Noman’s Landing Art Project in Sydney

Nomanslanding in Sydney, Australia from 2nd April to 3rd May 2015

Nomanslanding is an art project, designed to engage the visitors visiting the site to experience in the footsteps of the soldiers involved in the Great War/ World War 1 and also, to reflect on their sacrifice. It is also to commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC and as a project to connect the Sydney city’s waterway with art in an interesting way.

“Noman’s Land” refers to an area of land between the two enemy trenches that neither side wished to cross/ seize, for fear of being attacked by the enemy from the other side.

The Nomanslanding two floating half domes (pictured above) is situated in Sydney city’s iconic Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay, opposite of the IMAX theatre.

Michael Cohen – Creative Producer from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA)

The project itself was initiated by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) Creative Producer and Curator, Michael Cohen (pictured above) and it was developed in partnership with two other Curators – Lorenzo Mele from Glasgow Life/ Merchant City Festival (Scotland) and Katja Aßmann from Urbane Künste Ruhr/ Ruhrtriennale Festival of the Arts (Germany)

It all started in January 2014 last year, when these three curators, Michael, Lorenzo and Katja came together out of the mutual interest to create an urban arts collaboration project inspired by each of their cities connection to waterways and wartime history. They then invited five leading international artists – Robyn Backen, Nigel Helyer and Jennifer Turpin (all from Australia), Graham Eatough (Scotland) and Andre Dekker + Observatorium (Netherlands) to create the project. Together, they came up with an idea to create Nomanslanding (see below).

The dome shape was selected to provide a different and interesting experience to the visitors. Because of its shape, it allows sound to travel from one side of the dome to the other, allowing visitors to “whisper” from one end to another and visitors who are sitting on the opposite end can hear your whisper. It also forces the visitors to be present in the moment by blocking the noise from the outside world with sounds and voices from inside the dome, thus creating its own experience that will be unique to every visitor. Upon entering the dome, phone must be switched off or in silent mode.

According to Michael Cohen, the Creative Producer, instead of letting the visitors be told of the story of World War 1 in a literal way (such as watching a video), the artists decided to do something different that will engage the visitors and allowing them to participate in the experience even if it is just for that brief moment in time.

Before entering the dome, you will enter a tent with about 10-20 life jackets being hung on the wall (pictured above) and next to the life jackets, you will see a form that you need to fill in with your name before you can enter the dome.

After you’ve worn your life jacket and sign your name on the form, there will be a guide who will explain all about the Nomanslanding project, what it is all about and what will happen upon entering the dome. Don’t worry, the life jackets are there just in case you decided to jump into the water. There hasn’t been any previous cases where people drown in this project as they were trying to cross a walkway into the dome.

Peace Has Trembled Here is part of the Nomanslanding project to commemorate those who experienced WW1, through timeline, images and words. See what it’s like for those involved in the war in Gallipoli, Turkey and Europe

The dome itself represents a moment in time. Upon entering the dome, you’ll realise that you see other people also entering the dome from the other side and these people are supposedly representing “your enemy” during wartime. This represents how in a war, you need to pick a side and stick to one side only.

After everyone has taken their position and sat down, you will start to hear sounds, voices and even whispers in different languages to describe the experiences of these soldiers who were preparing to go to war.

The crescendo of war experience intensified as the two half domes slowly moved closer and closer to each other until they finally close together to form a dome. The dome closing is a metaphor of death that is open to your interpretation. It could be a soldier lying down after being shot or dying in a hospital bed.

The whole project concludes with a solemn live performance singing that describes the experience of crossing to the other side, meaning life after death.

War itself is a tragedy, not just a national loss.

It is important to commemorate the lives that were lost due to war and do what we can to prevent war from happening again.

This is a Poppy’s Remembrance Wall which is also part of the Nomanslanding Project. Red poppy was said to grow from the bloodshed that was spilled in the battlefield from World War 1

Michael Cohen said that there had been about 10,000 people so far visiting the site, with more expected to come by the end of the project by May 3rd, 2015 where the numbers are expected to grow up to 15,000-20,000 people.

There is still time for you to come down and check out the project. Nomanslanding in Sydney started in 2nd April and will finish on 3rd May 2015. The opening times are 11am to 7pm with last entry at 6.30pm. It is a free exhibition situated in Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour.

After Sydney, the project will continue on to be showcased in two international art festivals in Scotland and Germany. The next one being in August 2015, where Nomanslanding will be showcased in the Germany’s Rurhrtriennale International Festival of the Arts at Duisburg Ruhrort and then in July 2016, where Nomanslanding will be showcased in the Merchant City Festival of Glasgow, Scotland. Tell your friends who are going to be there to come and check out this exhibition!

