What It Really Means To Be Australian

Bare feet on singeing sand. The hiss of water coming to shore. Crooning about the novelty of a white Christmas in blazing thirty degree heat. Welcome to Australia!

So, what does it mean to be Australian? To the rest of the world we are a muse; admired for our multiculturalism, our wicked (and sometimes misunderstood) sense of humour, and that “oh-so-sexy” accent which many around the world try - and fail - to imitate every day.

We are unique. We have thousands of species of animals that can kill you and we’re proud of that. We have totally hilarious reality TV shows (My Kitchen Rules, I’m looking at you) which are better known for their meme-worthiness and snarky characters. We have our own epic slang (a language in itself), and neighbours of all different races.

There’s no such thing as an “average” Australian. As human beings, we tend to classify people; to put them into boxes and stick labels onto them. As an Asian-Australian (not an “Australasian”), I have quite a few friends who don’t identify as Australian. They’d usually call someone Australian if they were Caucasian (even though that definitely does not make them any more or less “Australian” than someone who was born in Australia, but, say, whose parents are immigrants of Asian descent). Being a minority in Australia means that when people ask you where you’re from, they usually mean, “Where are your parents from?”

However, we learn a lot when we go overseas. I remember going to California as a kid, and people complimented me for my accent. It was a patriotic and heartfelt moment. I always thought my accent wasn’t what anyone would classify as Aussie.

We really are privileged to live in the country that we do: our authoritative figures, although they flaunt Speedos, are not corrupt; there are barely any extremely unattainable, ridiculous, self-esteem destroying beauty standards that make young women because bitter and self-loathing and have plastic surgery (i.e. double eyelids); we have outstanding tertiary education, with universities in the world’s top ranks; and we are as close as any country could get to being egalitarian in the developed world.

Perhaps most importantly is that being accepting of others, no matter what country they may have immigrated from, is in the nature of being Australian. It is in the very fabric of our society. Australia being multicultural and accepting of foreigners is an Australian value. It’s even in the second verse of our Anthem. At the end of the day, sure, maybe international shipping costs a bomb, and London’s heatwaves are like our spring, but Australia is honestly such an innately beautiful place in every way possible, that I would honestly never want to live anywhere else.

Congratulations to Chanel for winning this writing challenge, answering: What Does It Mean To Be Australian? Chanel wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!