Some of Australia’s Unique and Strange Cultural Phenomenons, as observed by an Australian
By Eryn Swann
Collages by Chika Ojukwu
Australia is a country with beautiful nature and architecture. But Australia is also home to unique culture and strange phenomena that may only be found here. To citizens of other nations across the world, these phenomena may not be as comprehensible. Australians really do appreciate the small things in life, and it’s these little things that have become our everyday staples and cult favorites. We Australians represent ourselves on our local stage, but as the world is exposed to these cultural happenings, they may become synonymous with our world image as well.
The Democracy Sausage
Every time there is a federal or state election in Australia, Australians turn out to the polls in droves due to mandatory voting. Something that everyone can collectively look forward to is the ever-so famous democracy sausage. As the eponymous title suggests, it is simply a beef or vegetarian sausage that is placed into a piece of plain, untoasted white bread — topped with either tomato sauce, barbecue sauce or barbecued onions — and is served to voters on election day.
These sausages are traditionally served right outside of polling booths for the hungry citizens that have served their democratic, societal obligation to decide the future leadership of their communities and country. It is a key component to Australian elections. The utter disappointment and outcry of going to sausage-less polls is immense, as seen online and offline. For most people, even those that are highly in tune with local and federal policy, the democracy sausage serves as a great motivational voting tool. Even if only for the free feast that awaits upon choosing your preferred electoral candidates, Australians from all states and territories are able to unite despite any political tension.
Bunnings
Most people from other parts of the world would probably roll their eyes at this one but something uniquely Australian is a collective love for Bunnings, a hardware store filled with anything you could possibly need: tools for home renovation, barbecue equipment, house plants — even sausages. A common staple of Australian cuisine, sausages greet you in a pop-up tent outside of the main doors to Bunnings. Should you grab yourself a treat, the proceeds to your sausage go to a local charity of the day.
The best aisle to swing by is possibly the most colorful one of them all: the paint card aisle. An entire shelf, from the floor to the ceiling, is filled with rainbows of squares with every color you could imagine. You’ll always catch kids (and other folks) grabbing as many as they can, as they are the only freebies you’ll be able to take home with no questions asked.
Bunnings is always an adventure. Sometimes you go in with one item in mind, but then you wind up spending over 40 minutes just looking for tools to complete your slowly growing collection, or wood that you swear you’ll use for some future project. Whatever you need, you’ll likely find it at Bunnings.
Big Things
One of the strangest trends in Australia is definitely the fascination with Big Things. Across every state and territory, you can find a Big Thing. They are simply giant sculptures of random objects. One of the most iconic Big Things in Australia has to be the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. There’s also the Big Ned Kelly in Glenrowan, Victoria. My home state of South Australia is home to the Big Rocking Horse, found in the Adelaide Hills.
As Australia is an incredibly large country — the sixth biggest in the world, to be exact — there is a wide variety of attractions to see as you travel across states on a road trip. Usually, towns outside of main cities accommodate tourists with these joyous, novel and down-right wacky attractions to run their businesses. But they also serve as a welcoming rest stop before you hit the road and make your way to the next city.
Our Beef with New Zealand about the origin of iconic things
Whether it’s claiming actors Sam Neill and Russell Crowe, or racing driver Scott McLaughlin, or the pavlova and lamington as our own, Australia has a lengthy — but also friendly and comical — beef with New Zealand over the origin of iconic Australiana, particularly involving notable people and famous food.
Australia’s relationship with New Zealand is one that could be compared to the likes of the United States and Canada, or England and Scotland. The friendship is nearly familial, as Australians and those who hail from New Zealand are generally referred to as cousins across the Tasman. Aussies and Kiwis are like two sides of the same coin. Though a common jab from Kiwis is that Australia has no culture, and merely adopts any and every popular custom from other countries, we have different cultures. However, our people are very similar in their attitude towards life, and how we would like to live — laid-back and content with the simplest of pleasures.
Landscapes and nature
I would be remiss not to mention Australia’s nature and landscapes. It’s an incredibly versatile place, with iconic white sand beaches, crystal blue water, arid deserts (found both in the center of the country and in small islands off the coasts), tropical jungles, even snow and ski fields.
I’ve always appreciated South Australia’s local versatile nature, though: the Little Sahara Desert in Kangaroo Island, the numerous parks and the nature hikes — like the Sturt River Gorge or the Black Hill Conservation Park, home to incredible wildlife like koalas, galahs, red-belly black snakes, wombats and cockatoos. =
It’s guaranteed that every Australian loves and appreciates the amazing nature that we have, and take advantage of it with every hike, road trip and holiday. Australia is a fascinating country with even more fascinating people who all find ways to bond across the nation. Even as Australians travel all over the world, it’s nice to know that when you return, you’ll always be able to cherish the simple things that truly make home feel like home. ♦