Australians Love These 21 Things, And No One Can Figure Out Why
We love Australia because of all its quirks.
Australia has a way of turning ordinary things into national obsessions, and this list proves it. From slang and food to shopping habits and backyard traditions, the country keeps finding new ways to be charmingly confusing.
In this roundup, Australians share the little details they love most about home, and the results are equal parts funny, specific, and deeply relatable if you grew up there. Some of the picks make perfect sense, others feel like inside jokes the rest of the world was never meant to understand.
By the end, it is hard not to see Australia as its own wonderfully strange universe.
1. Using the phrase "100%."
You'll never unhear it if you start noticing it.
Twitter: @JennaGuillaume2. Songs with swearing added
Nothing like swearing at the top of your lungs in front of a crowd.
Universal / Via shockyhorror.tumblr.com3. Swearing in general.
"Fuck" is a noun, verb, adjective, and adverb in Australia, while the c-bomb is a term of affection.
FOX / Via reddit.com
4. White bread.
It's a key ingredient in all their favorite dishes.
Twitter: @JennaGuillaume
5. Spag bol, especially your Ma's.
Only Australia could turn an Italian dish into a dinner favorite while still giving it an unappealing moniker.
Flickr / @raver_mikey / Via Flickr: raver_mikey
6. Beets, particularly on burgers.
And, in particular, the canned variety. A must-have for burgers, salads, or simply snacking...
Flickr / @like_the_grand_canyon / Via Flickr: like_the_grand_canyon
7. Significant events. There are many of them.
The majority of their man-made tourist attractions are simply larger replicas of the most commonplace and insignificant items. We don't question it; instead, we accept it.
Education Images / Universal Images Group via Getty
8. When celebrities appear in our midst.
"Zac Efron can be seen in Australia, relaxing in a hammock. He currently resides in this city. As a result, he'll always be ours. That's how the game is played."
Instagram: @zacefron / Via instagram.com
9. Or we are noticed in some way by other countries.
"When a TV show, movie, or foreign news network remembers who we are, we become the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme. Validation! It's something we yearn for."
Netflix
It’s the same kind of chaos as the AITA cousin feud over a secret BBQ sauce recipe.
10. Pink.
Nobody — no country on the planet — adores Pink as much as Australians do. She's almost Australian at this point as well.
Gary Miller / Getty Images
11. Duets, a road trip film from 2000.
Although the film was a flop, the music was a hit in Australia, with tracks from the album dominating the ARIA charts for weeks.
Buena Vista
12. Eurovision.
"They took pity on us and allowed us to join, despite the fact that we are not even close to being in Europe."
SBS
13. The Nutbush.
When this banger comes on, try to keep an Australian off the dance floor.
LifeStyle
14. Disputes about what we call things.
"If you were present during the Great Potato War of 2014, you know what I'm talking about. For some reason, Australians can't understand why people in different parts of the country call things by different names, and we enjoy yelling at each other about it."
buzzfeed.com
15. Bunnings' venerable church.
Daniel Pockett / Getty Images
16. There's also Kmart.
The fact that "Kmart" was the first word to trend when lockdowns ended in Melbourne — and people literally made appointments and lined up to visit the sacred store — speaks eloquently about its importance in our culture.
twitter.com / Jenna Guillaume
17. Don't forget about Aldi.
"Although Woolies and Coles are well-known in Australia, Aldi is a different story. You almost certainly have at least one family member who enjoys bragging about their recent Aldi find whenever you chat with them."
Jeff Greenberg / Education Images/Universal Image
18. Lawns.
"We live in a very suburban country, so it's no surprise that so many Australians are obsessed with grass."
19. Macca's Drive Thru.
Are you even Australian if you don't go on a Macca's run as soon as you acquire your license?
Daniel Pockett / Getty Images
20. Goon, particularly when hung.
Only Australians would be proud to sip stale, inexpensive wine from a silver bag in a box.
Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
21. Trolling non-Australians, particularly Americans.
For the record, that is not a koala. That's a drop bear, by the way.
Andrew Merry / Getty Images
After Antarctica, Australia is regarded as the driest continent on the planet. It's hard to believe that approximately 40% of the continent is uninhabitable when you view the bustling Sydney Harbour or the magnificent skyscrapers of urban Melbourne.
This arid, inhospitable region of Australia is located in the middle of the continent, distant from the coast (the Outback). It's for this reason that over 80% of the country's population lives within 31 miles of the coast.
And somehow, that only makes the country's quirks feel even more iconic.
Still shocked by Aussie “100%” obsession? Then explore hidden corners of the world you’ve probably never heard of.