Interview: Betty Tran – Australia’s Young and Upcoming Fashion Designer

Betty Tran is one inspirational woman. She has only recently launched her own fashion label for three years and already she has dressed celebrities such as Mel B (ex Spice Girl and X Factor judge), two iconic tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, Victoria’s Secret super model Jessica Hart, international model Nicole Trunfio and Australian Miss Universe Jasinta Campbell.

Launched officially in March 2012, the Betty Tran S/S collection 12-13 first debuted in New York during the New York Fashion Week, followed by a showcase of the S/S 13-14 La Muse collection at Mercedez Benz Australia Fashion Week as part of a New Generation show in 2013.

Betty Tran SS14-15 LE FLEUR ATELIER campaign

The Betty Tran label opened its first flagship store in the heart of Perth City in September 2011, followed by the launch of its second store in Claremont in August 2012.

With her track record in the fashion industry, it’s easy to make an assumption that she probably had some financial help from her parents to help her launch her career. Her story, however, is far from that.

Growing up, she juggled three jobs while studying full time in high school to help support the family. Her mother was a role model/ inspiration for her. Before moving to Australia, her mother was a well known tailor back in Vietnam. Funnily enough for her mother, it’s all self taught. “Before my mum became a well known tailor, she used to hide outside of the class to learn about tailoring because she couldn’t afford to attend these classes.” Betty explained.

Betty was involved in her mum’s work early on since a young age and growing up, she honestly said that she didn’t see the glamorous side of fashion. There was a lot of hard work.

She remembered at the age of 8 asking her mom one day, “Why do you work so hard?” Her mum then gave her this advice “you have to give the best and be the best that you can be.” Hard work and passion then become the two key things that Betty holds to this day.

The Betty Tran FEMME which translates to “woman” from a French word, is a fashion line that is launched with the philosophy of empowering women to achieve anything that they possibly could, if they set their mind into it.

Betty Tran SS14-15 LE FLEUR ATELIER campaign

The key essence of her brand are Elegance, Sophistication and Timelessness for the modern woman. “I don’t follow the trend” says Betty. “I created this brand for women of all ages, shapes, sizes and background to reflect the diversity of Australia.”

“Designing is part of the expression of who I am as a woman, with all the elements and emotions – it is as much a matter of my heart as it is a connection of my body and soul. The Betty Tran label was born for this reason” she added.

When asked about her talent, she insists that hard work is more important than talent. In her own words “I think talent needs to be refined. How many hours do you actually spend in mastering your skill? Hard work will trump talent.”

“Continue to experiment, take risks and remember that there is no shortcut. Also, stay hungry without losing your enthusiasm. I recommend to only do something that you’re really passionate about.” This mindset is what brought Betty Tran to where she is today and help propel her fashion line to both overseas and in Australia.

Betty Tran SS13-14 LA MUSE campaign

So what’s the next step for Betty? “Taking this brand outside of Australia, to New York, Paris and London. I have done New York for my first solo collection also at Mercedez Benz Fashion Week, so the next one for me are Paris and London.”

With the current pace that she is going, I’m sure she will have no trouble in making her dreams come true! You go girl 🙂

—

Betty Tran will be showcasing her solo S/ S 15-16 collection in Sydney on the 16th April at Mercedez Benz Fashion Week. To see her work, go to her website. To keep up to date with Betty, follow her on Facebook and instagram: @bettytran

10 signs you’re British living in Australia

I’ve spent the last 25 years living in the UK, so since I moved over to Sydney in January of this year I instantly noticed a difference in how I acted compared to the locals.

When chatting to my expat counterparts it seems I’m not the only one:

1. You actually answer when people say: “How’re you going?”

Back in the UK, when someone asks how you are, they generally expect some sort of response, even if it’s just the generic “well thanks, and you?”

In Australia, it only took a couple of times of me answering this ‘question’ and being stared at like I was mad to realise that in actuality it is just a greeting. Hello would suffice people!

 

2.   Bugs. You hate bugs.

Aussies seem to be oh so calm in the event of a bug emergency (i.e. daily!)

Could you do this? Yes? You’re probably not British.

When I left my flat the other morning to be confronted with a plague of moths of biblical proportions it was the best I could do to close my eyes, hold my breath, and run through them flapping my arms wildly. In fact I probably looked like I was trying to be a moth.

