Traditions and everyday life in Australia

Festivals, family customs, favourite places and everyday traditions, written by members of Global Penfriends who live in Australia. Each cultural keepsake is a short note about life where they are.

169 keepsakes from Australia · page 1 of 6
Christmas in Australia ️🇦🇺
Tradition

Christmas in Australia ️🇦🇺

Christmas in Australia is a little different from the snowy Christmas you often see in movies! Because December is summer here, Christmas Day can be very hot. Where I live in Cairns, in tropical North Queensland, it is also our…

Shared by Moppie01
The Love of Textile(s) in My Home Town
Activity

The Love of Textile(s) in My Home Town

I live in the colder region of Australia where agriculture and farming is the bread butter of the area. We have a large herding industry, as does much of Australia. Mainly running sheep and cattle. This means we have a whole load…

Shared by BusyBee3
Bunnings Snag
Tradition

Bunnings Snag

A snag or a sausage sizzle is the Australian version of a hot dog, and I\'d argue infinitely yummier. On sliced white bread, a high quality juicy beef sausage fresh off the barbie, grilled onion if you\'d like (extra for me…

Shared by TeaAira
Cockatoos in Australia
Everyday life

Cockatoos in Australia

One of Australia's most recognisable and cheeky feathered locals is the beautiful cockatoo! With their snowy white feathers, bright yellow crests and larger-than-life personalities, cockatoos are hard to miss. They're regular…

Shared by Vegemite Vibes
The Great Barrier Reef
Place

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 kilometers along the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia. It is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and hundreds of islands…

Shared by Lirily
Moomba Festival
Event

Moomba Festival

Moomba is a festival held in Melbourne, Victoria every year. It has been going since 1955 and is held over Labour day weekend in March. It's held on the banks of the iconic Yarra River and surrounding areas, and the weather is…

Shared by Juan74
Adelaide Fringe Festival
Event

Adelaide Fringe Festival

The Adelaide Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Every year, for four weeks between February and March, the city of Adelaide plays host to artists, musicians, theatre, cabaret, comedy, circus…

Shared by Star23
Visiting the Golden Valley Tree Farm
Activity

Visiting the Golden Valley Tree Farm

Golden Valley Tree Park is a sixty hectare landscaped park set in the picturesque hills of Balingup. The heritage listed site has a collection of trees that was begun over one hundred years ago, and is now the largest arboretum…

Shared by Chump
Burleigh Markets
Activity

Burleigh Markets

A small but meaningful part of life is going to the Burleigh Markets on a Saturday morning. It really reflects the relaxed, outdoor lifestyle of the Gold Coast in Australia.The markets are right by the beach, so people often come…

Shared by d3m
Christmas gift exchange
Everyday life

Christmas gift exchange

Every year me and my two really good friends do a Christmas gift exchange for each other. We group up and 2 people buy for the one person. We have our own little Christmas a couple days before Christmas Day and we eat a nice…

Shared by Akiralou
Hating on politicians
Activity

Hating on politicians

So it’s a pretty common thing for Ozzys just to hate on our politicians, especially the current prime ministers. One time a politician got egged which was the best thing to happen on live tv. It’s like a cultural thing to as a…

Shared by Bonniee
Big Things around Australia!
Place

Big Things around Australia!

Australia has an obsession with Big Things! Like, really big statues of of kinds of things - like animals, fruit, or historic figures. They mostly reside in small towns and can take a bit of effort to get to. My husband and I are…

Shared by Rubberpen
Year 12 Ball
Tradition

Year 12 Ball

The year 12 ball is a tradition in most Australian schools to celebrate going into the last year of high school. It is typically held in the first term of the school year. Its a very formal event, with students going all out and…

Shared by tadz
Mindill Beach Markets, Darwin
Event

Mindill Beach Markets, Darwin

Every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evening, Darwin holds a Markets in Mindill Beach. This is an event i have been going to throughout my life in Darwin. It’s celebrated with rich foods, homemade crafts, and small live…

Shared by Indi444
Going to visit Cape Schanck
Place

Going to visit Cape Schanck

Cape Schanck is beautiful tourist spots for those that really want to begin a tour around the beaches in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. It has a boardwalk around the rocky shorelines and there's even a lighthouse tourists can…

