You have completely missed the point. The point is that regardless of a persons nationality, or what they consider themselves to be, Australians will claim them as their own.

Aah, I see what you mean, like the Greg Rusedski, Zola Budd type thing?

I think you do have a strong point here. I find Australians are often highly patriotic and blindly so, in the sense that the things they think are great about Australia can actually be found elsewhere or, in some cases, aren't even accurate! I think they are every bit as patriotic as the Americans. Heck, the BBC's Australia correspondent, Nick Bryant, commented on his blog about how patrotic Australia is.

A little bit of patriotism is to be desired, but when it becomes thinking everything about Australia is totally bloody wonderful (perfect, even) and ''why would anyone want to live anywhere else" then it's just daft and only serves to make the perpetrators look decidely uneducated and untravelled.

My Australian mother-in-law was banging on about prices in the UK to me and my wife (her daughter), and saying how much cheaper the B&B's in the country here are compared to the one she and her husband stayed in the country in England. Totally forgetting of course that even when in the country in England you are still only an absolute maximum of an hour from a major city and about half an hour maximum from a big town. Here in Australia when you are in the country you are in the middle of bloody nowhere, hours and hours from a city. This is just a recent example from my own experience but I feel it illustrates how Aussies really believe everything is better here even when it actually is no different/the comparison is inaccurate.

This is, for me, ONE of the worst things in Australia. That and the crap TV, endless flatness (single storey buildings as far as the eye can see), having to shop at a horrible Westfield thing (no towns and high streets here), diminished range of products and services, obsession with sport (especially that awful AFL nonsense), constant self-congratulating (like getting excited that Hugh Jackman hosted the Oscars) and referring to ''diggers'', insular world-view, ugly buildings/poor architecture, no proper pubs, no green grass, long drives to everywhere etc etc etc.

[QUOTE=camponotus;
That and the crap TV, endless flatness (single storey buildings as far as the eye can see), having to shop at a horrible Westfield thing (no towns and high streets here), diminished range of products and services, obsession with sport (especially that awful AFL nonsense), constant self-congratulating (like getting excited that Hugh Jackman hosted the Oscars) and referring to ''diggers'', insular world-view, ugly buildings/poor architecture, no proper pubs, no green grass, long drives to everywhere etc etc etc.[/QUOTE]

The tv is indeed crap and as a consequence I end up doing a lot socialising, outdoor stuff etc.Bit healthier than watching telly too.
I live in a well kept leafy street where every house is different, and can't see too far because of the spectacular trees in my area.
Never find a problem getting what I need.
Prefer sport to soaps, it's a healthy enough pursuit.
Self congratulating? Oh like the Slumdog millionaire, Kate Winslet thing?
Insular? All the Aussies I know have travelled more than me.
Buildings? Europe has had a bit of a head start there.
Spot on about the pubs.
The place is pretty green up here considering the climate.
I am no more than an hour away from a world of things to see and do.

We are all different.

Naturally, kporte, I am talking about the outer Melbourne area. So your experiences 3 hours plane journey away do not exactly disprove my points.

Apologies but your post mentioned Australia and I wasn't aware Hugh was in Bris or that sport was only found in Melbourne

no, not if the person in question is a loser or brings shame to the country...

then they were "born overseas"

I've come up with another worst thing. The WGC Wolrd Matchplay is not on Tv.

Go Rory!

I think that some have said the same about the British.

It does appear to be a similar trait.

I am just looking out of the front upstairs window of my double storey house, and looking over my green lawn, towards our local shopping centre, just a few minutes drive away, but then I could look through the rear upstairs window at our local islands, again just a few minutes drive and a 5 minute ferry away.

And I am thinking.... not everywhere in Australia is the same as where you live.. I am glad that we don't live in an area like yours

You also have to explain it to some British people.

For example, I am still British and will stay British, I could have become an Australian in 1988, but I haven't.

I do prefer to live in Australia though, even though I am British.

One of the worst things about living in Australia is having to listen to some people complaining about why some others like Australia, and generalising about what things are like in Australia

Well I was watching it last night!

The worst thing about living in Australia is...

... those damn Brand Power and What's New adverts on the telly. That blonde bird who does the What's New one is clearly some sort of deranged robot. It's just not possible to be so enthusiastic about random crap like Bic Biros and Low Fat Crisps - and has anyone actually tried to talk normally with a smile so bloody broad??

I think this argument wins hands down.

Well that is entirely your choice, there are many, many places in Australia that do not fit that description.

Melbourne has loads of villages/high streets as well as fantastic shopping malls. I've never found the diminished range of products and services to be a handicap, in fact in many areas there is a better selection and better quality - food for one.

Complaining about the architecture is just blatant and unfounded snobbishness, or plain lack of education.

Green grass - plenty of it in Queensland or Tasmania (and VIC and NSW during winter), more than the UK if based on actual area.

Insular or self-congratulating? No more than the UK, just different forms of it.

No proper pubs? Again in Melbourne there are plenty and most I've been to are excellent. But then there are also endless decent restaurants and cafes.

AFL - worst game in the world.