And don’t get me started on THAT spider video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1164339/Always-flush-Huge-spider-crawls-toilet.html

 

3.    You’re shocked when people are helpful/friendly.

Perhaps this one has a London bias, but I was totally blown away yesterday when the bus driver actually waited for me after he’d spotted me running down the hill full pelt.

Back home they tend to wait until you’re juuuust within reach of the door before they shut them with a slow shake of the head and drive off, glancing in their rear view mirror with a satisfied smile, their day complete.

 

4.    You don’t understand why/how you’re up at 5am to exercise.

Back in the UK you maybe just make it to the office for an 8am gym class, or drag yourself out of bed at 6.30am for a run.

Somehow, these sneaky Aussies trick you into waking up at 5am in order to be at whatever ‘Beach Booty Bondi Bootcamp’ is on that morning. And to be honest, you get a sick enjoyment from it!

 

5.    You look for alcohol in the supermarket.

A perfectly reasonable assumption (thinks a Brit!)….you’re doing your weekly shop, you’ve got some tasty dishes and just need a bottle or two to go with them. In the UK you can buy alcohol in the supermarkets, in fact they actually tactically place well matched drinks next to the relevant food to entice you into buying it.

But in Australia…No. Naughty. Not allowed! You must make your way to a separate ‘Bottlo’ in order to source your booze. If the intention is to reduce alcohol consumption it definitely works for me through my sheer laziness!

 

6.     You have the ambition to learn to surf the whole time you’re here, but never do….

As a British person when you tell people that you’re moving to Australia – and especially to Sydney – their first comment tends to be: “So are you going to become a surf chick/dude?”

To which the answer is, with the best intentions, “Obviously, yes!”

Then what happens is that you actually get to Australia, try surfing once, annoy half the surfers by getting in their way, end up doing forward somersaults in the surf, losing your bikini bottoms, and ending up with sand in places it definitely should never go!

I’ve been here 2 months and had lesson number 1. It wasn’t pretty:

Nooo not again

 

7.     You still take a jumper out for the evening “just in case”

I went to the Sydney St George open air cinema a few weeks ago to see ‘The Imitation Game’ (brilliant film!) and packed my favourite COS mustard jumper “just in case” it got cold later in the evening.

This is due to my deeply entrenched fear that the weather could change at anytime. Back in Britain we can experience rain, shine, wind, hail, snow all in one day and we get wildly overexcited whenever it is sunny – girls will suddenly appear in public parks in their underwear to sunbathe!

Back to the cinema: reality hit home when come 10pm I was sweating away – although this was in part due to the ponchos we’d had to cover our legs with to protect against fruit bat poo from the trees above! A different world…

 

8.     Drinking in public

You learnt how much stricter the booze laws are in Aus than the UK when you were refused entry to a bar for being ‘giggly’. But you’re still coming to terms with the fact that you can’t drink on the beach. What is that about?

Although, you acknowledge that the rules did perhaps mean that Mardi Gras celebrations in Sydney saw far fewer people urinating in the street than Notting Hill Carnival!

* Mardi Gras in Sydney is a celebration of gay pride, Notting Hill Carnival is a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture in London.

Sydney Mardi Gras

Notting Hill Carnival

 

9.     You have a sudden moment of realization about just how BIG Australia really is compared to the UK.

10. You’re sunburnt.

We Brits are actually not sunburnt all the time, despite popular belief. But I’ve put this in to keep everyone happy who insists that we are.

Oops

Southern Exposure Art Exhibition at X88 Gallery Chippendale by Anthony Ponzo

Anthony Ponzo first started in music photography, shooting for some of Australia’s biggest music festivals for 5 years, before travelling to South Africa to take shots of the wildlife in safaris and now he’s a wedding photographer “by chance” where his reputation grew through referrals. He recently came back from his Antartica trip with Aurora Expeditions late last year where he travelled with a few other photographers from all around the world to tick Antartica off his “bucket list”. This is where his passion project called the “Southern Exposure” was born.

“Southern Exposure” art gallery exhibition which goes for a week from March 19 to March 26 2015 captured the various ‘faces’ of South Georgia Island and Antartica. He captured the shots of wildlife and the different shades of the landscape, skillfully capturing them at the right moment. Anthony said he barely had to edit these photos as there was no pollution, it was “clean and crisp”.

