Australia does not have any official language. However, English is spoken by the majority of the population. Although Australian English is closer to the British English than American English, it is distinctly recognizable as a different version of English. This difference was arose by intermingling of children of early settlers of Australia, who were mostly convicts from Ireland, Britain, Wales and Scotland.

By the advent of Film and TV, American culture and media affected the English spoken in Australia. Now Australians use a mixture of the two different versions of the language. Sometimes they use a British word, sometimes an American one. For example, Cab, Eggplant and Stroller (American) are used as in opposed to Taxi, Aubergine and Pushchair. 
Australian English is spoken with many dialects and accents. The most common accent is known as General Australian Accent. This accent is predominantly used in the urban areas and can be heard in Australian films and TV programs.

 One of the key aspects of the Australian English is the wide use of idioms and slangs. These slangs are mostly used in non-urban areas and small towns in which the language has not yet affected by the modern form of the language and has not been influenced by the American English. To speak to Australian people you probably will not need to know these slangs, phrases and rhyming slang phrases, but to understand the Australians when you are part of a friendly group conversation you might need to know some of them.

Aussie slang is rich in clever and is unique in the world. It’s a kind of sub-language that emerged in the Australian bush and moved to the cities through the economic depression, two world wars, post-war immigration and so on. This sub-language is heard mostly around the pubs, clubs and racecourses.  After living in Australia for a while, especially if you travel around it, you might use these colloquial expressions without even being aware of them. Trying a few of these phrases, I mean those who you really know their meaning, will amaze your Aussie friends.

In this section I will introduce some of these slangs and colloquial expressions. It’s good to know them so I suggest you learn some of those which look interesting to you and use them.

•    Great Aussie Slang book by Eric Spilsted
•    Wikipedia