The island started with convicts and hasn't been quite right since...

Alright, seriously, who has been secretly changing the calendar dates? I cannot believe we have been in Australia for SIX MONTHS already! The time has flown by, and we have had some great times and met many amazing people (in man-kinis, in cupboards, at work!) that we will remember forever. There are also a few very quirky things about this place that we want to immortalize in this blog. For anyone who has traveled to this strange island (that perhaps has been left alone in the ocean for a bit too long)... you know what we're sayin.

Even better than Vegemite and Cricket:

1.There are public toilets everywhere. No begging in restaurants or peeing in bushes. And if that wasn't great enough, the toilets have a water saving flush option... how enviro-chic!

2. Waterproof money. Stash it in your boardies and you can still pay for a beer after a surf session. Genius.

3. Taxes are included in all prices. This is a no-brainer. The aussies are way too lazy and chilled to calculate tax before getting to the checkout.

4. The Aussie attitude: "No worries" is a way of life we could get used to very easily.

5. 7-11 pies and sausage rolls... other than TO street meat, there is no better cheap grub after a night of heavy drinking. The aioli, sweet chili, and chicken salt cuisine additions are also top notch!

6. Pretty much every town in Oz is near a beach. Tell me again why we live in the snow half the year?

7. Working in hospitality here is fantastic. The managers are very relaxed, the wage is $17.87/hr so you don't have to stress about tips, and the hours are enough to live but not too much to feel like you're actually working hard. Too easy.

8. Domestic air travel... the Aussies have this one done to perfection. You can go to the departure lounge, even if you're not flying, they allow every form of liquid, aerosol, and explosive in your hand luggage, they check you in almost up until the plane pulls away, and if you can't even make that timeline, many of the airlines will page you before they close the gate (several times!). Flying Air Canada back home is going to be even more painful now that we've experienced the good life!

9. There are signs everywhere in Queensland waring drivers to watch out for koalas. The picture on the sign is of a koala drawn in a way that makes it look like the koala is giving drivers the finger. Priceless.

10. Other honourable mentions: Travacalm (Mars' lifesaver.... better than gravol and no drowsiness!), really clean seagulls, a fantastic cell phone network, and the best reality tv show ever: The Biggest Loser Couples Australia.

Stranger than the love of Vegemite and Cricket:

1. The Aussies have an obsession with building huge versions of everyday things, and then making them tourist attractions. On our travels, we have seen: The Giant Rocking Horse, The Giant Koala, The Giant Shell, The Giant Pineapple, The Big Shell, The Giant Lobster, and The Giant Soldier. FYI - the Koala and the Lobster are for sale, in case anyone is looking to purchase some overseas properties...

2. The bus system. It makes no sense. The stops aren't marked. None of the drivers know the routes.

3. All these beaches and no beach volleyball. None. Anywhere. It's killing me.

4. The cheddar cheese here is white and comes in 2 flavours: Tasty and Extra Tasty. I'm not joking.

5. TV advertising here is a hilarious mixed bag. One one hand, we have seen some of the best public service ads ever, especially the ones for breast self-exams and skin cancer. On the other hand, the production value of most other commercials looks like it was done with PowerPoint in someones basement. Also, they are pretty much allowed to put ANYTHING on tv. Our favs: A beer ad that centres around the un-edited version of a song called "Tits and Ass Man", ads for phone sex lines that are racier than American R-Rated movies (shown at all hours of the day!), and a clothing company who states the same legal line in every ad: You local store may have lots or none. haha!

6. Political Correctness does not exist here. For the most part, it's hilarious.

7. Very strange slang here. They shorten everything: Brissy, Eskie, Mozzie, etc. Takes a while to get used to!

8. There are trees here that look like they are growing upside down. The pines needles point upward against all laws of physics. Not natural!

9. There are 3 tv channels available on basic cable. THREE. PVR - if you're listening... I'm comin home!

10. Last but not least, this island is home to the strangest collection of animals! Kangaroos, bush turkeys, huge spiders, etc. We even had a family of gekkos living with us (I've attached a picture of one who we named Laser!) And the kicker is, most of them are deadly!

We have truly loved every moment of our time in Oz! I give us less than a month back home before we long for the great weather, surfing, our beautiful place (I'm currently sitting on the balcony in the sun! Which is still the only way I can view the laptop screen!), and the friends we've made here. Wait, why are we leaving again... oh yeah, the tv channels.