Check out some of his best shots below:

Here are my personal favorites:

Beatrix: Tell me about the art scene in Chippendale…

Anthony: Chippendale is an upcoming city suburb that is fast becoming a creative hub for artists and photographers. In the last 6-12 months, a lot more cafes, art galleries and photo studios have opened up in the area. I know Chippendale has always been populated with a lot of artists and photographers. The biggest gallery that everyone knows in Chippendale is White Rabbit which exhibits 21st century Chinese contemporary art.

Beatrix: How is your art exhibition going so far?

Anthony: The first day that the exhibition opened, it clashed with Art Month in Redfern/ Chippendale which was a major event that brought in the influx of customers as customers were ‘gallery-hopping’ throughout the area. 500 people walked in through the front door which was something I didn’t expect. I was expecting around 100-200 people. This exceeded my expectations!

Beatrix: That’s great! Tell me more about your Antartica expedition…

Anthony: We flew to Argentina and started from Ushuaia, took a day and a half trip to reach Falkland Islands, from there we sailed to South Georgia where there was no human beings there except the wildlife and from there we took another two and a half days to reach Antartica.

On board the trip were two famous veteran photographers, Josh Holko and Andy Biggs. Josh, a renowned landscape Australian photographer and Andy a US-based photographer who has been in the business for 15-20 years is very well known for his safari shots. Josh and Andy gave us tips and we pretty much bounced off each other for ideas. When we are not shooting, we would gather around in the lounge to compare photos which would be really boring if you are not a photographer!

On the way back, we took the Drake Passage which is the roughest sea in the world and we faced 40 hours of gail force wind and the boat was rocking in 4 axis. The doctor on board had to give out an anti sea sickness tablets to make us drowsy to help us sleep that night. By the time we reached Argentina, I was ready to go home!

This was the journey that we took with Aurora Expeditions:

Beatrix: Any tips for fellow photographers / those who wanted to start out in photography?

Anthony: First, choose something that you really enjoy doing. If you are not passionate about your work, it shows.

Second, get your work out there. I use Instagram and Facebook as well as dedicated photo sharing sites such as Flickr and 500px.

Third, and this is something that every photographer should know. Morning and afternoon are your best times to shoot, 1 hour before sunrise and 1 hour before sunset. It gives you that nice golden light and long shadows as you can see in this photo below:

The next step for Anthony? Taking his art exhibition interstate. “Melbourne will be a good start” he said.

Anthony is selling his prints for $295 unframed. He will be on site tonight at X88 gallery Chippendale to chat about his work.

Tonight is the last night so make sure you pop in and see him.

Interview: The Dynamics and Challenges of Growing up as a non-White in Australia

Suman King story was but not uncommon. When she was 7 years old she came to Australia, spent some time in the orphanage before she was adopted by a white Australian family. Suman is born to an Indian family but spent her early years growing up in Fiji. This is her story.

Beatrix: Suman tell me your experience when you first moved to Australia? Was it tough for you?

Suman: Oh babe, it was incredibly tough. I remembered when I was 7, I moved to this country and I couldn’t speak a word of English.. Not even my own name and where I live. I grew up in Fiji and my background is Indian. I didn’t grow up speaking English and when I moved, I only had my sister with me at the time so it was tough. I remembered I used to look around my area and see if I could spot any black faces. For the first two years in primary, I used to climb up trees and hid for as long as I could, I hated school. Australia was just foreign to me. Learning to live in a family was foreign to me, not being to communicate properly was frustrating in its own right, I wasn’t used to it. It took me a while to feel that I could assimilate myself to the new culture.

Beatrix: So in Grade 3 only then you started making friends?

Suman: Yes but it took me a good 5 to 6 years before I felt comfortable and fully assimilated myself to the Australian culture, it’s values, the way of life out here. It was the complete opposite of everything I had known my whole life.

Beatrix: Was it easier for you because you grew up in a white Australian family?

Suman: Absolutely, my parents are both teachers and my father took the first 6 months off work to be with my sister and I so we could have one on one time with him and getting used to everything including learning how to speak English. It took me only 1 year before I lost my accent and it completely disappeared. I also got to the point where I became so Westernized that I didn’t even have any friends from my own culture. Just recently I started connecting with other Fijian Indians.

Beatrix: Interesting.. why not?

