Stereotypes about Australia this American Thought Were True // Moving to Australia

[@diamondrose123]

Did you know that convicts were also sent to the USA? They did it until America gained their independence from Britain. Britain then had to start sending their convicts elsewhere. Hello Australia:) I cannot tell you how shocked Americans were when I told them that when I lived there. My husband is American, and he loves the life here in Australia:) I wish you all the best with your move, and hope you enjoy your new country as much as my hubby does:) Thank you for your video!

[@aetd106]

Aus also got some convicts from the Americas too - where I live had several Canadian convicts sent here after the Lower Canada rebellion, hence our name "Canada Bay"

[@brandysnaps9221]

The clearances seen many ppl deemed criminals. Just so the elite Brit’s could take their land. These so called lords still own these stolen lands In Scotland

[@ozzybloke-craig3690]

Id like to highlight a fact about the so called convicts that everyone either ignores or is unaware of. At the time before the convicts were sent to Australia, the people living in England and surrounding areas, were going through a big famine. Prices were high, money was low, work wasn’t readily available. People were arrested for stealing loaves of bread to feed their families, thats how desperate they were. And the prisons were full so they stared storing them on ships. Eventually it was soo full they decided to take them somewhere. And they set off and ended up finding Australia. But my point is, most of these people were not bad people. Just forced to to things like steal just to survive. So no, not all convicts were bad people and criminals.

[@stevesymonds7724]

@@ozzybloke-craig3690 Britain shipped its convicts to the American colonies for 150 years or so until the American revolution. From 1776, convicts could not be transported so they were kept in prison hulks. In 1788, transportation to Australia began and the prison hulks were closed down. Transportation to Australia lasted about eighty years but there was very little in the last twenty years or so of that time. Americans conveniently forget that many of them are also descended from British convicts

[@maxfish4770]

A few more. We don't throw shrimp on the barbie, but we might chuck some prawns on the barby. Drop bears are not real. We don't drink Fosters, EVER.

[@reddog5378]

The biggest myth in Australia is that Drop Bears are a myth. We just pretend Drop Bears are just a myth because we enjoy watching a tourist's reaction when they are dropped on.

[@wesleyyoung1082]

Jebus Red Dog…..did ya have to tell em that.. No it’s true….. I got chased by a drop bear the other day…

[@reddog5378]

@@wesleyyoung1082 Yeh I know, just wanted to put the fear of the unknowingly into them. My red heeler dropped a drop bear that thought it could drop on her two hours ago in the front yard. The dingaroos have forced them out of the bush into suburban yards because the dingaroos ate all their babies. Oh crap, blew that one. Pretend I didn't mention the baby eating dingaroos, and tourists please don't read this.

[@mgregory2430]

Don’t tell anyone that Vegemite behind the ears repels them. That’s our local secret.

[@reddog5378]

@Brian Campbell Mate you can't even walk down a street here that has old gum trees without carrying a jar of vegimite to constantly smear all through your hair as well as behind the ears. I think the floods have sent them into a feeding frenzy.

[@reddog5378]

@Brian Campbell It's all one big conspiracy by Bega Cheese Limited to sell Vegimite to foreigners. They put something in the Tim Tam gum leaves I reckon to make them immune to small doses of vegimite odour.

[@sdev2749]

The blonde blue eye stereotype in Australia has less to do with hollywood and much more to do with the 70's and 80's surf culture down here. It is well known that constant exposure of fair hair to the sun and the salt water will bleach it blonde quickly.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

And swimming in chlorinated pools.

[@terrybebbington3032]

Also 50s & 60s surfing culture.

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

beach blonde. not bleached blonde.

[@Dr_KAP]

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, AC/DC, INXS- no blonde hair or blue eyes 😂

[@S.M.E.A.C]

Dr_KAP-Russel Crowe is a Kiwi,AC/DC are Scottish and English🤣

[@kimn9802]

A 19th Century Australian socialite lady who was born in Melbourne was asked if she intended to travel to England. Her reply was "Why would I want to do that? That's where all the convicts come from!" 😂

[@ToniAnnBarandon]

lol!!!

[@bluejhaygrl]

I have never heard of 'convict culture' but i do know that if you come from convict stock, that is a badge of honour not a negative. Its usually because most convicts that came here were worked very hard and were the ones who built the nation, found themselves getting early pardons and going on to make a good life for themselves. England was a wretched place at the time that drove many to do things they would not of normally done (stealing for instance), and finding themseleves transported for what today we would call minor crimes.

[@brontewcat]

Yes. I have several convict ancestors, and very proud of them. They endured a lot of hardship.

[@johnrobinson3642]

Good video, thanks for sharing. Most of what you said was absolutely spot-on, but there are a few things I could add. After WW2, Australia actively opened its borders to Europeans. We started a whole lot of large infrastructure projects, and we simply didn't have enough people to work on them. My parent's families both came to Australia under that program in the 1950s. As a result, we had a huge Euro-population well before the 1970s. (Fun fact, the only city in the world that has a higher Greek population than Melbourne is Athens!). Also, with regard to temperature, in Feb 2009 in Victoria, we had 5 days in a row where the temp was over 45C (113F), with the last day reaching 48.8C (119.8F). In Melbourne, it got to 46.4C, the highest ever recorded here. On that last day, bush fires started all over the state, over 170 people lost their lives. We call that day Black Saturday.

[@KindaAustralian]

Thanks for your comment! When I was doing research for this video, I didn't see much about the infrastructure projects. That's great to know! I also never heard of Black Saturday before, that's devastating ☹️

[@nightberg1971]

@@KindaAustralian My Mum came to Australia as one of the 10-pound-poms (travel expenses paid by the UK government. She already had a job lined up for her when she arrived, so that was a blessing), and my Dad is 3rd generation Australian-German (as a little kid I was blue-eyed and blonde). South Australia has a rich German-influenced heritage, so there is a population of Australians that still have the genes for their kids to be blue-eyed and blonde. But as John stated above, the infrastructure just wasn't there, so specialists of all trades were needed, and that required sending out requests to many nations - mostly European, but not all. Also, as John pointed out - the temperatures you mentioned are quite correct, but have been a little warmer over the last few years. I'm in Sydney (just a few km's west of the Northern Beaches area), and regularly during summertime we get the low 40's to mid 40's (low 100's - 110's). I once worked on a farm for grape harvest in Mildura (VIC) - some years ago - where we were harvesting in 50+ during the late morning hours. Stopped work at lunch, and hundreds of us went and soaked in the river for the rest of the day. So here in Oz, we do get some pretty gnarly high temperatures just not as bad as Death Valley in the USA. As to the bushfires - if you're truly becoming an Aussie citizen, they happen every year, and it's always hot and smokey (especially if you're living in the surrounding areas). The Black Saturday fires of 2009 in Victoria were a bit of a scare for me since my Mum lives in close proximity to where the Kinglake / Marysville fires took place. In fact, she was evacuated for 3 days, although the town she lives in wasn't damaged by the fires. I really enjoyed your video, dispelling the false stereotypes we Aussies face - keep up the good work. And when you do make the leap to be an Aussie, we'll welcome you with open arms, a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle in one hand, and a cold beer in the other! 😊👍

[@kward3510]

@@KindaAustralian yeah Black Saturday was horrific. I was living in NZ then, and I could see the smoke from there. It turned the moon bright red.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

Yes I have many Italian, Greek neighbours growing up in Melbourne in the 1950s and 50s. Now it’s even more multi cultural and they all cook there food here, it’s wonderful the variety of different cultures food here in Aus.

