo, convo, garbo, kezo, lezzo, metho, milko, muso, servo, smoko, rego, speedo, righto, etc,…. and you know that there is a universal place called ‘Woop Woop’ located in the middle of nowhere, no matter where you actually are!