Suman: Well to a Westerner, India has an oppressive culture. To begin with it’s a patriarchal society, and It’s based on the caste system. Usually, but not always, those who came from the higher caste are more westernized. However those from the middle to lower castes, the women can’t have jobs, they have limited education and sometimes no education at all. Women are viewed as property or assets if you will and they are owned by their fathers before they are married, and once they are married they then become the responsibility of the husband. They have arranged marriages, often for leverage for property or greater standing in the community, there are many reasons for these arranged marriages. Rarely are those reasons for the benefit of the women per se, as quite often these unions are thought up and agreed to by the men in the family while the girl is quite young. Women also can’t go out on their own, they always need to be accompanied by other men in the family if they are not married, such as their brothers or dad. As an Indian growing up in Fiji, my grandparents for example couldn’t own the land that they have lived on for the last 30 years. There are some serious political issues for Indians in Fiji, and of course land ownership is one of the contentious issues. Seeing what my mother went through growing up, I remember making a promise to my sister that I would not marry my own. I guess from such a young age I was exposed to some really horrific things and I associated that with the worst of my own cultural grouping and I didn’t want anything to do with it.

Beatrix: Growing up as a non-white in Australia, have you ever experienced racism?

Suman: Yes, I remembered my first year in school, my teacher thought I was an Aborigine because I was black and my teacher went on to say to my mum that I kept going on “walkabout” during classes. That was so racist because first I wasn’t aboriginal, I’m Indian Fijian and just as importantly, walkabout is a spiritual journey for Aborigines. Even now, some people would say to me after they speak to me first on the phone then see me, they would say something like “you’re not someone I’m expecting”, I guess because I have absolutely no accent at all, they are not expecting to see me. Just because I have a strong Australian accent, they assumed that I would be a white Australian. Now my reaction is simply brush it off and say “not sure what you’re talking about”.

Thanks for sharing with us Suman! It’s a tough upbringing you had but I’m sure you can use this experience of being exposed to different cultures growing up has made you a lot more ‘whole’ as a person. Suman now runs and own her own consultancy business doing integrated marketing communications for her clients. Her company is called SocialLux and you can contact her here.

An Interview on Interracial Dating : White Girl, Asian man

Interview with real people… Tiff Ellis

I had the pleasure of interviewing this girl on the subject of interracial dating. All her previous relationships were with Asian men of Filipino descent and Tiff herself is a born and bred Aussie.

Local Culture Guide (LCG): So Tiff, what do you think of interracial dating?

Tiff: I think it is socially acceptable nowadays, I feel that young generations do whatever they want. I think in the past the older generation will look at it differently.

 

LCG: Why do you find Asian Filipino men attractive?

Tiff: I guess I’m attracted to people who look different than myself, I find it more appealing.

LCG: Do you find it challenging to date Asian men?

Tiff: Not really, for example the guy that I’m seeing, he is born in Australia so in a sense he is Australian. I guess as he’s quite westernized and he doesn’t have an accent, it makes it so much easier to connect emotionally. I just don’t think I can date someone who has a strong accent or strong cultural tradition such as Indians or Jewish for example. I think dating people who are raised here and someone who has multicultural friends are easier to date as they are more open minded and their values are filtered down.

LCG: Thanks for the insights Tiff! As an Australian, what do you guys think of Asian people?

Tiff: Oh gosh, I think there’s this stereotype that Asians are smart and they wanted to settle down. They are less into casual sex when compared to say, white Australian men. However the downside is Asian men could be a bit possessive. However, on the upside, they tend to want to make things official if they want to be in a relationship with you.

LCG: Ok, lastly, what do you think of Asian girls dating white men?

Tiff: To me it’s fine, as long as the motives are clear and that they have good intentions. I’ve seen older white men marrying younger Asian women and I would question the Asian women’s motives. Do you get married because you wanted to get a visa and enter the country or do you actually, genuinely, fell in love with the man? That’s important.

LCG: Thanks for your time Tiff and for the great insights! If there’s any questions about interracial dating, please feel free to post them here. We’d do our best to answer them.

What’s your experience with dating someone who’s ethnically different to you?

Racism. Are you racist?

Racism is a dirty word. It’s a hot topic right now that no one wants to discuss especially in public. It’s embarrassing to admit that “yes, I’m actually racist”. People will not only straight away judge and condemn you, but they will also give you labels such as from not being very highly educated, narrow minded, or you simply just haven’t seen much of the world yet. I guess this is true in most cases. If you haven’t traveled much outside of your own homeland, it’s hard to be interested, let alone wanting to be friends with people from different cultures. To build friendships cross culturally, it takes hard work, intention, risk, humility and also boldness to some degree.

