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What's up, Down under?

23:26 / 04.08.03

I was just considering my forthcoming trip during an idle few minutes at work, and i realise the only experiance of the country that i have is from paulhogan films, that episode of the simpsons where bart wont take a booting, and some random kids program where some ginger loser played sucky guitar for a band called "the orange organics".

So instead of hunkering down and using the internet as the useful research facility it has the potential to be i decided to ask you guys so..

Australia, what do they eat? wear? fuck? watch? kill? dance too? dance on? dance in? drink?, is it nice? , cold? warm? round? green? soft? what are the people like? what are the animals like? ect ect ect

i will be leaving the end of this month and be there for 8 months, any hints tips and/or random comments that end in core will be mucho appericated.

The Return Of Rothkoid

01:01 / 05.08.03

[Gasps]

The Orange Organics! Dear christ.

02:53 / 05.08.03

Oh, i had no idea pugwall was an export property...

Okay, Melbourne and Sydney are on the east coast and they are small big cities. all urban and CBD and suburban and cafes and galleries and stuff. no probs there. Other capital cities, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, &c are also citified int he same way, but they're comparatively a bit more "small town"ish (no offence to anyone intended.)

one thing you have to keep in mind is the distance. some people i know who come over are all "oh, i'll be staying in sydney so i'll pop down to melbourne for the weekend and then head back" and I'm all "dude, it's 12 hours on a bus from Melbourne to Sydney - good luck" three days on a bus melbourne to perth; 2 days melbourne to alice springs (close to ayers rock)... big country there.

So don't be under any misapprehension that you can "do" Australia in 6 weeks or less without a lot of planning and perhaps a good deal of money.

best advice if you're coming for the first time: base yourself in melbourne or sydney and do some scouting around once you're there as to where you want to go when you're outside the major metropolii.

What do you want from this trip? beaches? deserts? cities? rural countryside? rainforest? what? the answer you give will change my advice greatly.

m.

07:42 / 05.08.03

I was going to jump in here, but matsya seems to have it all covered.

Yes people dance in Oz, just depends on what you're looking for. Northern NSW for outdoor raves in Summer, cities for clubbing all year round. All flavours catered to.

You'll probably be able to pick up bar work or the like if you need cash, particularly in places that cater to tourists, like Brisbane or the Gold Coast which are in Queensland.

If you can give us more specifics then we'll be able to help you better. Like which city are you flying to first?

Also, I will be in Oz in October and I am hoping to meet up with Sydney and Melbourne Barbelites, so come out of the wood work people and let me know where you are. You too Puck it'd be nice to meet you!

07:54 / 05.08.03

Pugwall was so export material. A friend was trying to start the first Orange Organics tribute band.

It never really got off the ground.

08:55 / 05.08.03

Pugwall!! couldnt for the life of me think of the name.

Well im there for at least six months possibly twelve if everything goes well, ill be staying in Sydney for the first half trying to save enough to travel a bit.

i just want an overveiw into the culture what do people do for shits and giggles, some slang terms to clear any confusion, ettiqutte and pub protcaul that sort of thing.

Angel it will be C.A.F to hook up with others, i imagine in sydney there to be internet cafes a plenty so ill still be 'lithin so just let me know when.

00:16 / 06.08.03

I'm in melberg, angel - happy to hook up. also another old barbelite, award-winning slash writer deva, is here in melberg somewhere, so perhaps we could arrange something.

dread pirate crunchy is based in sydney these days, but i don't know how active he is on the board these days.

as for cultural look-outs, puck, you'll be just fine. australians drink beer, get drunk, shag each other, dance, pick fights, go to galleries, talk shit and pretty much watch the same telly as you.

m.