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Why do Aussies think they're so damned superior to Americans?
By the way, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are overrated.
Well, I guess Australia isn't for everyone. I've never heard of an Aussie who thinks they are superior to Americans. Maybe there are some, but to lump the entire country into that comment is quite a statement!! Ever heard of the "ugly American"? Sorry you had such a bad time there.
You know, with the exchange rate in the favor of US dollars, you get more aussie dollars for your US. Today the exchange rate is 88c to $1.00 (US). However, when you're buying stuff there, I found that I'm still thinking in terms of what I would pay for it here instead of doing the conversion each and every time. And I would always think things were expensive.
I looked at jobs for example in Sydney (which may not be typical of everywhere in Australia) but if I was just starting out in my profession of long ago as a secretary, I could earn upward of $3,000 a month.
And in Brisbane, as a starting out receptionist I could earn $2,500. That's $625 a week, $125 a day or $15.00 an hour. Does that compare with our $8.00 +/- for similar work here? Not in Washington State.
According to one online report, Brisbane is the most expensive city in which to rent but they were talking about 3 bedroom houses.
As for housing (since it's the industry I'm in) in Sydney for example, a house in the beachside suburb where I grew up is going for $645,000. It is an old, 1940's or 1950's style house with no upgrades. Others are more expensive. It was one of the cheapest.
In Brisbane where I have friends who live in suburbs surrounding the city, I found a cheap 3 bedroom/2 bath house for $420,000. It's impossible (according to my brother who lives in Queensland) to find a house near the beach in Australia for under $250,000. Of course there are areas where that's not true - country areas for example, but certainly he was thinking about beachside or near-to-the-beach houses in Queensland and New South Wales. We used to live just south of the Gold Coast near the border of NSW and QLD in a beach town and houses there are just as expensive as that $420,000 house in Brisbane.
Please know that I'm not an authority on pay scales and housing prices - I just know where to go to find information. And I have no idea of what industry you're in or whether you're male or female. Women typically don't go into the construction industry so I have no information for that kind of a job or for other jobs that men would be in. There are places you can find info online if you're interested in pursuing it further.
As for food, and for lots of other Aussie info, check out:
It has heaps of information that you'll just love including the price of food, rent, gas and everything else you'd want to price.
My going-away impression of Brisbane (as well as the rest of the country) is that it is expensive. But then, wages are higher too so I think it all balances out if you're living there. It's difficult to have an "insiders" point of view though when you're just a visitor. I've found that you have to live somewhere for a goodly period of time to get a feel for how it works out economically. We had the same situation here when we moved from Wisconsin where things are more reasonably priced, to Western Washington where they're not. Our income rose significantly here to offset the higher cost of living. If you were living there and receiving a salary that made the cost of living affordable, then you would have a vastly different point of reference than someone just going there for a vacation. Or a student with not much income. Hope you get to experience the fun of Australia for yourself.
I know exactly what you mean and agree 100%.
If you are interested in Tribal rights by the way, I am a volunteer and supporter of Survival International | The movement for tribal peoples ( I'm sure you already know of it) and read the magazine and website for "Cultural Survival" : Cultural Survival Both are fascinating sources of current affairs news relating to Tribes around the world.
You know, I was not aware of either websites or the magazine. I have since looked through each very briefly and I was shocked to read about a situation in Papua where I had lived for 5 years. I really need to spend time and read through in depth since I feel that the aims and purpose of the websites are very close to my own concerns for indigenous people groups.
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If you haven't seen it I would also recommend BBC2 Programme "Tribe" with Bruce Parry ( wonderful , sometimes poignant and very funny too) and the Channel 5 "return of the tribe" when a Tribe from Papua New Guinea came to the UK after a UK journalist had spent time in their village. Their insight into our own modern Western Culture was wonderful , priceless , incredibly savvy and pretty spot on !
No I haven't seen the programs you mention. We lived in Papua New Guinea for 2 years and I must get my hands on "Return of the Tribe".