I must admit that I’m quite passionate about this topic. I guess as it happened to me, I can’t just simply ignore it. Hoping that it will go away or will cease to exist is like wishing upon a star that your wishes will come true. It won’t and I have quite a strong opinion about this. I guess my main motivation to start this blog was to raise awareness about the importance of this issue and it also has to do with justice, equality and basic human rights. I really don’t believe that the color of your skin or how you look should dictate on how far you can get ahead in life. I believe in equal opportunity for all, regardless of cultural background.

I haven’t had much experience with racism until I moved to Australia. Where I grew up in Indonesia, there were always some racial tension between the Chinese and the local Indonesians. However the media celebrates Chinese people, with their white porcelain skin and Chinese facial features.

When I moved to Australia, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was in for a shock. I never got physically beaten fortunately but I definitely had some verbal insults hurled at me such as “go back to your own country.” calling me names such as “ching chong” or people treating me differently just because I wasn’t white Australian.

One of the most recent and profound experience to me was when I moved houses. My next door neighbors were all “Aussie Aussie.” My new flatmate who was also Aussie born and bred, was helping me carry some of my stuff back to the house from the car. She was only a few steps ahead of me when I saw one of the neighbors offered to help her, seeing that she was struggling a bit with the load that she was carrying. At the time I was also carrying about the same amount of load as her and I really wasn’t much bigger than her in physical size. Funnily enough they didn’t offer me any help. We made a brief eye contact and then he looked away. Ouch. It did hurt. There was no small chats whatsoever. Just a cold shoulder. Just what you need to feel really welcomed into a new neighborhood on your first day. To this day, our relationships haven’t really improved much either. We barely spoke a word and if we did, it was normally when I had to greet them first, for walking past them.

I understand that not all Australians are racist and no, this post is also not about garnering sympathy and encouraging anti white Australians. In fact, I just want to use it as an example. Don’t get me wrong, people everywhere are racist in one way or another. Not all, but most are.

So with all the negativity aside, I guess the aim of this post is to encourage you to think before you do or say something. Treat everyone equally. Even if it’s hard to. Even if it made you feel really uncomfortable. Even if it means there will be some awkward moments or ‘lost in translation’ moments. I understand that, after all, people including myself would prefer talking to or be friends with someone who looks similar to them or/ and already have a good background understanding of the cultural norms. It’s nice not having to waste your breath to explain things or keep repeating yourself over and over. I know it’s more convenient. I know it’s comfortable but will it enrich you as a person?

The world is becoming more and more smaller, people travel, people move and we’re slowly turning into global citizens. Most developed countries are now very multicultural and if you happen to live in a country like Australia, what would you do? It’s impossible to avoid communicating or crossing path with people who are not from the same cultural background as you. It is also not healthy to move somewhere and you end up only hanging around mostly with people who are from the same country as you. I mean what was the point of moving in the first place anyway? This is the golden question I always ask myself when I get too comfortable.

Now I’m far from being perfect and I’m still and always is learning on how to be a better communicator cross culturally.

What about you? What’s your experience? Have you experienced racism before? If so, where and how did you handle it?

Embracing Australian Nature

The hotspot for Australian tourism is nature, and it makes perfect sense. Tourism is all about drawing people to what is most attractive and interesting in the area. So for Australia, the perks of being a large island is great diversity in flora and fauna. Many of the creatures and views are one-of-a-kind. If you stumble through majestic photos taken ‘down under’, you are sure to fuel your wanderlust heart. One day soon you might even find yourself jet-setting to see these natural wonders for yourself.

So how can you embrace Australian nature?

Where are the real natural gems that you can’t find anywhere else in the world?

If you’re asking yourself these questions, or simply eager to learn more about Australian nature, then you’re in the right place. The natural world is a culture of it’s own, and it requires us to engage in the places around us, and to understand and experience all forms of natural beauty.

When you come to Australia and escape the urban landscape, you’re bound to stumble across some real adventures in the bush. The following breakdown highlights some features of Australian nature that should help you get your head around embracing the landscape (whether you live here or not!).

Beach walks in South Australia

Beaches

What: White-pristine sand and turquoise sparkling waters

Who: For sun-bakers, swimmers, surfers, and sight-seers

Why: Australian beaches are perfect all year ‘round ( but swimming is prime in summertime! )

Where: If you’re down south (South Australia), examples are Kangaroo Island (Vivonne Bay, Stokes Bay); Yorke Peninsula (Port Vincent, Port Victoria, Marion Bay); Second Valley; Normanville; Port Lincoln; and Robe

Outback

What: Burnt orange sand and dusty dried flora

Who: For the adventurous, those willing to hike and to road-trip through desert plains

Why: Australian is predominantly arid, and Central Australia is full of dusty treasures (scorching in summer, but worth it!)