[@MillicentNankivelldotcom]

I live kinda near where Black Saturday ripped through, there were fires all around us thanks to ember attack and how fast they were moving, and it got to 52 degrees at one point at our place. I don't think I've ever lived through a drier day, the humidity was so low. I drove up through Toolangi just the other day and trees through Kingslake and Marysville are still bare. Also with the blonde hair thing, we spend so much time at the beach in the sun ... salt water + sun is a pretty good natural hair bleach for those of us with fairer hair. It also brings out the strawberry in my own hair but we don't talk about that. These days there are also suburbs (at least in Melbourne) where you're more likely to see advertising in an Asian language than you are in English, though getting citizenship I believe still requires you pass an English exam.

[@markjones4090]

It snowed on the first day of summer at my place this year and today I had to take a tiger snake for a walk that was sun baking on my doorstep this afternoon. That's Tassie life.

[@Whiskers74]

During the heatwave in Sydney you mentioned, parts of the western suburbs actually hit 50.2 celcius, or 122.3 fahrenheit. Where I am in Sydney, it will regularly get to 40+ celcius, or 104 fahrenheit in summer.

[@skeleton5459]

to be fair, she only moved here recently,.. think 6 months ago? we've had a very mild summer this year. felt like winter. lol

[@doubledee9675]

@@skeleton5459 My memory from other videos is that she's living in Western Sydney - pretty hot out there is summer.

[@karencramer6491]

Unfortunately, you've misused the meaning of the word 'culture'. You mean convict ORIGINS. Most of the convicts were people who had been forced into one-off crimes of poverty. It was not their 'culture' to act criminally. As for our weather, If you overlay an upside down map of the USA over Australia, our weather patterns match yours. Our south is your north and vice versa. Also look into our indigenous history. Very sad, but important to understand. All the best for your Australian life. Hope you get to love it as much as we do.

[@TWR1988]

Still;.. I think having the guts to admit to and share what she had wrong; is pretty dang impressive.

[@stewartc4558]

The basis for the Aussie culture is aboriginal culture. Swimming, surfing, love or bush individuality all were taught by aboriginal kids to "convict: children.

[@Nathan-ry3yu]

@@stewartc4558 convict children? A total 164.000 Convicts was sent to Australia over a 100 year period from 1788 till 1864. In 1864 Australia population was 1.3 million people. So what percentage was convicts? 5%

[@achiruel]

Not sure about the weather comparison. Few places in Australia get genuinely cold like Maine or Wisconsin.

[@karencramer6491]

@@achiruel True dat. But it's just a thumbnail for Americans to get an idea of our weather patterns.

[@ozzymick1431]

As a "new" Australian of mixed Asian heritage, I believe I was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the abolishment of the White migration policy in Australia, as well as New Zealand, where I had just graduated from varsity in 1974. Migrated to Australia with my beautiful Kiwi wife of Scottish descent, to join the rest of my family after a wonderful 10 years in NZ. Two of my 3 children are married to Aussies and there's never been any question of our or their racial backgrounds. We're colour blind! Love Australia 💖🇦🇺

[@Mauds541]

You would just have to look at the life expectancy of an Australian born and current resident of Australia to understand that even though we have deadly animals, we have a great life expectancy

[@arconeagain]

However, one of the highest cases of heart disease.

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

@@arconeagain due to a traditional heavy meat based diet. and the birtish diet of frying and cooking in fat and lard.

[@arconeagain]

@@julesmasseffectmusic I do not know of anyone who still fries their food in lard. The saturated and trans fats in their food choices is the likely culprit, which obviously includes junk foods and take away.

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

@@arconeagain My mother used lard, not often but she grew up on it. I mentioned it more to indicate the crappy traditional english diet of removing all flavour from food.

[@arconeagain]

@@julesmasseffectmusic yeah I remember my dad buying blocks of lard. My parents grew up eating dripping, that was normal back then. For instance, this could be of a roast lamb from the previous night. The oil would be drained and put aside, probably before the gravy was made (yes people, that's how you should make gravy). This would set of course and would be spread on bread or maybe toast in the morning. Mum said she would get up and simply wipe pieces of bread in the tray. Breakfast of champions.

[@wjkjaj]

I think allot of people underestimate the amount of snakes in the city and suburbs. I work in construction and can ensure you there are plenty of snakes in grassy parkland especially if there is a good water source.

[@maxfish4770]

Bloody oath, I do a lot of demo. Python or skins in most roofs with any sort of tree or grass land nearby. Owners are nearly always shocked.

[@leviroch]

Perth based here living in the suburbs not more than 20 min drive to the CBD. . . Fucking dugites (western brown) are EVERYWHERE here. . . I keep finding half eaten ones in my backyard (my chickens are. . . Brutal)

[@yt.personal.identification]

Australia sees more snow per year than Switzerland. Australia has every possible climactic region. That is, tropical to desert and everything in between.

[@BuzzLightyear9999]

Yeah, but Switzerland is a relatively minuscule country in comparison to the continent of Australia…😉

[@heftyelf]

@@BuzzLightyear9999 But... the more accurate detail is that the Australian Alps (aka the Snowy Mountains, c. 12,000km²) gets more snow than Switzerland (c. 41,000km²).

[@mikeparkes7922]

@@heftyelf Absolutely correct.

[@Preview43]

Shhhh! Don't tell everyone it's perfectly safe here - it's how we scare off the riff-raff.

[@davidrochow9382]

When you were talking about deadly Aussie animals you forgot one of the worst " Drop Bears ".

[@oldigger7060]

These creatures are too terrible to talk about!

[@Scuffed_Andy]

And Hoop snakes ;-)

[@aldunlop4622]

Talk about flogging a dead horse. That joke’s so old.

[@0utcastAussie]

fkun Killers mate. What out for the Bunyip too

[@hoff54a]

Can't mention drop bears, US will stop sending their Marines to the NT if it gets out. No casualties from Drop Bears, just training accidents. Shhhhh.

[@peterclancy3653]

Had a dugite ( snake) living in my shed for several years and it wiped out the rat population, I just used to make a loud noise when I went into the shed so it would go and hide

[@leviroch]

Fellow perthite i see, yeh I get inundated with dugites every year coz the chicken seed attracts mice. . . But then my chickens are absolute savages and generally just eat the dugites. . .

[@thelorax9622]

There's no such phrase as "convict culture". And there were people here 50000 years before we became Australia, which only happened officially in 1901.

