It's a bickie, not a cookie. Named after the winner of the 1958 Kentucky Derby, it's Australia's equivalent to the iconic Oreo. How do they make them? How do you eat them? Tim Tams! They almost make up for the Vegemite.
posted by ninazer0 on Nov 23, 2008 - 73 comments

Memoirs of an [Australian] Space Engineer is a too-short collection of several old-school engineering stories. [more inside]
posted by troy on Nov 7, 2008 - 12 comments

Garry McDonald, aka Norman Gunston, aka the "little aussie bleeder," may be well known out Australia way. For most Americans, however, Norman G remains far, far down under the radar. But he's the forefather of the UK's Ali G; he's Canadian Nardwuar thee Human Serviette's nerdier dad; he's America's Lazlo Toth (US) with a combover and a microphone; he's Jiminy Glick's Jack Sprat. Perhaps you saw Norman long ago in a segment on USA Network's Night Flight variety show. [bonus: many many youtubes of Night Flight segments, courtesy of this awesome website.] But I bet you didn't know he released a KIckaSS single (among others), jammed with Frank Zappa, and was at the right place and time to upstage a piece of Australian History. Not bad for someone whom Keith Moon dumped his drink on and called a "great pooftah." [more inside]
posted by not_on_display on May 4, 2008 - 21 comments

In celebration of my antipodean homesickness I've spent the morning catching up with some great Australian and New Zealand musical comedy acts I've been to. You've already met Flight of the Conchords previously on mefi. Now come and meet some... [more inside]
posted by steerpike on Apr 23, 2008 - 15 comments

Have these fellows whetted your appetite for Southern Hemispherical comic singer-songwriters who care about The Issues? Barefoot Australian Tim Minchin ought to satisfy that hunger with an environmental anthem and a peace anthem. But aside from his social activism, he's also vulgar, poignant, dark, and of course, rock. [more inside]
posted by doift on Nov 14, 2007 - 3 comments

I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people alive. I get to travel the globe catching snakes with my lovely wife. [Warning: Frames Ahead. Also, snake venom LD-50 information.]
posted by dersins on Jul 27, 2007 - 6 comments

On 29 November last year an Australian Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed while attempting a landing in strong winds on the HMAS Kanimbla. Two soldiers died in the accident, with the airframe and the corpse of one Trooper later being recovered from the seabed 3 km down. The Board of Inquiry opened today, releasing graphic video footage.
posted by wilful on Jun 18, 2007 - 35 comments

Oodles of past and current interviews with both living and dead celebrities and interesting nobodies over at the support website for Andrew Denton's Australian television show Enough Rope. You will find video excerpts, some full interviews as audio downloads (the more recent ones), and lots of transcripts.
posted by sjvilla79 on Nov 7, 2006 - 11 comments

Wolfmother's White Unicorn. Somebody else's White Unicorn (defaced). (first QT, second youtube)
posted by fungible on Jun 9, 2006 - 18 comments

The victims of Australia's worst mass murder will be remembered today, on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy in Port Arthur in Tasmania. [MI]
posted by sjvilla79 on Apr 27, 2006 - 21 comments

More than a BMX - The StreetSurfer is a patented pedal-driven vehicle (think BMX) that you ride like a surfboard in an urban setting. It consists of a normal bike frame, a rear wheel (duh) and four mini wheels on the front. These littler front wheels apparently track the surface of the ground better than a traditional bicycle and therefore give the rider a smoother, more controlled ride. More info via the StreetSurfer's awfully designed website (ugly Flash warning), although there's two chunky videos to download that also help to explain the product in further detail. Via Beyond Tomorrow. …
posted by sjvilla79 on Nov 9, 2005 - 48 comments

Nice Beer Ad from Down Under a 1000 Auzzies in gowns crossing over the sheep strewn plains of Australia. Ahh..foreign ads..perhaps this indeed the next form of cultural worms? I can see those soulless bastards on Madison Ave.."Yes..lets push hard on the foreign angle and prey/pray some poor sod on MeFi picks it up..we'll be rich I tell ya RICH!!!" Forgive me MeFiers.
posted by Mr Bluesky on Nov 3, 2005 - 23 comments

Not My Type - An office and its occupants, made entirely of typographic characters, create a theatre of emotion. View the separate animations (Flash) 1, 2, 3 and 4. Also, visit an article on the work's concept development and storyboarding process. And there's more via Google.
posted by sjvilla79 on Aug 16, 2005 - 11 comments

The Australian National Public Toilet Map.
posted by hama7 on Jul 6, 2004 - 7 comments

Jon Rose isn't your average Australian violinist. He builds his own violins and plays the hell out of them.
posted by shinybeast on Mar 22, 2002 - 5 comments

The great Australian lie? THE Australian navy released only two pictures from more than 100 taken of sailors rescuing boatpeople last October, images the then defence minister seized on to suggest asylum-seekers had thrown children overboard..

It doesn't look good for the ruling government, but Australian public opinion is so heavily weighed against the 'illegal immigrants' that the bulk of voters will move on. They'll forget and probably forgive. After all, we expect our politicians to lie and/or manipulate. Don't we?
posted by skinsuit on Feb 17, 2002 - 14 comments

Aboriginal leader asks court to spear policeman to death. Ahahah ahah hah ah ahh HAHAHAA (more inside)
posted by holloway on Jan 27, 2002 - 38 comments

Puppetry of the penis: "The ancient art of genital origami". And some still say there's nothing under the sun, or the pants for that matter :) (warning: male back nudity)
posted by betobeto on Nov 15, 2001 - 10 comments

The Australian Rugby League cancelled the Australian Kangaroos rugby league team's tour of the UK after a small number of players were concered about their security. Now there's a major outcry from all over Australia and the UK regarding the cancellation, and they are being branded gutless, wimps, and cowards from both home and abroad. Great Britain hasn't beaten Australia in a rugby league test series in over 30 years, now there's talk it should be given to them by default. Quite pathetic of the ARL considering that the Australian Wallabies rugby union team (note to Americans - rugby league and rugby union are two different sports) have no doubts that their tour to Europe will go on as planned.
posted by Jase_B on Oct 11, 2001 - 10 comments

Before there was a Yahoo!, There was Yahoo Serious.. It seemed like we were headed for a nice Australian invasion in the lateeighties-earlynineties with Crocodile Dundee and Paul Hogan's subsequent "That's not a knife..that's a knife." commercials. This first Yahoo was to make millions of dollars, and then it, like, didn't. What were the chances of two Yahoo's in one decade? Why does one yahoo succeed while another fails?
posted by brucec on Jun 29, 2001 - 11 comments