The Thing About Australia...

Here's the thing about Australia - it somehow manages to fit all the cliches you've heard about but still remain unexpectdly and pleasantly different.
Take Australians themselves for example. When I conjured up a picture in my head of the typical Australian man he looked a little like Crocodile Dundee and a little like the Crocodile Hunter - a brash, burly man in short shorts with an outback hat, suntanned skin, muscular build and big smile. And in many ways I wasn't too far off. True to form, Aussies are generally boisterous and their speech has an almost poignant quality to it. Unlike the light-spoken and proper English you hear in New Zealand, here the words seem rough around the edges. It is also true that Australians like to drink. There are bars on almost every corner and if there's not a bar there's a 'bottle store' (the Down Under equivalent to our liquor stores). And Australian's have the most endearing disdain for modern fashion. Where elsewhere in this world board shorts and cargo shorts are all the rave for guys my age, Australians are more prone to speedos and the short shorts from the early 80's complete with the colorful neon accents that I wasn't even aware could still be purchased outside of Goodwill. And the haircuts! My generation has dedicated websites, t-shirts and entire theme parties to the infamous "mullet," a hairstyle that you rarely see in the US other than on burly man-women and deep south rednecks. Not the case in Australia! They've taken this hairstyle to a new level. You frequently see the old classics - the business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back mullet, the "I only had enough perming treatment to do the back half of my head" mullets - but they have even gone as far as to modernize this classic 'do' with a cut I call the "mo-mullet," a short cropped mohawk that ends in a longer mullet in the back. You really must see it to truly appreciate it's value. True story - Lisa and I saw a guy in a business suit with all the trimmings of professionalism (brief case, serious expression and hurried step) rushing to work in Brisbane sporting the mo-mullet. Now try to imagine that guy presenting the year of end fiscal reviews at your annual meeting...It would bring some humor to the work place to say the least.
And all of this fits into the image of Australia that I had in mind but it was the unexpected qualities that have really proven to be exceptional. For one, this country isn't all red dirt and desert as I expected. Sydney proved to be lush and green and the Blue Mountains were literally overflowing with trees and cascading waterfalls. As of yet, I have seen not one snake, shark, crocodile or spider the size of my fist. Apparently - or at least thus far - the deadliness of this great country has been somewhat exaggerated. But perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all has been the kindness and friendliness of the people. This wasn't completely unexpected - I had heard others say that the people here were great but any discussion of Australia unfailingly turns to sharks or crocodiles so the attitude of Aussie's is often lost in the shuffle. But let me tell you - it's their greatest assest if you ask me.
Here "G'day mate!" isn't just a cliche phrase but a geniune with for your day. People are just nice. They smile at you and say hello on the street. They pick up dropped change and hand it back to you. They converse with you in lines and invite you to join them in their activities on the beach. And they do all of this without the desperation of some tourist locations in the US that smile and greet you with one hand while trying to take your money with the other. They brag about their country in terms of what it has to offer you - not in why it is superior to others - and they seem as excited about the splendor and beauty around them as the visitors that have traveled so many miles.
Maybe I enjoy this so much because I identify with it. Coming from Texas - backwoods, small town, po-dunk Texas to be exact - I know all about stereotypes and cliches. I'm a member of the Redneck crowd - rowdy, simple, bootwearing, two-stepping, conservative and hickish with a strong accent and an even stronger love of God and country. And for the most part many of those cliches hold true. But I also know that you don't often hear the term "Northern Hospitality" as much as it's opposite. For along with my Redneck ways, I'm also the proud decendant of two familes well-versed in Southern Hospitality (nothing against my 'yankee' friends - I can personally attest that hospitality crosses the Mason-Dixon line effortlessly).
I think that I must have known the following for a long time but I had to come to Australia to really appreciate it - you see, no matter where you are or whether you weare boots or jandols or slippers, or have oddly outdated hair and clothing the Golden Rule still applies and a genuine smile and a "G'day mate!" or "Howdy!" or "Bueno Dias" will go a long ways.
So keep your cliches of this land down under but add a new one to your list - Southern (Very southern) Hemisphere Hospitality...