[@owenshebbeare2999]

"Convict culture" is more a media thing, and Hollywood. Never comes up unless people are talking about settlement times.

[@thelorax9622]

@@owenshebbeare2999 I've honestly never heard that phrase, but I can believe it would be convenient for some.

[@anEyePhil]

Bears in North America are much more dangerous than any animal in Australia. Watch out for those drop bears.

[@travelsolo2677]

Yep, seen plenty of drop bears rip a man to pieces 🤟🤦‍♂️🙄

[@dee-smart]

I guess you have crocodiles then!!

[@newshound2521]

America is one of the most dangerous developing countries in the world for its two legged animals.

[@annieinwonderland]

Also widow maker gum trees.

[@whymeeveryone]

did you know, that Melbourne is the second biggest Greek city behind Athens

[@davidpalmer4184]

Did you know that Bondi is the second largest city of New Zealand?

[@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479]

Did you know there are still more Italian migrants than Greek in Melbourne?

[@Tanzadog1]

Did you know that you phrased that wrong. Melbourne is definitely an Aussie city, not the second biggest Greek city behind Athens .... the Greeks didn't build Melbourne - a better comment would have been that Melbourne has the second biggest Greek population in the world outside of Athens.

[@whymeeveryone]

Yes you are right I should have point it out better.

[@SunRise-ul7ko]

I'm aboriginal & I can tell you, there are way more Greeks, than Aussies in Melbourne & Sydney.

[@leongt1954]

Having been born in Aus 67 years ago I've only ever seen 3 or 4 snaked mostly in the outback, 0 box jellyfish, 0 crocodiles and 0 sharks

[@robinpedler1239]

Yep ya wouldnt see box jelly fish crocs or sharks in the outback lol

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

U need to get out more mate. They're there.

[@vpdownunder9032]

I move at least 1 or 2 deadly snakes from my yard every summer, when you have dogs in rural Australia you become much more aware of what lives in your back yard.

[@leviroch]

29 years old, in Perth. Have handled more dugites than I could ever count ever since primary school, never seen a box jelly, ive only ever seen crocs a few times when I've been bushbashing up north and those were just basking on the banks. . . Sharks. . . Yeh seen plenty of sharks. The last 2 fingers on my left hand don't straighten out properly due to a drunk night of shark fishing lol

[@leviroch]

@@vpdownunder9032 get free roam chickens mate, mine fuck up any snakes in my yard. . . Little Velociraptors. . .

[@cassandramcfadyen1988]

I live at the foot of the ski fields in Victoria. We get -4 temps in winter and +45 in summer

[@planetdisco4821]

You did your homework young lady. Well done! I would like to say that in the tropical north it’s best to not swim anywhere that’s coastal. Ever! Especially in the NT you wouldn’t believe how big the crocs are there and how common. Don’t even stand close to the water because you are almost certainly being watched….

[@ramiromaia592]

Don't forget Australia also has a Native Aboriginal population which is about 2-3% of the population and about 80% live in the Northern, Central, and also remote regions where native title legislation was established

[@brontewcat]

Actually most Aboriginal people live in urban areas, particularly Sydney.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

@@brontewcat I think a lot of people inc Aussies would b surprised at how many indigenous people r still living in remote communities & keeping language & culture alive.

[@brontewcat]

@@jadecawdellsmith4009 Not really. I think most Australians think of Aboriginal Australians as living in those communities. However the largest numbers live in NSW. Although Aboriginal culture (in terms of how the world and other relationships are viewed) is still alive in urban and rural areas of NSW, even the the traditional lifestyles have changed. However Aboriginal culture in NSW is very different from that of the Top End, but some aspects remain. So although skin groups do not exist in many Aboriginal communities in NSW, the importance of family and kin is still central.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

. Growing up in syd,yes there was a v. large aboriginal population but I think a lot of others didn't really 'count them' as they weren't 'black enough' didn't speak language & had lost so much culture. Not their fault,I blame a messed up govt with f##ked up policies for that. And I expected that to b the same everywhere because that's what I'd been taught. It was such a revelation to go live in remote communities where they were still living off the land & carrying on with the old ways. Govt did their best to wipe out all that but I'm so glad they failed in so many places. I feel blessed I've been welcomed to country & have been accepted by elders willing to pass on knowledge even tho I def 'pass as' white.

[@anEyePhil]

My Great Great Great Grandfather was transported to Australia in 1818 as a “convict”. He stole a cow. His headstone is still standing in Windsor, West of Sydney.

[@jackvos8047]

One of my convict ancestors house is still standing on Gogerly Point, which is named after him.

[@bigoz1977]

I live in Penrith about 40 miles west of Sydney and we had 48.9 Celsius in early 2020. On that particular day Penrith was the hottest place on the planet 😳

[@seegee7728]

It was actually 47.3 but yeah it was the hottest place on the planet. Go the Panthers.

[@davesboatingfishing]

@@seegee7728 pretty warm that day for sure, I Renee the smell of the tar on the road...

[@distant_sounds]

I remember seeing that online and was glad I missed it. I used to live in St Marys but now am in California. Hottest I experienced in western Sydney was 46C and that was bad enough.

[@bigoz1977]

@@distant_sounds 46 was the hottest I had seen when I was growing up in Penrith but I moved to the UK for 26 years and came back to Australia in 2017. Mid 40s can be regular for 5-10 days in a row now 🥵

[@sjorchatodman34]

Historically, December 18th or 19th 1996, Richmond recorded 51.2 c which was for the 90's the hottest day ever recorded in NSW. Many pets & animals perished that day which made news headlines. New Years Eve 2002 was 49.9C, our AC couldn't cope so we spent the day at Penrith Plaza, by 7am it was already sickeningly hot. Richmond has always been the hottest Sydney suburb up until the last few years, Penrith has recorded hotter temps. 40c here is like, 'yeah, it's a bit hot' lol.

[@aussiejim1616]

It's not a thing to be ashamed of, having convicts in your past.

[@georgesmith4509]

@FC I agree. I'm proud of my three convicts, sadly one of them became a police man in the colonies first police (every family has a Black Sheep)

[@afpwebworks]

People in other countries who are impressed by someone's "breeding" or "ancestral heritage" are often snobby enough to look down on people with convicts in their ancestry. I have heard several stories about Australians being condescended to by upper class English people who sneer at their being decended from concivts. Only to have the Australian swell with pride because being descended from a First Fleet convict is the height of social acceptibility.

