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When tea is not tea
If someone in Australia or New Zealand invite you to tea, they mean dinner.“ Tea” is how Aussies and Kiwis refer to the evening meal.
2
Buy real indigenous art
Among the most popular things to buy in Australia are art and artifacts made by Aboriginal people, be it a handmade boomerang, a“ dot painting” depicting mythical symbols, or a hand-carved didgeridoo instrument. But sadly, there is a brisk trade in imported knockoffs, and many cases where the local artist is just not fairly compensated. One way to be sure that the item you purchase has been ethically sourced is to ask the shopkeeper who the individual artist is. They should be able to tell you. Look also to see if the store displays the Indigenous Art Code seal somewhere in the store. This is a voluntary organization that seeks to prevent the exploitation of Indigenous artists and promotes ethical ways to buy Indigenous art. It’ s considered the“ gold standard” among art dealers and gallery owners.
3
Always
swim between the flags in Australia
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute( Fiction, Australia)
The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes( History, Australia)
A Traveller’ s History of Australia by John H. Chambers( History, Australia)
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson( History, Australia)
The Harp in the South by Ruth Park( Fiction, Australia)
Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Christina Thompson( Memoir / History, New Zealand)
Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff( Literature, New Zealand)
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera( Fiction, New Zealand)
Do they Speak English Down There? by Susan C. Tunney( Memoir, New Zealand)
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton( Fiction, New Zealand
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Reading
You’ ll certainly want to get out and enjoy some of Australia’ s many spectacular beaches. But don’ t just dive in anywhere … There are stinging jellyfish, sharks, and yes, sometimes crocs in those ocean waters. Even Sydney Harbour has many bullsharks, which are very aggressive. At public beaches, lifeguards put flags up to denote the areas that are safe— not just from the creatures, but the dangerous riptides and currents.
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