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Caring About Our Country
Answering your questions about Australia . . .
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Flush Backwards?
Funny how we get certain questions over and over. To Leah and Jacob, no our toilets do NOT flush backwards. To Peter and Anthony, the water in our sinks and bathtubs empty in the SAME direction as everyone else.
Here's why ...
There are a couple of reasons Australian toilets do not flush backwards. First, the Australian toilet flushes straight down. This question is generally asked by Americans. The toilet bowl in America holds a lot of water while the Aussie version hardly has any water in comparison. So when you flush an American toilet, what's there goes round and round before it disappears. An Aussie toilet simply flushes straight down.
We have an article on our website all about Aussie toilets, with a bit of humour thrown in.
Second, it's a common mistake that the direction water travels when a toilet, sink or bathtub empties is different in the Northern hemisphere where the USA is from the Southern hemisphere where Australia is. This is often attributed to the Coriolis force and even some teachers incorrectly tell their students this.
The Coriolis force only acts on large bodies such as the earth. Things such as toilets, bathtubs, and sinks are too small to be affected. What causes the water to spin clockwise or anti-clockwise is simply how the container is made and how the water empties from it.
More Information
In case you were wondering about the direction Aussie dogs turn round and round before laying down, it's the same as in the rest of the world ... whatever the dog wants to do. And yes, we have had this question too.
We love your questions and doing the research is always interesting.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Anzac Protected
It seems the Australian government has decided that our Anzac Day cards violated their regulations. What regulations you say?
Regulations to protect the word 'Anzac' and any word resembling it, from inappropriate use, were made originally in the War Precautions Act in 1914.
We thought our Anzac cards were tastefully done and designed to honour the special men and women who serve and protect our country. Unfortunately The Hon Bruce Billson, MP, Minister for Veterans' Affairs didn't see it that way and declined to give us permission to have the cards.
So we've removed the word 'Anzac' and you'll now find the cards listed in Holidays as "Lest We Forget".
Actually we are in favour of the regulation. Besides the historical importance, the Anzacs hold a special place in our country's cultural identity. So it is important to protect, even if the ruling went against us.
Does this mean you can't use the word Anzac for anything? You may have noticed streets and highways called Anzac. That's permitted. How about Anzac biscuits? Yes, but only if you use the traditional recipe and shape. Sorry Yanks, but calling it Anzac cookies is prohibited.
As far back as 1917 people tried to make money out of using the name. Walker and his 'famous dog Anzac' ran the Anzac Golliwog Company which performed in theatres around Australia. After being interviewed by the local police, he left the state and presumable stopped using the name.
Some people asked to use the name Anzac for a child's name (approved) while others wanted to name their homes Anzac (refused). Queensland Kops Brewery wanted to make beer labels called Anzac Toast (refused). So ask permission first.
More information:
Regs at Dept of Veterans' Affairs
Australians at War
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Australian Genealogy
Researching your family's genealogy can turn up some surprising things. Deb Jahn wrote us about research she's doing on the Castilla family.
She was pleased to read the story The Red Kangaroo by Ethel Castilla that we have in Voice of Australians. To help her we added a new page on Australian genealogy you might find interesting too.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Holidays in Australia
Ken Fagin wanted to know if we celebrate the American holidays Halloween and Thanksgiving. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving and Halloween is not officially recognized in Australia. Some older Australians strongly object to celebrating the American holidays here.
However, each year you'll find more Halloween things in our stores such as costumes and candy. Going trick-or-treating is growing in popularity with many Aussie kids because of the candy, costumes and parties.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Australia is often called an island continent since its surrounded by ocean. But did you know Australia has over 8,000 islands within its maritime borders.
Karen, a grade four student from Iowa, USA wanted to know if Kangaroo Island was called that because it has so many roos. Actually Capt. Matthew Flinders sailing on the HMS Investigator gave the island its name when he landed there in March 1802.
Why that name? When the men came ashore, the kangaroos were so tame, they had no trouble killing them. The men had not eaten fresh meat for 4 months so this was a welcome occasion. As a result Capt. Flinders honoured the kangaroos by naming the island after them.
Kangaroo Island is also famous for being the oldest bee sanctuary in the world. For a list of Australia's biggest islands, see our Land Facts page.
 Interesting Information?
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