[@aetd106]

Aussie here - got a few things that are important for anyone coming here whether on a holiday or moving here from abroad. 1. The closer to the capital cities you are, the less likely you are to encounter snakes and stingers BUT spiders can be a problem. Shake out your shoes before you put them on or you may get bitten by one of our venomous spiders. 2. 911 or 112 will work from certain cellphones (mobile phones) BUT our emergency number is 000 (triple-zero or triple-oh). If you're going anywhere outside of the cities or towns you will probably need an Australian CB/UHF radio and not have cell service. 3. The beach is great but as you said in the tropics you will find box jellyfish and other marine stingers (such as irukandji) - stay away from uncontrolled/unpatrolled beaches. The riptides (we call them "rips") are the main danger so stay between the red-and-yellow flags, which are the patrolled areas of beaches. If you're in trouble, put your hand up and the lifeguards will know you need assistance. 4. Even if the weather is cool, the UV index may still be high. Check the forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology (our National Weather Service equivalent) which will tell you when you'll need sun protection. 5. We drive on the left with the driver on the right side of the car, overtake on the right, but each state will have differences in road rules. Some states allow U-Turns at all traffic lights, some allow them when signposted, some will ban them UNLESS signposted. Check the laws before you drive. Remember that all distances and speeds are in kilometres (per hour) not miles. Also, if you're driving in Melbourne, look up what a hook turn is. I'm in Sydney so thank goodness I don't need to do those ever. 6. Unlike some other countries, most places in Australia will not let you carry alcohol in public or drink out in public. Alcohol consumption is generally limited to the home or licensed premises such as bars, pubs, clubs. Smoking is banned indoors or anywhere where food is served in most places too. 7. On the west coast or the northern parts of the country, tropical cyclones are common over the summer months. These are the equivalent of hurricanes. Most of the country, including parts of the capital metropolitan areas, can be prone to bushfires over the September-March months too, so make sure you have emergency plans made ahead of time if you need to protect your life or evacuate. Unlike the States, tornadoes don't generally pose severe threat and are fairly infrequent - they do happen but the worst we've EVER had is an F2 or F3 I believe.

[@stewartc4558]

In WA public drinking is illegal but not enforced unless you're being dickhead. Its public be polite enjoy the beach or whatever.

[@psychokitty9325]

Also get a lot of flash floods in certain parts (like road entering/leaving Canarvon), even when it's not raining (water comes down from the hills) so it's good to keep track of reports if you're driving around rural Aus so you don't get stuck 😊

[@ThatguyPurps]

Hook turns are the devil!! So glad I too dont have to deal with such nonsense. 🤣

[@achiruel]

Australia has lots of tornadoes, but most occur in the middle of the desert, and therefore rarely cause damage to human habitation and are rarely reported on.

[@pshehan1]

Hope you are enjoying your experience. I am a stereotypical Aussie. My great great grandfather Tom Shehan was transported to Western Australia at Her Majesty Queen Victoria's expense in the 1840s for stealing a book worth two pence at the age of 11. So at least I come from an intellectual line of thieves. Tom was sent to a sheep station (farm) to tend sheep and met and married my great great grandmother who was half aboriginal. Annie Shehan's tribal name was Yindolan. All my other Australian ancestors were 'free settlers' from Britain. I originally had blond hair and green eyes. The hair went darker as I grew into my twenties, but is now white. I had a relative at ANZAC cove Gallipoli in WWI , and other relatives in both world wars. One was killed piloting a bomber over New Guinea, and his brother, also in the Air Force was shot down over Germany and sent the Stalag Luft III, the 'Great Escape' camp. He was supposed to go out in the escape but being the closest thing they had to a doctor in the camp (medical student I think) gave up his place to another man who was among the fifty executed and felt guilty about it ever after. My mother said that the 'doctor' in the film was dark haired whereas her cousin was fair. So I guess I get my colouring from that side of the family. I went to Syracuse NY as a post doctoral research scientist (my intellectual thieving ancestor coming through) just after Crocodile Dundee was popular, looked somewhat Paul Hoganish so was picked as an Aussie rather than English more often than I had expected. I asked my American girlfriend whether she had agreed to go out with me because of my accent. She replied 'Of course.' I live in Melbourne in the south (the colder part here) and have been skiing in the mountains but winter here is nothing like central NY. Have been working on the outside of the house for the last few days but stayed inside when it was over 100 F for two days, lest the paint dry on the brush. But it's dry heat here in Melbourne which I don't mind. Even thought Sydney too humid when I lived there, never mind Queensland and the Northern Territory. Up north they have the dry season and the wet season. The latter is in our summer. The wet season is also the tropical cyclone (hurricane) season. Have a couple of nieces and a nephew in Darwin at the moment. They are welcome to it. I may take the Ghan (named for the route of Afghan camel drivers) train up the centre to visit them in our winter. In the 19th century before federation and the White Australia policy, there were a lot of Chinese here to join the gold rushes so there have always been China towns in the cities. I used to go spear fishing so have seen plenty of sharks but none big enough to swallow me, but was always a bit concerned that their big brother might be sneaking up on me from behind. Seen snakes in the 'burbs but only in parks and golf courses near water courses. The only time I thought about them was when I was tramping through the bush miles from camp and a long way from medical attention when on feral pig shooting expeditions in NSW and hoping not to tread on a brown snake. Saw crocodiles sunning themselves on mudflats on the Daintree river in far north Queensland but you won't find them down south. Growing up in a totally white bread suburb as a kid I never saw anyone but 'Anglos'. Now I live in a trendy inner suburb which has people from all ends of the earth and a variety of restaurants to match. Even some Americans here.

[@martinmckowen1588]

About the snow, there is a movie (based on a poem) called The Man From Snowy River.

[@RadioSnivins]

Interesting Celsius/Fahrenheit fact: -40°C is the same temperature as -40°F.

[@davidpalmer4184]

Yes, it took a long time for the non-metric people to catch up.

[@westaussiebrumby5425]

10:10 I am in the NW of WA and that is a nice cool day in summer here, I worked in 53C, drink more water.

[@linux49er]

What is "convict culture?" I've lived in Aus. all my life and never heard that term before.

[@billking8843]

*Convict ancestry

[@jimr4354]

Great to see an American provide a realistic view of Australia particularly the dangerous animals.Very well highlighted re warnings,risks,differences and climate. Melbourne has quite variable weather and a very diverse cultural base.

[@tasdare6377]

I'm petrified of snakes, so I stomp around like an idiot when I'm in long grass or scrubby bush. I thought I had it all worked out, until I saw one sitting up in a man fern at head height in some footage. I never thought about tasmanian snakes in trees. 😧

[@angelicasmodel]

I go bush walking all through time, and I've seen one, possibly two snakes in the last decade. One was while I was swimming in the river. I too had not thought this was something to consider.

[@michaelfink64]

I thought one of the myths was going to be that kids go to school riding on kangaroos! Fun fact: Australia has a greater area of snow than Switzerland.

[@brodiemcfadyean893]

We have more snow than the Swiss Alps

[@brodiemcfadyean893]

And that's just in the Victorian Alpine region

[@billybunter3753]

Yes Australia actually has more snow than Switzerland period! It's because Switzerland is small when compared to Australia.

[@solreaver83]

The official temps are so off. In central Australia it regularly hits more them 50c and I've been in 60c+ for a week in Roxby Downs.

[@johnedwards7899]

Tasmania has pretty good snowfields too.

