Lane James M. - Moon Living Abroad in Australia

ULRIKE LEMMIN-WOOLFREY

Australia. A country full of animals strange enough for a fairy tale. A land so vast that it encompasses deserts, snowy mountain tops, virgin rainforests, and two oceans lapping at its shores. A country whose people live everywhere from artificial caves to shining skyscrapers, whose musical culture stretches from someone playing the didgeridoo in the Outback to a symphony orchestra performing in one of the most iconic buildings on earth.

Although my knowledge about anything Australian was pretty much limited, after moving here I found many of my preconceived notions about the continent to be true. The entire nation is obsessed with the great outdoors. A house is not a house unless it has a barbecue area and entertainment deck out back. The parks and beaches are teeming with people as soon as there is one ray of sunshine. The cities are bursting with culture and modern shops and coffee houses. And life is good.

Here, people really do work to live, rather than live to work. Work and life balance is important and the weekend is king. This low-stress lifestyle and healthier attitude towards work is exactly why migrating to Australia has been popular for generations.

The challenge of adjusting to a different lifestyle in a new country can be an adventure. What I love most about being an expat is the chance to truly get to know this amazing country, its people, its history and culture, and its off-the-beaten-path treasures. Australia is still very much a land of wonder, full of remote and undiscovered places.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT AUSTRALIA

The heady mix of imposing eucalyptus trees, tall palms, and majestic evergreen trees, such as the Moreton Bay fig. Australia is opulently green.

Koalas, platypuses, kangaroos, and wild cockatoosfor an animal lover this is like a trip to the zoo, only without the fences.

Even a single ray of sunshine is excuse enough for Aussies to sit outside at cafs and linger over breakfast and the daily newspaper.

The atmosphere in the Melbourne Cricket Ground when up to 70,000 people cheer on their Australian Rules football teams is simply electric.

Coffee is a culture. If you thought Starbucks had a good selection, youll be amazed by whats available.

The continent is so varied that weekend trips will never get boring.

Pan-fried barramundi with local seasonal vegetables.

When someone starts shouting Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, the reflexive response is to shout oi, oi, oi.

There is not just one local winery, but nearly 2,000 vineyardsand they deliver.

School uniforms eliminate at least some of the peer pressure on kids and ensure a quicker turnaround time in the morning.

Arriving at the Sydney Opera House for a performance makes you feel like you are treading a red carpet, simply because the setting is so stunning.

Cherry blossoms in September.

In even the prettiest of parks, you will not find a sign telling you to keep off the grass.

Did I mention the koalas?

It doesnt matter whom you ask about their reasons for coming to Australia, the answers are as individual as the people who make up this varied country. To some it is the big cities: Sydney for its iconic buildings and nightlife, Melbourne for its art and literature vibe, Perth for its beaches, Brisbane for the outdoor sunshine life, Hobart for its seclusion and closeness to the wilderness, and Canberra for its community and great education system. And then there are excellent restaurants and the coffeehouse culture, constant festivals and events, and fun and unique spectator sports.

For others, the only way to really appreciate Australia is to get out of the cities. Beyond the cities lies a country that is so diverse, so different, so vast that it really needs to be seen to be believed.

Even just driving from Melbourne to Adelaide, taking in the scenic Great Ocean Road along the way, gives newcomers a whole new perspective on what Australia is all about. I say just because even this seemingly short distance on the map takes some 10 hours of solid driving along the main roads without detoursand this is a short hop in Australian distances.

Leaving the city behind, the scenery starts to change immediately: pretty farmland with fenced partitions full of healthy cattle, flocks of sheep both fluffy and shorn naked, the corn belt, through which the main roads are punctuated by giant silos filled with the recent harvest, and pretty farms and picturesque settings all lush and green. Explore a little farther and youll find massive rocky outcrops and sheer mountains. Cliffs hem an ocean that is wild and known for its excellent surfing conditions. The forests are full of wonderfully amazing animals: koalas sitting in nooks high up in eucalyptus trees, and kangaroos nibbling on the bushes in any clearing.

Go farther yet and the land is no longer quite so ordered and severe. Large stretches of countryside are given over to the natural flora and fauna: scraggly bush, with shrubs and trees, which together with the open blue sky paint a picture of typical Australiasolitary, vast, and simply stunning. Explore farther and youll find wetlands dotted with emus and pelicans, and lone roads that stretch seemingly endlessly through the countryside before finally finding a small hub of civilization again. Head out even farther and the green turns to red, the bush into desert, the small towns and villages cease, and you can go for thousands of kilometers without seeing a single soul. Consider that large parts of Australia havent even been mapped as yet, and you get the idea.