We recently enjoyed another Aussie road trip; this time to The Snowy Mountains (more on the trip coming soon), and Mum was a little miffed to learn that we missed one of Australia’s “big things”. The Big Trout is at Adaminaby, north-west of Cooma in The Snowy Mountains. We talked about taking a detour on our way to / from Jindabyne, but ran out of time.

Which of Australia’s big things have you seen?

Over the years, visiting and now … Read more

Today Mum is sharing some posts from Christmas past…It’s hard to believe we’re about to spend our third Christmas as Australian residents. In a wrap-up of the Christmas-themed articles we have published over the past few years we share Christmas gift ideas, tips and information on how to enjoy your first Christmas in Australia, and some of the quirks of the festive season down under.

Christmas is nearly here

First of all, with less than three weeks to go, it’s … Read more

We’re officially in Daylight Saving mode down under and Mum was reminded, at 6am this morning, that Aussies are early risers.

Daylight Saving began in New South Wales on 7 October 2012, and clocks were put forward one hour; which means it gets light earlier. If you’ve got children that are prone to waking up early you’ll know that dawn now breaks around 05:30am – the joy!

If it wasn’t for the work commitment Mum wouldn’t be up at 6am, … Read more

Just over a year ago Mum published Five things that (still) surprise us about Australia… and we talked about the lack of TV and radio censorship, as well as car culture, and advertising against government policies. Another year on there are still things about life in Aus that take us by surprise. Here is a list of five more things that surprise us about Australia….

Happy Father’s Day to all!

1. The first observation is a timely one. It was … Read more

Since relocating to Sydney, from the UK, the weather and climate haven’t been exactly as we anticipated. Mum didn’t come here thinking it would be blue skies and 30 degree heat all day, every day; but there are some features of the climate in Australia that I wasn’t prepared for.

The biggest surprise I’ve had relating to the weather in Sydney is the rain. We arrived in January 2010 and January and February were particularly wet in New South Wales. … Read more

For the past few weeks we have had some glorious weather in Sydney. We’ve had some freezing, wet days too; but just when you begin to despair the sun comes out, the skies turn blue and you remember that this type of weather would be considered good during a British Summer, never mind the last few days of Autumn.

Take today; it’s around 20 degrees, there is no wind, and not a cloud in the sky. For the umpteenth time … Read more

Whether you’ve just arrived in Australia or have been living here for a while holding or attending a Garage Sale is a very Aussie thing to do on a weekend. Australian’s love recycling and with the cost of living high buying cheaper second hand items is a savvy way to shop.

On Saturday May 5th 2012 the second Garage Sale Trail will be held across Australia; last year the initiative was a great success with 1,613 garage sales held across … Read more

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Held annually on 25th April, ANZAC day is an important event and public holiday in Australia, it’s a time when all Australians who have fought and died in wars are remembered.

The date, 25th April, marks the anniversary of the first significant military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War 1. On 25th April 1915 Australian forces landed in Gallipoli with the aim of taking Constantinople … Read more

The image many of us have of Australians is of a sporty, sun-kissed, healthy nation. This image could, and perhaps should, be entirely accurate of the way people are in Australia given the favourable climate, outdoor lifestyle and ingrained love of sport. This image is true for many people. However, like other industrialised countries, Australia is in the middle of an obesity epidemic. The Australian National Preventative Health Taskforce confirms that “Australia is one of the most overweight nations in … Read more

Over the Easter weekend we have had some much needed family time, and some beautiful mild autumn weather (also much needed in Sydney). As we hung out at the beach, went walking in a local national park and took the children’s scooters along a nearby coastal walk; I was reminded again and again how Aussie our London-born kids are becoming.

We spent a lovely afternoon exploring a nearby coastal esplanade. The children on their scooters with several playgrounds to explore … Read more