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January 26, 2022

Happy Australia Day!

12 Comments/ 203/ 0

Today is Australia Day. For those of you that don’t know why I started this blog I owe it all to Australia. You see Chris took a job over 7 sugar mills in Australia in 2008 and as a way to keep friends and family updated on what we were doing down under I started a blog. Now my current blog looks very different from how it all started years ago but I count our adventure in Australia as one of the best things that we have ever done.

One of my friends from our time there posted a picture of lamingtons that she made on Facebook. Oh how I miss lamingtons. So what is a lamington? A little bit of heaven. In a nutshell it is a cube of spongecake dipped in chocolate and then rolled in desiccated coconut.  Sometimes they are have a layer of cream or strawberry jam in the. middle but honestly – they don’t need that.

I found lots of pictures of lamingtons on line and they all make my mouth water.

photo fromhttps://epicureandculture.com/lamington/

Oh how I wish I had one right now to celebrate Australia Day. They are a traditionally served sweet to help folks celebrate.

But how about a few facts about Australia Day gleaned from the internet?

The official national day of Australia is celebrated annually on January 26 and commerorates the arrival of British ships to establish the first European settlement in Australia in 1788. Eleven ships carried over 750 criminals who had been tried and convicted in Great Britain for mostly petty crimes and then transported to penal colonies established by the British throughout the world, including North America and the Pacific. An additional 300 citizens from military and medical backgrounds made the trip to Australia, establishing the new colony.

The first celebration of British sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia occurred in 1818. Serving as a day of national unity and the largest annual civic event in the country, Australia Day is filled with a variety of community and family traditions, the presentation of national awards and the welcoming of new Australian citizens.

But not all Australians celebrate the day. Indigenous Australians have long referred to this date as “Invasion Day” or “National Day of Mourning” in protest of the arrival of the British peoples. The Australian government has acknowledged the traditional owners of lands which Australia Day takes place, in hope that Australians from all backgrounds come together to celebrate Australia as a multicultural society.  

So Happy Australia Day to all. Here are a few pictures from our time there.

Our backyard with the Coral Sea in the background
Kookaburra
Crab art on the beach
Koala bear and joey
One of our toilet frogs
Sugar Cane fire

Have you ever been Down Under? I would love to hear about it so leave me a comment and Comment for a Cause for Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue.

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12 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Susi
    January 26, 2022 at 07:53 am

    That little cake sounds delicious. Nothing I like more then a little sweet test and a cup of coffee or tea.
    And the toilet frogs always get me. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:53 am

      They are so wonderful. Some day maybe I will try to make some when I have some time to fiddle around.

      Reply
  2. jena c. henry
    January 26, 2022 at 08:48 am

    Your view of the Coral Sea!! Yes, we have been to Australia and our good times there remain a wonderful memory. Thankful for the opportunity visit, for a few weeks. And then my younger son spent a semester in Sydney during college. We’ve mentioned going again- but as you know it’s so far away!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:52 am

      Our youngest was also doing a semester abroad while we were there and was in Melbourne! HE had a totally different experience than we did because most of the students there were foreign students like him! It was fun for him to come spend time with us in Queensland because it was more “authentic” Australia.

      Reply
  3. Darlene
    January 26, 2022 at 09:08 am

    I have not been to Australia and would love to visit one day. We have a number of Australian friends and they are the friendliest people on earth. Love your pictures. Great memories.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:51 am

      Our time in Australia did give us a lot of great memories. We really did have an adventure.

      Reply
  4. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    January 26, 2022 at 09:29 am

    I remember your frog in the toilet story. So happy you had this wonderful experience of living in Australia.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:50 am

      Yes–the frogs in the toilet will always be one of my favorite (?) memories of Australia. I can say I am happy to not have to deal with that here.

      Reply
  5. Mama's Empty Nest
    January 26, 2022 at 09:55 am

    I haven’t been Down Under, but I have tasted Australian goodies including lamingtons and Tim Tams and the not so goodie Vegemite, thanks to our Australian friends who have visited us here twice. Our daughter and son-in-law spent three weeks touring Australia a couple of years ago and they loved it there.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:49 am

      Vegemite is an acquired taste and I suspect I used it too liberally when I have tried it. Just a dab will do ya is the better motto for it, I think!

      Reply
  6. Shirley Matthews Dunn
    January 26, 2022 at 05:02 pm

    Living down under has to be a wonderful memory. That is one place Chuck has always said he would love to go. Loved your blog. Oh, by the way, anything with choc on it is grand!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      January 30, 2022 at 09:48 am

      It really was an adventure and one we are so glad we were able to have.

      Reply

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