[@tonyhyde2644]

ohhhhh it gets much hotter than quoted here...in lightning ridge nsw, home of the opal, where i was living it got to 53C or 127F in the shade but the heat coming off the road was in the 70's, some days are hotter but its regularly in the high 40's to low 50's.....the coldest i've experienced was here in tasmania where i now live and it was -11C or 12F

[@peterfan8650]

I think in the US you would be more likely to be related to a living convict than an Aussie with a dead one. The US has more of a convict culture than Aus with the highest incarceration rates in the world.

[@ToniAnnBarandon]

Probably. I'm in the US. And descended from criminals who were never caught or convicted. But they were from Italy. (LOL)

[@peterfan8650]

@@ToniAnnBarandon Ah Mafioso?

[@Aquarium-Downunder]

Sometimes it snow 50km west of sydney. Australia gets more snow than sweden, I hate the cold

[@dmisso42]

Glad to be from Convict Culture. My great Grandfather was sent to Australia for stealing a Bushel of potatoes to feed his family back around 1843. He went on to become a settler who's son became Mayor of a Town in Northern New South Wales, then trekked across Australia to become Mayor of Gerlalton, His son went on to become Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and then I let the team down by becoming a nobody.

[@Nathan-ry3yu]

My great great great great grandfather migrated to Australia from London in 1818. He was a builder he wasn't sent as a convict. My mother side of her family came to Australia in 1880 from Norway also I'm related to John Monash Australia famous general who was in command of Australian and American forces on the western front during ww1. To.my knowledge there was only 164.000 convicts sent to Australia over a 100 year period from 1788 till 1864. In 1864 Australia population was 1.3 million people. So convicts made up only 5% of the general population back then. After New Zealand was created in 1840s and after ww1 convicts heritage in Australia fell quite low to only around 1% of the general population accordingly to migrattiin database and birth death and marriages that I used to work for.. most Aussies today not related to any convicts heritage you only make up a very small minority of the general population

[@Rage_Harder_Then_Relax]

My mother's family came over here in 1839 from Cambridge as free settlers but on my father's side we have some aborigine and convict just not sure when they came over.

[@lyndonmaddison5860]

Where the hell did you get the expression "convict culture"? I would seriously question the 20% figure you mentioned too. As mentioned above, the US state of Virginia was a penal settlement many years before Australia and many hundreds of thousands of British convicts were sent there. Does that mean Virginians have so-called "convict culture"? This expression does not exist anywhere so please don't use it again as it is totally ridiculous.

[@mooreandless]

I don't get the 20% figure either.

[@heftyelf]

The 20% figure is roughly accurate, but it means little to nothing. It just means that for one in five people, ONE of their great great great (and sometimes an additional up to four more greats- that's right... 3-7 greats) grandparents was a convict.

[@lyndonmaddison5860]

Just thought I'd add the states of Maryland and Georgia..... just saying.......

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

@@heftyelf yep seems about right in the lower classes in OZ generations are barely 20 years and for decades people had kids early as well late in life. my family has cousins older than my youngest aunt. Each generation of my family is the same.

[@Dr_KAP]

Right! Convict culture?? WTF!

[@osocool1too]

A lot of convicts were charged for say stealing a loaf of bread ... very trivial.

[@westnblu]

Another quirky fact not many people realize about Australia is that it has the largest wild population of camels in the world. They were introduced by the Afghan camel herders who were brought in to help open up the interior . This was b4 cars, trucks and trains . When their job was done the camels were left behind and flourished in the desert interior of Australia with few predators and plenty of room to roam.

[@oscillatewildly6553]

Here in Australia throughout my childhood and teenage years my family would spend our holidays and long weekends camping in the bush and I saw only one snake in all of that time. That doesn't mean they weren't around, they would "hear" and "feel" us nearby and take off. I lived in the country for 18 years, having a five acre property and during that time I saw 3 snakes who were "hauling ass". There were a few road sightings when driving. Thanks for putting the snake issue into perspective. Enjoying your videos

[@aussieragdoll4840]

I have no convict ancestors in my family. But I have a friend who has two convicts from the First Fleet in 1788. They were married to each other on the voyage to Australia, but they gave birth to the first child born in the colony after they arrived.

[@overworlder]

Convicts were sent to America too. The reason the UK needed a new convict destination was because they lost the American colonies.

[@anthonypirera7598]

Nicole Kidman her natural hair colour is Red

[@georgesmith4509]

the temperature depends on where you are. The hot test temperature ever recorded so far in Oz was at Marble Bar in the Pilbara west Oz at 50 C+ for 3 days in the mid 1980,s Don't forget Melborne is is as far from Darwin as New York is from L.A. Curiouly enough, the western slopes of nsw can range from 30C+ during the day to -7C the same day.

[@TheAussief1]

The coldest recorded temp in Australia was -22C at Charlotte Pass.

[@mikeparkes7922]

The hottest temperature ever recorded so far in Oz was at Oodnadatta, South Australia at 50.7C in 1960. The hottest and driest town, in the driest State, in the driest country on the planet.

[@georgesmith4509]

@@mikeparkes7922 I don't doubt it. I knew about the temp at Marble Bar I cited. I since been told of earlier higher temps at Marble Bar as well. But in Oz were used to taking heat!

[@sandrahallam2431]

o0 what the hell is convict culture o0 ??? convict heritage i think you mean :D

[@KindaAustralian]

Yes! You're totally right. I still get a bit nervous filming since I'm still new to this and didn't realize I'd messed that up so bad until I went to edit 😆

[@raymondstone9636]

Convict Culture, check out some of our polticians.

[@debbimor8003]

I live in the suburbs, about 20 minutes from my capital and I've seen 4 snakes in the past 2 months, 2 highly venomous and 2 really cute carpet pythons...one was huge, I mean HUGE, it was 4m long, the second was about 2m long and lived in the rafters of my garage for a few weeks but sadly moved on a few days ago.

[@bronxpatch-greatdanes8422]

I live 20mins from Melbourne CBD so well and truely considered metropolitan area and our suburb is literally surrounded with wetlands and creeks and even though I’ve only ever seen 2 in the 20+ years we’ve lived here, because we’re very central, so many locals closer to the borders of the suburb, need to get tiger snakes removed from their backyards here! Last year, someone had to get 4 different tiger snakes removed from their property in a single week!

[@debbimor8003]

@@bronxpatch-greatdanes8422 About 15 years ago we lived next to wetlands and had a constant stream of taipans and eastern browns...I think in the 4 years we lived there, we saw at least 1 snake every 2 weeks (during the warmer months). I swear I'm a snake and spider magnet! Funny enough, my middle child who's in her late 20s, now has a reptile license and a collection of lizards and snakes as pets...so maybe it was just her encouraging them to visit! I'm not scared of snakes thank goodness, and quite like seeing the carpet snakes...spiders are a different story!!

[@anitachopping]

Watch out for the" Drop Bears" when you come over.

[@Jeni10]

I’m in my 70s and was born here so I went to school here and the proportion of blond haired kids was about 5%. Jane Elliot used that notion to show how some Americans are predisposed to prejudices.