Where: Coober Pedy; Central Australia (Alice Springs, MacDonnell Ranges); Uluru; and Kata-Tjuka

Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills Region, South Australia; Via http://realestateinthehills.com/the-adelaide-hills/

Hills

What: Patchwork-patterned mounds

Who: For nature-lovers, street-wanders, small-town shop admirers, and photography fanatics

Why: Australian hilly areas are full of rich green spaces and cute cafes and town houses to explore

Where: If you’re down south (South Australia), see the Adelaide Hill Region (Hahndorf, Stirling, Mt Barker)

McLaren Vale Wine Region, South Australia; Via http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/drink/what-to-drink–mclaren-vale-wines-20130816-2s0lz.html

Vineyards

What: Wine-stained floors and fairytale-like rows of greenery

Who: For wine-lovers and those in need of refreshment away from the city

Why: Australian wine is one-of-a-kind and wineries are open for tastings and exploring!

Where: Down south head to The Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale Wine Region; or in New South Wales see Hunter Valley

Royal National Park Waterfall, New South Wales

National Parks

What: Passages of giraffe-sized trees, dense green leaves, open plains, and potentially hidden waterfalls and beaches!

Who: For picnic-lovers, hikers, photography fanatics, and lookout conquerors

Why: Australian boasts many open parklands, both suburban and in national park regions, with beauty and natural wildlife easily accessible for day trips and get-away holidays

Where: If you’re down south (South Australia), escape to the Flinders Ranges or the Mount Lofty Ranges; in Victoria, soak in the Grampians; if you venture to New South Wales, the Blue Mountains, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, or the Royal National Park

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Map of Australia

There are so many adventures to be had and so many experiences to be experienced when you delve into a new culture. This is especially the case when you decide to embrace the culture of nature, immersing yourself in the diversity of the world you occupy.

Here in Australia, we love nature. We love sight-seeing. We love our land. We respect the traditional owners of the land, and we respect that the Aboriginals have invested in Australian nature, and make Australia the place of natural beauty that it is today.

So, why not embrace Australian nature?

Why not embrace the nature on your own doorstep?

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“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.” 
― Sylvia Plath 

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(Note: The sight-seeing tips in this article are limited to South Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory, and New South Wales due to author experience. There are many more wonders in Australia than what has been established in this article. Be sure to explore for yourself all the opportunities out there!)


My experience moving and living in Australia

Living overseas is hard. Away from family and friends that I grew up with, I had my fair share of struggle trying to assimilate into the Australian culture making new friends and calling this new foreign country ‘home’.

Courtesy of mthollywood.blogspot.com

Frankly, to me, becoming ‘an Aussie’ you need to be white, beach loving, outdoorsy, extroverted and helpful (even towards strangers). Quite different to my Chinese culture really. In fact, you could say it’s almost the complete opposite. We Chinese in general value materialism, convenience (one stop shop for everything – hence we prefer to do things indoor), introverts (those who don’t say a lot of words, yet when they speak, they speak a lot of wisdom) and… we’re quite unhelpful towards strangers when asked for help.

This is me braving myself eating escargot in Paris, France.

If this is how the media portrays that these are the criteria in order to become a ‘real’ Aussie, whatever that means, then I’m screwed. As first of all, I’m clearly Asian and I don’t look white at all from any angle (as evidenced from my photo above). When I moved here to Australia during my teenage years, I struggled to find my identity. Like how much of my culture should I still preserve, for example taking off your shoes when you are in the house or the fact that I really like karaoke and bubble tea. Or on a more serious note, sometimes I just don’t feel comfortable being all open and friendly towards people that I just met, not that I hate you of course. Maybe a little bit.

As years go by, I came to realize that if I want to stay in Australia I need to play by the rules. I used to dislike the beach as Chinese people prefer to stay indoors and avoid the sun for fear of being perceived as coming from a lower socio-economic class. But now I absolutely love the beach, any day I get when the sun’s out, I head down to the beach. I used to also be quite shy around people that I just met, but now I found myself to be more at ease and make friends more easily. People say they either love me thinking I’m cool or they hate me for whatever reason. Their loss really. I also try to be as helpful as I can, whereas in the past I would avoid talking to strangers on the street at all cost for fear they were going to steal my purse or something.