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I find it incredibly sad and depressing that we seem unable to understand our Cultural differences and that our colonising and imperialism have reduced wonderful societies to being virtually less than human and of no interest to us at all.
The social statistics for tribal people in various societies are incredibly telling of our impact on their Culture . They have mostly become "ghosts" , forgotten voices and I just wish we as the winning side could have at least preserved their dignity and recognised the richness of their Cultures and Civilisations. Like all extinct species "Extinct is forever" and we are losing so many wonderful traditions, mores and ways of thinking as well as art,languages, storytelling, music by our "bulldozing" of Tribes which most still consider "primitive". It makes me weep.
The richness of our humanity has fast eroded away and is being lost in our sadly successful attempt to homogenise everything and we are becoming so alike and bland it's downright scary.
Our shared humanity should have meant a deeper respect and more profound understanding of "other" ways but it seems conquest means cultural annihilation too...
I couldn't agree more. I am seriously hoping that in the not too distant future I might be able to work in one of those endangered language groups and reduce their language to writing. Of course, languages just represent the people who speak them and the culture which is intrinsically bound to language. My years working in Papua (Irian Jaya) are a part of who I am today. The richness of the culture of the people I worked with was amazing. Talk about being masters of their environment! We need to capture these languages and cultures before they become truly extinct.
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I hope one day to visit Australia , especially as I have a strong interest in Parietal Art and Aboriginal Art is superb.
If you are interested in parietal art, you need to visit Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. They have the most amazing rock art at Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu. Ubirr also. But I'm sure you know where to go.
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Did you see the movie "the Rabbit Proof Fence "? It was absolutely wonderful , gut wrenching, poignant and so , so sad...
I haven't see "Ten Canoes" yet but it sounds great.
I don't think I could handle "Rabbit Proof Fence" but I'm definitely going to track down "Ten Canoes". I'm hoping it's as great as it sounds. Good for them!
I also really like "Ray Mears" "Bushcraft series, though an expert on survival issues he is incredibly knowledgeable and very culturally aware as well as once again very humble and full of respect towards various Tribes.
For a humorous look at Anthropology I would recommend Nigel Barleys' books, especially " A plague of Caterpillars" and "the Innocent Anthropologist". Both are hilarious accounts of his experiences in field Anthropology in Cameroon. Nigel Barley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Do watch " The Rabbit Proof Fence" it really is superb and a beautiful movie.
I also really like "Ray Mears" "Bushcraft series, though an expert on survival issues he is incredibly knowledgeable and very culturally aware as well as once again very humble and full of respect towards various Tribes.
For a humorous look at Anthropology I would recommend Nigel Barleys' books, especially " A plague of Caterpillars" and "the Innocent Anthropologist". Both are hilarious accounts of his experiences in field Anthropology in Cameroon. Nigel Barley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Do watch " The Rabbit Proof Fence" it really is superb and a beautiful movie.
adelaide, canberra &perth are affordable towns but if you are prepared to spend more money the gold coast, brisbane or sydney but if your from the us these houses will be very cheap compared to those you have.
Everywhere I go in the US, as soon as I open my mouth, people realize I was born somewhere else. Many people guess correctly, but some think England. That's OK. It's a great country too. And my roots are there on my great-great grandparents side.
Anyway, once they know I'm an Aussie, the next thing people say is that they have always wanted to visit there.
So, if you have questions about Australia and need some great advice about where to go and what to see, here's your chance, ask away!
Hey there, i have been in Perth for around 5 years now and I can conclude that it is really hard to rent a house to stay, eventhough I have no bad records and have full-time job already. I really wonder why is it that hard? most are rejected, do you know what are the owners actually looking for? And I am still looking for a house to rent
offer more money everyone wants to rent these days people are going crazy.
Adelaide has 1000 or so apartments being built on the port river new port quays there are still a few up for sale i think its a nice spot apart from low tide on the river.
Well, I remember when I got back to school last Monday, I wondered "man I wish I was in Australia where it's summer break right now. Plus it's probably not as screwed up there as it is here." How screwed up is Australia in terms of government to you?
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