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

Try going to Yamba in the 80s hte only briunette in down was a blow infrom teh city. natural blondes and sun bleach blonde surfies.

[@phoarey]

Spot on. One blond in my class in Toowoomba in the 1960s.

[@stevesymonds7724]

You need to revise your temperature records. The highest temperature officially recorded in Australia is 50.7°C (123.3°F) recorded at Oodnadatta SA in January 1960 while the lowest was -23.0°C (-9.4°F) recorded at Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains of NSW in June 1994.

[@ThatguyPurps]

I was out at a mining camp out near the SA, QLD, NSW borders, and the geothermal techs monitored 55.6 degrees in the shade at our camp while they where there. It was cooler in the kitchen where I was doing roasts for dinner than it was outside. Totally mind blowing.

[@tishbrett]

Been out near Cobar was 56°c (132f) about 10 yrs ago and Cloncurry recorded 53.1° back in 1889

[@mrbarnicle6655]

The blonde hair blue eyes really got me.

[@janettescott580]

Hey Darl you might like to include the indigenous people who are the original people of the land.

[@davidmc105]

Interesting perspecitves, thanks for sharing. That convict heritage is misleading. I don't know if 20% of Australians have some convict heritage, I suspect it's much less, but, OK, I'll go with that. But that heritage is about 6 generations back so perhaps 20% of Australians have about 1% convict heritage. It's so small, it's a non-issue to us.

[@brontewcat]

I have convict ancestry, but it is much more than one percent. I had one ancestor on the first fleet, three on the second fleet, and at least 4 or 5 other convict ancestors. Because my ancestors arrived in Australia so early they married other convicts and their children married the children of other convicts once you find one convict you will find others. I am pretty proud of my ancestry. While none of them became rich most of my ancestors worked hard enough and became respected after their sentences expired.

[@davidmc105]

We don't look down on convict ancestry, it's a badge of honour to have in your heritage. I was proud of my solitary convict ancestor until DNA proved him not to be my ancestor.

[@brontewcat]

@@davidmc105 You are so right about it being a badge of honour. My convict heritage is virtually on my father’s side. My mother used to be quite snobby about it saying she had no convict heritage, but I have recently found one on her side too. That is disappointing about your convict ancestor. Still he can be considered a great step grandparent.

[@brettbridger362]

Good video, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy your new life here. What city will you be moving to and what state do you currently live in?

[@thatdudeinasuit5422]

Yeah the temperatures in some of the more remote regions of central Australia get really quite bipolar because of how dry it is (so there's not much in the atmosphere to hold in the heat overnight) during the day under direct sunlight for instance the hottest was a 50.7 Celcius degree day in Oodnadatta which is roughly 1000km from the state capital of Adelaide and at night can regularly get below freezing this is the same reason why many central Australian buildings are built partially underground to make cooling easier.

[@cocolosus00]

I beg to differ love, but on 1/1/2006, Sydney hit 45 degrees Celsius

[@sharynhines4769]

I remember that day well, I was lucky enough to be in Brisbane, on holidays and all my friends back home were telling me how bad it was.

[@EnlightenedCate]

It's winter for the snow, usually not summer. But we have hight mountains that are snow covered most of the winter.

[@heftyelf]

I think she meant that while it's summer in the US, it's winter here.

[@michealbohmer2871]

I live just north of Brisbane and we had an Eastern Brown in our backyard a year ago. It just disappeared one day and I don't know what happened to it. We have a lot of magpies and butcher birds in my backyard, with an occasional kookaburra, so if they took out the snake or drove it off I don't know. We feed the birds so they're friendly to us. As a matter of fact they nest in a big mango tree in the yard so they've all grown up around us. We've been here for 7 years so this year will see the 6th generation to grow up with us.

[@peterjames83]

Just a quick one Katey, we call a riptide a rip. And FYI, a house is where people live, we don’t have a school-house (school) Police/Fire Station house, just Police/Fire Station, otherwise well done

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

Where I live in Dorset, many old bridges have a plaque warning of being "Transported for life" (sent to Australia) if you tamper with the bridge. If only!

[@kangablue4502]

That’s the BEST comment I’ve read this year! Come over any time!

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

@@kangablue4502 Many thanks for the invite! As a child, I lived near Adelaide for 3 years. I have been back for a look some years ago. Old now.

[@kangablue4502]

@@malcolmnicholls2893 I hope you get at least another opportunity to pop in and say hi, and stay for awhile!

[@gregorturner9421]

rip tides for those who don't know are channels of fast moving water that run parallel to a beach then head out to sea that can drag you out into the ocean. (the flags mentioned are put out by the lifesaves to indicate safe areas)

[@MELODYMUNRO]

I am in the suburbs and have seen brown snakes in my back yard - multiple times.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

You are so right , thanks for telling Americans. I have no convict ancestors. Mine came over from England Ireland and Scotland as free settlers in the mid 1800s. I’m a third generation Australian. I’m in my 60s living in Melbourne and I’ve never seen a snake except in a snake tank in a shop. My father took us to the beach most weekends in the summer, I’ve never seen a shark or a jellyfish. I have, had, very red hair and greenish eyes, still a tinge left lol, from my Scottish ancestors. It can get pretty cold here in Melbourne in winter. Great info on Aus. Oh I’ve watched videos where some Americans had no idea Australians were allies with Americans during WW1 & WW2. Some didn’t even know we fought in those wars, and The Vietnam war as well. I remember mum and dad telling me about the Americans soldiers here in Australia. Sincerely hope you have a happy life here 😊

[@billking8843]

You should get out in the bush more. I've seen hundreds of snakes and stepped on a few.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@billking8843 I live in a suburb surrounded by trees and a river. We’ve had 2 notices snakes have been around our properties, I never saw one, a neighbour did though. And a track I walk on, I’ve never seen anything except my friend called in and said she saw an echinacea near here on her walk. They all must run and hide from me lol. Oh I see foxes often sitting on my deck, they look and run like heck when you make the smallest sound. Kookaburras wake me each morning. The magpies are used to me even with their babies. I just sit and watch them. Lovely to see them rearing their young then stop feeding them to force them to do it themselves- after a lot of parental totally ignoring them squawking lol

[@billking8843]

@@bernadettelanders7306 You are sure to have snakes nearby then! I always love seeing them.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@billking8843 I do have snakes nearby. Neighbours have seen them, I haven’t, only the foxes passing by at night. Friend saw an echidna on local walking track a few weeks ago, I haven’t on my walks. I must frighten the wild life around here 😂

[@duck7237]

It has been 46.4C (115.5F) in Melbourne. A lot of people died and the state burned. The hottest measured day in Alice Springs was 46C (115F). It can get very hot here in Melbourne. Conversely, it can get flipping cold in Tasmania to the point that it physically hurts.