Shared by mochi.min
Christmas Cake
Family life

Christmas Cake

Every year on the last week of November my grandma and i bake the family Christmas cake, it is a slowly baked cake with lots of dry fruit and it can last for up to a month. We bake three, one for my family one for my grandparents…

Shared by MinzytheMeep
Australia Day
Tradition

Australia Day

Every year on the 26th January, Australia celebrates , 'Australia Day'. My family and neighbours all come together and participate in a "Raft building competition" and we have to swim it across the dam to win. We also have Buggy…

Shared by cqttage
Melbourne Tram Network
Place

Melbourne Tram Network

We love our trams here in Melbourne, not only because they’ve been a mainstay in our city since the 1880s, but also because they don’t face the delays and line-disruptions of the train system. The Melbourne Tram Network is the…

Shared by Lunoxmos
Lakes entrance, Victoria
Everyday life

Lakes entrance, Victoria

Lakes Entrance is a coastal town in eastern Victoria, Australia. It's known for the Gippsland Lakes, a vast system of inland waterways. There is a pedestrian bridge to Ninety Mile Beach, which stretches along the town's Tasman…

Shared by Rusty Road
Snorkeling
Activity

Snorkeling

Since I live in Australia beaches are everywhere here. I love swimming and digging holes in the sand, but I especially love snorkeling. I love seeing different fishes (even though I get scared sometimes) and finding different…

Shared by Eis Eis
Country towns Australia
Place

Country towns Australia

I live where the weather is judged by the mood of the farmers and their fields. You know it’s really hot when out the corner of your eye you see scales, then you have to quickly decided if friend or foe (the lizard here is a…

Shared by Daphne Snow
Christmas in July
Tradition

Christmas in July

One of my favourite Australian traditions is Christmas in July! Since the real Christmas happens in the middle of summer here, people celebrate it again in July to enjoy the “winter Christmas” feeling, with cold weather…

Shared by Valentina.Moon
Beach Backyard
Place

Beach Backyard

A hop, skip and a jump and this is my backyard. Soft sand, waves to play in or bigger waves nearby for the surfers. Every season it looks different. Many wonderful creatures live here in the sea - dolphins, starfish, moonah…

Shared by Kaspergal
Bunnings sausage sizzle
Everyday life

Bunnings sausage sizzle

Ahhh the iconic Bunnings sausage sizzle... A green little tent setup outside a hardware store run by local charities, schools, and non-profit groups to fundraise community programs operating only on Sundays. They serve you a beef…

Shared by Miccie
Visiting Little Penguins
Activity

Visiting Little Penguins

Also known as fairy or blue penguins, these adorable creatures are native to Australia / NZ and are only found in the wild here (though you may find them in zoos elsewhere). It is a common practice for those who live near a…

Shared by loveinthetimeofmoth
Footy Grand Final Weekend
Event

Footy Grand Final Weekend

We have many public holidays, one of my favourites is the Footy Grand Final. Usually the Thursday, Friday and Weekend of the Grand Final is a public holiday, thousands of fans come from all over the country to the MCG to watch 2…

Shared by Emm__
Coastal Walks and Coffee
Activity

Coastal Walks and Coffee

My city is on the Western coast of Australia and as such is deeply influenced by a connection to the sea. It is common for many activities to be organised around the coast such as Christmas Day family celebrations, charity runs…

Shared by Storm 96
make ANZAC biscuits
Tradition

make ANZAC biscuits

making ANZAC biscuits on ANZAC day 25 April annually. This is a national holiday. This is the date that Australian soldiers landed at Gallipoli cove in World war 1 and they had enough in their rations to make these biscuits. They…

Shared by Musico379
Ballarat, Melbourne
Place

Ballarat, Melbourne

Recently, I have been explored an amazing town call Ballarat. This is a town 200km away from my home, with precious history cultural background and a lot of friendly people, really a great place for you to relax and reflect from…

Shared by Emmaus

Want to hear about life in Australia first-hand? Write to a penpal who lives there.

Find penpals in Australia