• When meeting someone for the first time, it is usual to shake the person's right hand with your right hand. People who do not know each other generally do not kiss or hug when meeting. When you first meet someone, it is polite not to talk about personal matters.

• Many Australians look at the eyes of the people they are talking with. They consider this a sign of respect, and an indication that they are listening. Do not stare at the person for a long time.

• Seafood is abundant and popular in Australia along with large portions of meat such as beef or lamb roasts. Australia also is known for its wonderful fruits and vegetables.

• Breakfast: cereal and toast or eggs and bacon• Lunch: sandwiches, salad, and fruit• Main Meal: meat or seafood with vegetables,

dessert (Brewer).

• Vegemite: black spread made from yeast extract plus salt and is spread on toast or sandwiches. Children are brought up eating it from babyhood.

• Meat Pie: approximately 260 million meat pies are eaten by Australians every year.

• Pavola: dessert with a soft meringue with fruit and cream filling.

• Lamingtons: sponge cake cube desserts coated with chocolate and coconut.

• Australia’s version of the holiday Christmas varies with other countries’ holiday partly due to the fact that Christmas is celebrated in the summer.

• Family: Families celebrate with relays in swimming pools, water gun fights, or backyard cricket. Father Christmas/Santa Claus is usually pictured in a swimming costume and a cool drink is left out for him by children at night. School is let out a week prior to Christmas for summer break and resumes after Australia Day on January 26.

• Decorations: Homes are not decorated as heavily as in some cultures but there are two traditional native plants used for the occasion: The NSW Christmas bush and Christmas bells

• Anzac Day- April 25             • Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army

Corps and the holiday is set aside to honor Australians who have died in wars. It is probably considered the most important national occasion. Veterans celebrate by marching through the streets of cities in the morning and share drinks and memories in the afternoon. This day is very special to Australians and commemorative services begin at dawn. These ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country of Australia. During the day, the ceremonies always include an introduction, a hymn, a prayer, and address, laying of wreaths, recitation, a period of silence, and the National Anthem

• Anzac Day- April 25

• Australia Day- January 26• This holiday commemorates the anniversary of

the day in 1788 when the English declared Australia a new colony. It is celebrated with parties, picnics, and fireworks and coincides with the last days of summer vacation. This is considered a family holiday

• Boxing Day- December 26• This day is a public holiday and the majority of

Australians spend it on the beach. Some see this day as a day to extend the Christmas break

• English is the primary language used in Australia. Yet their colorful vocabulary, accent, phonetics system and slang ('Strine') can take a lot of getting used to. In 1788, there were about 250 separate Aboriginal languages spoken in Australia, plus dialects. Today, only two thirds of these languages survive and only 20 of them (eight per cent of the original 250) are still strong enough to have chance of surviving well into the next century. In addition to these there are also the languages of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

• Strine: term coined in 1964 and subsequently used to describe a broad accent of Australian English. The term is a syncope, derived from a shortened phonetic rendition of the pronunciation of the word "Australian" in an exaggerated Broad Australian accent, drawing upon the tendency of this accent to run words together in a form of liaison.

• Maz dryza dead dingo's donga (I am as dry as a dead dingo's donger, i.e. I'm rather thirsty)

Flamin Pom bastard zazmadza cutsnake, he yodelled on the wall to wallen ran out way past the black stump (The crazy English guy is as mad as a cut snake, he just threw up on the carpet and ran off into the outback)

• http://alt-usage-english.org/archive/arth_am.mp3

• http://clas.mq.edu.au/australian-voices/audio-illustrations