[@Steve_P_B]

My ancestors were free settlers, in fact much of the first fleet and those other early fleets that settled here were free settlers

[@brontewcat]

Thank you for busting so many myths. I very much appreciated the video However, there is one animal that is very dangerous. While it is true it is a myth you are not likely to killed by our wildlife, the one wildlife you should be frightened of are saltwater crocodiles. They are only found in the tropical north, but because of conservation policies the numbers are growing. They are a top predator, and we are prey. The reason I have posted this is because often the people who are killed are tourists who have ignored signs saying there are crocs around. You should not go into the water anywhere in the tropics unless it is advertised as being croc free/ safe for swim. Note freshwater crocodiles are not dangerous, but still be cautious - so normally it is okay to swim in the touristy parts of Katherine Gorge, but the rangers will let you know if it is safe to swim.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

Mostly agree but when it comes to Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) the guides there really only tell u to avoid the sandy banks when the mother crocs r nesting. The platforms built for diving into the water for a swim r only meters from the croc traps. Nobody seemed to mind. E'one swam as normal,I guess we're just used to the freshies being pretty harmless. Salties r completely diff tho.

[@brontewcat]

@@jadecawdellsmith4009 That’s good to know. I do not like saltwater crocs, but having been up to the Top End a few times, and lived in Timor Leste. Fear of saltwater crocodiles has cured my previous fear of snakes and sharks.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

@@brontewcat small world, I've lived in both places too & I totally agree,after being up that way the snakes & spiders pale in comparison. Should we mention the sea snakes? Nobody seems to mention them. Maybe for the best eh

[@brontewcat]

@@jadecawdellsmith4009 Not sure what to think about sea snakes. Most aren’t aggressive, and some have such small mouths they can’t bite us. Actually, other than the funnel web, spiders in Australia are not that dangerous. Apparently even red backs are not always lethal, even without antivenin. However the funeral web makes up for all the other spiders. I quite like huntsman spiders. We watched one jump on a cockroach and drag it off. So I am happy to have the odd huntsman about.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

@@brontewcat sea snakes r highly venomous but yr right they aren't aggressive & shouldn't b a concern but u know what some visitors (&locals) can b like when it comes to our wildlife. And I agree again about funnel webs,highly dangerous & found EVERYWHERE. As for Hunstmen spiders,yeah they can look scary but I like having them around. I spend way too much time watching the behaviours of them & all the other critters that find their way inside. We have stacks of geckos & get plenty of bog frogs & they're all happy just chillin & tidying up the more annoying bugs. I don't have a fondness for cockroaches so I'm happy for the other critters hanging around that do

[@marionthompson3365]

Had an encounter with a 6 foot brown snake last week. Thankfully I was using a leaf blower and it scurried away from me. Took about an hour before I stopped shaking...then another 2 days ago, even bigger. So I've been warning everyone to keep a lookout. VERY deadly and VERY scary. At least we haven't had the mice back yet....

[@Danger_Mouse_00]

I live in Sydney and at the base of the Blue mountains 50k from the city. Penrith has been hotter than 47. We got a day that 47.9 from memory. We have had many says that it's been above 40 out west of Sydney. It traps the heat out west due to the mountains.

[@boitmecklyn4995]

The only time we ever use inches is for TV screen sizes.

[@HoldmyWine2024]

Hey little known fact if America didn't have that civil war with Britain and drove them out Australia might not have even been settled as britain no longer had anywhere to send them

[@KindaAustralian]

Huh, I NEVER thought of it that way 😳😱 That's kind of crazy when you think about it like that but makes total sense 🤯

[@brettbridger362]

And if that happened, it would have probably been the French that settled Australia.

[@terryjeisman7550]

@@brettbridger362 It wasn't the Civil War, 1860 to 63, it was the revolutionary war in 1776. My ancestor arrived in the "first fleet" in January 1788. However he was not a convict but a marine guard, he didn't return to the UK until 1805 and soldiers today complain about 6 month deployments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@brettbridger362]

@@terryjeisman7550 Oops, my bad.

[@philipbucca2548]

Hi Kaitlyn, One animal to watch out for is the Australian Cassowary. They attack about 200 humans a year, but no-one ahs died from their attacks since 1926 (According to Google) , most attacks are from people trying to feed them.

[@jeanettebuckman830]

Any Australian who has a convict ancestry are very proud of that .Most convicts were sent here for stealing small items such as a loaf of bread. Convicts that worked hard were eventually released to to marry and settle .I think you will make a great ambassador for Australia you do your research and tell it like it is here .Welcome to Australia

[@tonybigwood5928]

Just went for a walk close to the city centre in Canberra - and brown snake. But he was fine we just stayed away from each other. Canberra is the bush capital though.

[@Aquarium-Downunder]

Crocs and box jelly fish are way up north only, as for sharks, the real man eaters are selling used cars

[@pittarak1]

Selling cars and now real estate!

[@tishbrett]

Not as far north as people think

[@TheMimiSard]

I appreciate you sharing a picture of Mark - it's nice to see the man that brought you to us.

[@TheMimiSard]

Convict culture - Both sides of my family seem to come from free settlers. I know on my Dad's mother's side, it is believed that she descended from a minor folk hero in England, and the family tale says he had three daughters from his first marriage who he sent to Australia after marrying his second wife. Nanna visited England and looked into the guy's hometown and found no real evidence of his first marriage, but when Mum looked at the literature Nanna had brought back, she pointed out that the one marriage on record was in the man's 40s, and the family story does lay blame on the second wife for pushing to "get rid of" the daughters, so there is a lot of time for him to have a marriage removed from the records. Dad's dad is a lot closer, he was 7 when his family emigrated from Scotland. He was a WW2 soldier and when the war ended and he got back to Britain, he went to visit his hometown. Meanwhile on Mum's side, there was one family who were asked to come out and establish hotels (of the classic two-storey pub with rooms to rent form) around the country, and another side on Mum's mother's side that were from a wealthy furniture maker family in England that descended from one of the few remaining Scottish clans, but the member of the family who emigrated was encouraged to do so because he married the company secretary I.e. scandalously below his station.

[@kelvinhill9874]

I have two convicts in my family tree. One is about 8 generations before me and the other one is about 6 generations before me.

[@janetrickwood2484]

I have both First Fleet convict and gaoler ancestors; a Gallipoli veteran; a Burma Railway veteran; I was born in Wiradjuri Country and am proud of their heritage. Little Oz has its downsides, but we've made some big steps too. It's a great place to live.

[@lesleyvass8739]

Convict culture??? Do you mean ‘convict ancestry ‘, perhaps...?

[@jasonw3204]

The hottest day I've seen in Australia was on the hay Plains 52 degrees and the lowest was -7 in Oberon

[@patrussell8917]

Aussies are quite cultured people having artists singers actors scientists academics and more who are world class, and globally surprising

[@MatthewHarrold]

I've seen 3 live snakes in my 50 years in Australia, but luckily I've also seen 2 echidnas, 5 platypuses, and one of those echidnas rests under my house a few times per year. I think we're on its territorial path. $0.02

[@tobyweiss1010]

Spent most of my life hiking through bush and wilderness in Australia. Nobody died. At least we don't have huge hungry bears wandering about.

