We’re cruising through the Great Australian Bight today
and tomorrow on our way from Adelaide to Esperance, our fourth port of call in
this lovely land. The sea has settled down quite a bit, the sun is shining and
the temp is a comfortable 72.
I figured you may be getting weary of hearing about
trivia (we were 2nd again today) and Harmony Choir (I was able to
sing a little, but the cold is not completely gone) so I thought I’d share some
of my favorite Australian signs and unique usage of our common language:
Wrong
Way. Go Back.—This one is so delightfully direct. You
messed up, mate. Here’s how to fix it.
Keep
Left unless Overtaking.—The Aussies drive on the left like the
Brits, so if there are multiple lanes, the left one is the slow lane not the
right. Overtaking means you’re passing another vehicle.
Florist
Ahead.—Isn’t it nice to be forewarned of what’s ahead? However,
I’m not sure why I need to know there’s a bouquet with my name on it just up
the road. I didn’t see signs letting me know I was approaching someplace where
I could buy gas or food or anything else. Just flowers.
Give
Way.—The
Aussie version of “Yield.”
Coach
Parking—Here’s where you’ll find your tour bus.
Beef
Mince—Ground beef. Hamburger. Meat is sold by the kilogram. At present, the exchange rate is $0.78 US for
$1.00 AUS.
Caravanning—It’s
the very popular pastime we call camping! We’ve seen several RV parks in
Australia and New Zealand. Our table mates Vaughan and Cathy from Melbourne
told us about a 12000 kilometer trip they recently took up through the barren
center of the country to visit Ularoo (probably misspelled. It’s a big rock
formation in the middle of nowhere that is special to Aboriginals and seems to
change color spectacularly depending on the time of day). Then our new friends
went on to Darwin on the north shore and back. Like camping in the US, it’s
best to make reservations ahead of time because campsites fill up quickly.
Trap—Slang
for police. This may not be in common use today. The Australian Empire Band
used it last night and most of their songs were from the 1800s and earlier.
And now for those of you who wondered what on earth that
stuff was on my hamburger yesterday…it was (drum roll, please!) onion jam! And
it was delicious. I never would have thought of making jam out of onions but I
suppose the process is similar to any berry type jam.
Try something new today. That’s my goal. Let me know how
it goes with you.
Glad you are feeling better. Bring back some of that Onion Jam!
ReplyDeleteThey didn't sell it separately, more's the pity!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the picture of the bus with the Cheap as Chips...and just to let you know, that's generally a Kiwi phrase. They say "sweet as..." "cheap as" "good as" and usually there's a picture to tell you what they're comparing to. Just thought you'd like to know.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Susan. I mostly posted the pic for the Give Way sign. :-)
DeleteI am happy your cold is better. I changed my mind I would eat that onion jam.So many people at church are following where you are & others are saying where are they at now? We are enjoying reading about all of your adventures. Rachael & the dogs are all doing fine & eating well. love you
ReplyDeleteLove you too, Mom. Thanks for the update! I think of you all every day and miss you so, but we are having the most excellent adventures!
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