However at the same time, I would never be an Aussie Aussie as that’s just not who I am and it’s not the way that I was being brought up. It would be different for you if you were born here or moved here when you were really young. So I guess the golden question is “how much should I preserve my own culture and how much should I try and assimilate into my new culture?” I wish there is just one standard answer to this, but this really depends on how comfortable and how well you are in adjusting yourself in a new environment.

For me, it took at least a couple of years to be comfortable in speaking English without thinking too much about it. Don’t get me wrong I still do make a lot of mistakes and pronounce words in English that no one can understand. But that’s okay. It’s all part of learning. Don’t beat yourself too much about it if you feel people can’t understand you or they snob you off. Remember it’s their loss. You do what you can every day and set your mind in getting better, which depends more on your own initiative or will than results. People disappoint you.

Whereas making friends with the locals, this also takes time. Obviously it goes two ways, some people just have absolutely no interest in learning about your culture and that’s fine. It’s part of life. You meet people that you do and don’t get along with (regardless of cultural context). Focus on those who also have an interest in your culture so they will also be more patient if you were struggling to explain yourself (which happens to me too many times! Thank God for those lovely friends).

So what about you? Do you find that you can relate to my stories? What’s your experience in moving and living in Australia or in a country that’s foreign to yours?

Why Asians Stick With Asians

If you have an Asian friend, chances are they like to stick with other Asians. At least that always seems to be the case here in Australia.

During tutorials at university, I saw almost every Asian student sit with another Asian student. Not just international students who’ve just arrived, but even Asian Australians who’ve lived here all their lives sat with their Asian classmates too. Walk around Melbourne’s CBD and Chinatown and you’ll see cliques of Asians everywhere, Asians shopping and eating together.

Why?

Quite often, Asians stick together for cultural reasons. Many Asians pride themselves on being part of a family or a team and carrying on the family name. Asians are fond of linking arms and studying like there’s no tomorrow. Not all cultures understand this mentality.

At university, I was keen on studying at the beginning of semesters to get a head start on revision. A lot of my Caucasian friends laughed at me, saying there was plenty of time to cram nearer to exams. Naturally, I hung around with my studious Asian classmates most of my time on campus.

On the back of this, common Asian interests and Asian pride also brings Asians together. Anime, K-pop, karaoke and yum cha – all things popular with many Asians, all things resonating well with many Asians. Typical Melburnians are usually into footy, drinking and throwing a shrimp on the barbie. Sure, it can be fun hanging out with people of different races and doing new things, but sometimes all we want is to do familiar things we’re culturally comfortable with.

Language is another possible reason why Asians tend to stick with one another. Maybe some Asians hesitate to speak a language other than their mother tongue. Maybe some Asians aren’t comfortable with getting things wrong, what with their upbringing to maintain “an admirable face and looking smart. I’ve met many Asian migrants in Melbourne who speak stuttering English, and in between the uncomfortable pauses when they’re searching for the right English words to say to me, they look hideously embarrassed and red in the face.

Or maybe some Asians migrants are simply stereotypically too timid to try and communicate and get to know outgoing local Australians in English, so why be friends with non-Asians? Or maybe Asians are afraid of, or can’t get used to and put off by, outgoing Aussie personalities.

There’s not forgetting racism towards Asians in Australia. It’s not uncommon for Asians to get bullied, to be looked down upon and feel like an outcast because of racial reasons here. So it’s not surprising then many might band together to talk about these experiences and feel a sense of protection in numbers. Having had Caucasian Australians scarily and rudely call me “chink”, a big part of me never fears hanging with Asians as this will almost certainly never happen.

Of course, Asians don’t exclusively hang with Asians all the time in Australia. Some Asian Australians and Asian migrants who have lived here most of their lives and grew up mingling with Caucasian Australians are in every sense likely to be comfortable being friends with non-Asians. Those who have traveled and socialised with other cultures might be okay with this too.

Over the last few years, I’ve grown more comfortable around Caucasian Australians. Not all of them harbour hostile feelings towards Asians. While I was volunteering in community radio, my Caucasian Aussie radio mentors were nothing but helpful to me, patiently showing me the ropes of creating radio programs – and it was refreshing opening up and talking to them about my love for broadcasting. So whether or not each Asian person hangs around with Asians, and non-Asians, depends on their personality too.

It’s always interesting hanging out with others of different races as we get to learn more about their cultures and the world around us. Then again, it’s also interesting sticking with those of the same ethnicity. We’re always reminded of our heritage.

And we’re always reminded of where we’re from.

Mabel Kwong is a writer and multicultural blogger at MabelKwong.com.