Learn About Australia
This website is designed to provide information about moving to and living in Australia. In 2006, I decided to move to Australia, and found that there was a lot involved in doing this. Now I am publishing my very own experiences here to help other people with their journey and life in Australia. We appreciate your contribution in sharing your thoughts and experiences as well as helping us by translating the articles to your language. If you translate an article to your native language we will credit you with the translation on the web site. Please contact us for details.
Podcasts Are On Their Way...
Many of us prefer to listen than read because it allow us to do it while driving, walking or even working. For this reason I will make a podcast, which is a small audio file in MP3 format, for each post. You will be able to listen to the posts rather than just reading them. I am waiting for my new microphone, that I bought on eBay, to arrive! As soo as I have it, I will begin to publish the podcasts.
Latest articles for those who have lived in Oz for a while!
Australia Day
Australia Day, as it implies, is the national day of Australia. It was also known as Anniversary Day, Foundation and (by the Aboriginals) the invasion day. Celebrated annually on the 26 January, the date refers to the arrival of the first fleet of the British Navy at Sydney Cove in 1788. Only after 1818, when the New South Wales was formed, the formal celebrations began. It is presently an official public holiday across Australia.
Every year on Australia Day, Australian Of The Year Awards happens, in which Honors List is announced and is addressed by Governor General and Prime Minister.
Happy New Year 2012. An exclusive video
Happy New Year 2012
Here is an exclusive video from the fireworks in Sydney
Do I owe to Australia?
At the time of writing this post I am on a plane heading up to Adelaide for spending my Christmas holiday there. Once I'm back, I will write about my first trip to Adelaide.
For now I want to write about a controversial subject that sometimes comes up when I talk to my mates: Do immigrants owe to Australia? This subject can be very sensitive and even may annoy some Aussies. However, I believe that it is important to discuss this issue or at least use our precious freedom of speech to express our ideas.
I personally believe that when we live in a society, no matter which country it is, we owe a lot to it. Nobody is capable of living on his or her own. We owe to people who work hard to provide us with food, secure our lives and entertain us. So yes, from this point of view I do owe to Australia.
From an immigration point of view, I believe that many of us should not. feel that we are in a one-way relationship with our new country in which it is only us who must be happy. I would rather say that we are in a win-win situation!
Public Holidays of 2012 and 2013
New year 2012 is coming so it makes sense to know the date of public holidays that we have ahead.New South Wales
Holidays for NSW under the Public Holidays Act 2010
2011
2012
2013
New Year's Day
Saturday, 1 January
Sunday, 1 January
Tuesday, 1 January
Additional Day
Monday, 3 January
Monday, 2 January
Australia Day
Wednesday, 26 January
Thursday, 26 January
***Monday, 28 January
Good Friday
Friday, 22 April
Friday, 6 April
Friday, 29 March
Easter Saturday
Saturday, 23 April
Saturday, 7 April
Saturday, 30 March
Easter Sunday
Sunday, 24 April
Sunday, 8 April
Sunday, 31 March
Easter Monday
#Tuesday, 26 April
Monday, 9 April
Monday, 1 April
Anzac Day
Monday, 25 April
Wednesday, 25 April
Thursday, 25 April
Queen's Birthday
Monday, 13 June
Monday, 11 June
Monday, 10 June
**Bank Holiday
Monday, 1 August
Monday, 6 August
Monday, 5 August
Labour Day
Monday, 3 October
Monday, 1 October
Monday, 7 October
Christmas Day public holiday
*Sunday, 25 December
##Monday, 26 DecemberTuesday, 25 December
Wednesday, 25 December
Boxing Day
Tuesday, 27 December
Wednesday, 26 December
Thursday, 26 December
** Applies to banks and certain financial institutions see Retail Trading Act 2008.
# Substituted public holiday for Easter Monday.
* Additional public holiday for Sunday, 25 December 2011. Published LW 18 February 2011.
## Transferred public holiday for Christmas Day.
*** From 31/12/11 when Australia Day (26 January) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there will be no public holiday on that day as the following Monday will be declared a public holiday.Dress Code in Australia
One thing that you have to learn in order to live happily and luckily in Australia is its dress codes. You may come from a culture that does not have such a thing or it has different dress codes. For example, last year I was invited to the company’s end of year ceremony. It was said that the dress code is “Dress To Impress”. As I did not have any ideas that what was “Dress To Impress”, I Googled this term and I ended up reading an article written by a famous east European fashion designer. He had mentioned that in order to dress to impress, a man must have a suit and a tie on. Well, as you can tell, I showed up in the party with a suit and a tie, and felt embarrassed because nobody else had a similar dress.English for Immigrants and Students
Since I came to Australia I’ve had two major issues/challenges:
- Speaking proper English
- Finding friends
Although I’ve had improvements in speaking English and making friends, I still have a long way to be able to speak easy-to-understand English and make a big circle of friends. In this post I will mention how you can improve your English speaking skill and communicate better. Later, I will also write about making friends in Australia.
State of Victoria and Melbourne
State of Victoria is located in the south of Australia. Melbourne is the capital city and its most populous city. It is considered as the second most populous city in Australia too.Melbourne used to be the capital city of Australia when in 1901 the Australian colonies came together to form a new nation which, for the next twenty-six years, was governed from Melbourne. It was a small city, a place where people knew each other sharing a close bond. After such a long time, now it has become a cultural hub of Australia that comprises different aspects of a happening life and must visit for all tourists.