[@crankiemanx8423]

I live in the suburbs in south Australia ,5 KMs from the city centre & my auntie used to live a few streets away she had a brown snake in her back garden,& had to call a snake catcher.you don't need to be in the outback to see a venomous snake.also the statistics for fatalities may seem lower because we have a much smaller population...

[@paulwhillas6494]

Was watching the bit about snakes and thought you might like this story. We livecin a small town in South Australia. Last week, during a burst of,warmer weather, my wife was sitting in her office chair when our cat came in through the cat flap and proudly dropped a very live and wriggling 3 foot brown snake at her feet. She screamed. The cat went,one way and the snake another. I grabbed a shovel. The snake was curled up behind a heavy rubber ramp leaning against the wall. I killed it by cutting it's head off with the shovel. My wife two dogs, and the cat were,all inside, and if the snake had got into the main part of the house it would have been very dangerous to find and remove. Luckilly the cat was fine . It had grabbed the snake behind its head, and the snake had wrapped itself around the cat's head, but couldnt bite him. Second snake we've had in the yard this year, but the first one was much smaller and either the cat or the dogs had already killed it.

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

Hmm. I can remember black snakes near our school as a kid and we lived in the suburbs of Newcastle. I live in Tasmania now and when we first moved here and rented a place, we had Tiger snakes around the place, but that was rural. The buggers do get around is my point. Granted you are more likely to see a blue tongue lizard where you are living. Most snakes in Australia will leave you alone, if you leave them alone. Also the hospitals are geared up to deal with snake bites, so your chances of being treated quickly and effectively with an antivenom is really good.

[@jeannettehope670]

"Convict culture" is really a misleading term. Sure, some of us are descended from convicts, but the last convicts were transported between 1840-1868, depending on colony (later state). There were very few convicts sent after 1830. This means that most convicts' children were born between 1788 and 1830 and their descendants intermarried with other immigrants over the next 230-190 years, now 5-8 generations. Do you think 'convict culture' means descendants of convicts continued a culture of criminality? In fact the reverse happened, with most convicts and their immediate descendants becoming good citizens and many starting and succeeding in business and public life. Many convict descendants have been prominant in Australian history. The grandson of one of my convict ancestors became a member of parliament in NSW in the 1830s. (Of course that might just mean politicians are often crooks! But there's no evidence that he was.) Having a convict ancestor is no longer relevant today - there's no 'convict culture'. In 1938, the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet, it was still something to hide. In 1988, the bicentenary, at the start of the family history craze, people boasted about how many convicts they had. In 2038, I suspect it will be ho-hum. For many young Australians then, their ancestry is likely to include Aboriginal, Afghan, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Maori, Russian, Scottish, and Vietnamese, along with the odd Irish convict. (I know people with some mixture of these, if not all).

[@OzGecko]

As an 57yo Aussie, I don't think I'd ever heard the term "Convict Culture" before either. Is that actually a belief amongst Americans? That somehow, because our distant ancestors (e.g. 6+ generations back) were transported here as convicts (and usually for very minor crimes) that somehow we were all still criminals!? Wow!

[@jeannettehope670]

@@OzGecko In 1988, beginning to do the family history, I was invited to afternoon tea on Sydney's North Shore with a group of very well-dressed upper class ladies, all into geneaology, some distantly related to me. It became a competition as to who had the most convict ancestors. The record was 32! I have only four, so I sat there very quietly, totally out of place in terms of dress, wealth and convicts. My four were two petty thieves from London, an Irishman who stole a saddle and a young woman from Yorkshire who was transported for perjury. She was maid to a school-teacher who got her pregnant. Initially he supported the child, but then reneged, claiming she had lied, hence the perjury conviction. It seems he wanted to get married, so the scandal, the maid and her child, were disposed of by transportation to Sydney (ca 1810). Their descendants have done well: in my and later generations we have had scientists, an architect, teachers, IT specialists and a doctor.

[@tubester4567]

Fun Fact: Up to 120,000 convicts were sent to the US by Britain for many decades before Aust was settled. The British settlers of North East USA were already mostly against slavery so they imported convicts to do the grunt work. Then when the British were booted out of the USA, They landed in Australia almost immediately, and continued the practice of using convicts to do the grunt work. Most of the convicts sent abroad were arrested for very minor offences. Stealing bread to survive, stealing a sheep, even for not paying a debt. Poor people lived in real poverty in those days. Serious criminals like robbers and murderers were mostly executed in those days.

[@bengosling4606]

My paternal grandma's relos arrived in the late 18th early 19th century booking free (non convict) passage on the second fleet. My aunty says we're 5th gen Aussie( it's not clear if she means her or me)so I'm either 5th or 6th gen Aussie. And yet my best mate of nearly 30 years came here at age 5 with his 4 year old sister and they're parents in the 80s from Argentina and had additional two kids here, so technically my mate is Argentine his little brother is Aussie-Argentine.

[@vicksterhawk]

why are you calling it "convict culture" I've never heard that term in my life in Australia....It was not a culture

[@010Astroboy]

Hi Kaitlyn, just a bit of info about the convict history Australians. Many of them were from Ireland which was poor at the time and so people who stole food to survive were sent to the penal colonies in Australia which was a convenient part of the British Empire to keep them far away.

[@Brisdram]

Thank you. Great job. Good to be really 'seen'. Liked and subscribed.

[@terryjeisman7550]

More skiable snow than Switzerland

[@bronxpatch-greatdanes8422]

In Melbourne we get at least 3 consecutive days of 45degrees + each summer! And yes Alice Springs reaches -8, it’s the desert… Hot as hell during the day, freezing cold at night!

[@Goethite_A]

Also a lot of German people came to Australia, especially to South Australia, which by the way was the only State that was not a penal settlement. The Germans came to escape religious persecution in their homeland and many settled in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley, bringing with them German cuisine, wine growing, and culture. Some of the towns which had German names were considered offensive during WW1 and WW2 and were renamed to make them acceptable to the Australian psyche. People of German extraction were also incarcerated or at least treated with suspicion, even though they had been Australian born and raised for many generations.

[@himbo754]

Overall, we are not under constant threat from dangerous animals, any more than most Americans worry about being attacked by rattlesnakes, grizzly bears, mountain lions, coyotes, or alligators. The US has its share of dangerous animals, but no one gets paranoid about it. When you see a video on KZbin of a wild bear swimming in someone's backyard pool, you don't assume that everyone is in danger from bears. So too, you shouldn't assume that Australians in general are in any danger. It's all been blown way out of proportion.

[@rickgeorge3739]

Thanks... regarding snakes in Australia. We have one called the Death Adder. Locals call it the Deaf Adder. Its a lazy thing. And if Bush walking just walk around it. It really is lazy. Unless you provoke it.. it wont attack (like most snakes). PS.. btw Death adders have relatively large fangs and toxic venom and, before the introduction of antivenom, about 60% of bites to humans were fatal. PPS. Also I have blonde hair and blue eyes... Thanks to my English Parents :P (But I was born in Australia) :)