It’s Australia Day, the day to celebrate family and friends, the myriad of cultures uniting over steaks on the BBQ and beer in the esky.
It’s spending the day at the beach, slapping on the sunscreen and enjoying the sunshine.
It’s celebrating the achievements of Australians young and old.
It’s being grateful for living in a country with opportunities abound.
12 Things I Love About Living in Australia
1 – Long runs along the never-ending stretches of beach
Where else would I have around 40km of beach to run along without obstacles and sunbathing crowds? This is awesome for marathon training.
2 – Sunshine 300 days a year
I love the sun. Sunshine makes people happy, it provides us with vitamin D, and makes everything in life look brighter. Yes we get the rainy season too, but mostly it’s sun and blue skies.
3 – The growing multicultural society
We’re a multicultural bunch, sure you get the nasties here and there who get too much media attention and give Aussies a bad name, but mostly we’re a friendly bunch who love living in a multicultural society.
4 – Tim Tams and flip flops
Yummy double chocolate coated Tim Tams dipped in tea or coffee. Yum, yum, yum, give me one right now. And flip flops, seriously they go with everything and you can get them in red, black, yellow, white and with the Australia flag.
5 – Weekend barbecues by the water
Food always seems to taste better outdoors. Head down to the beach and you’ll see families and friends putting a steak on the barbie every weekend.
6 – Good health care and welfare
Access to public health care is available to all. No hefty bills when an emergency arises. The welfare system is pretty good too, unfortunately too many people take advantage.
7 – Opportunities galore
We all face obstacles in one way or another but Australia is full of opportunities to achieve amazing feats. Education is available to all if you want it. You can create wealth even on a mediocre wage. Starting a business is as easy as coming up with an idea and taking five minutes to apply for an ABN (Australian Business Number).
8 – The varied wildlife
How cute are kookaburras, koalas and kangaroos and more? Sure we have some of the deadliest snakes and spiders but you really don’t see them as often as foreigners think.
9 – Mango season
This yummy fruit is full of vitamins and sweet flavour. Kept in the fridge they make a delicious cooling snack on a hot summer day. They’re great on salads, in salsas and cakes, and eaten on their own.
10 – The vast area of land
I’m not sure it’s possible to experience everything Australia has to offer. It definitely can’t be done on a holiday. I’ve been here for over twenty years and I’ve barely scratched the surface. Australia has an area of 7,692,024 km² with 18% being red soiled desert.
11 – Fish and chips at the beach
Yumno. Again it’s got to be something about al fresco dining. But nothing beats a romantic evening with a blanket under the starry evening along with some fish and chips from the local fish monger. The Fish Monger on James St in Burleigh is my favourite.
12 – The diversity of the land
On on end you have tropical rain forests, the Great Barrier Reef and crocodiles, while on another you have the Snowy Mountains, or the red desert and Uluru. There are the large modern cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and the little beach towns like 1770 or inland wine havens of Stanthorpe, the Hunter Valley and Barossa.
What do you love about living in Australia?
