If you’re travelling around Australia, no doubt you would have had your pre-conceptions about the wonderful Aussies. However, there are a few phrases and stereotypes of Australians that not all Aussies will agree with, and some Australians hate these stereotypes with a passion! Here are the 3 stereotypes that Aussies working at Nomads Airlie Beach dislike the most.
1. “Put another shrimp on the Barbie”
I have never once in my life heard anybody say this seriously. The only time I’ve heard it said is when backpackers are trying to be Australians, and Australians explaining to tourists that we don’t say this phrase. Other than these two exceptions, I have never heard an Aussie say it. Ever. Like never. For starters, we don’t call them shrimps, we call them prawns. And your attempt at the Australian accent is also sub-par. Please don’t say it. It’s not funny any more.
2. We only drink Fosters
Usually this mistake only gets made by the English, who assume that we all drink Fosters. We don’t. Yes, it’s an Australian beer – doesn’t mean we drink it. Please stop assuming. However I must admit… we do enjoy an occasional sip of a Goon Bag!
3. Riding kangaroos or emus to school, having a pet koala, wrestling crocs and anything else under this category
Yes, we do have a lot of strange and scary Australian animals. No, we don’t have it in our backyards, well, not always. Of course there are wild animals everywhere in Australia that you may come across in your travels, like a kangaroo jumping down the main street of a town, or a koala in the trees where you may be camping – but that does not mean that Aussies keep them as pets. We do not ride in a kangaroo pouch to school, we generally do not ride emus at all, wrestling a croc is a dangerous and stupid idea, and don’t even get me started on the snakes. Please always think twice before asking dumb questions like these.
Stereotypes we’re proud of!
There are many other stereotypes that actually are accurate representations of a lot of Australians, and these are the ones that make me proud of being Australian and stereotypes that I personally like! Yes, we do enjoy a drink and a barbie. Yes, we quite often dress like bogans (especially if you’re from the country) and wear thongs, stubbies and a singlet. It’s hot – why wouldn’t you?
Our women our gorgeous and our men are fit. We all love a bit of sport and sunshine, and this quite often includes surfing. Our weather is great so we do have tans. Our lifestyle is easy-going and this reflects us.
I love our Aussie lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world, but please don’t ask me to put another shrimp on the barbie or I might scream! Now that we have that covered, polish up on your Aussie slang with our Guide to Speaking Australian.