Uniquely South Australia - Pt. 2

 

Continuing with our Uniquely South Australia listing, here are some more South Aussie uniquities to enjoy.

Compass Cup – A cow race … yes, a cow race … held annually for the past 40 years in Mt. Compass, South Australia. They boast that it's the ONLY cow race in Australia, but I'm thinking it's probably one of the few cow races in the world. You can't count the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona … totally different.

Sturts Desert Pea is a sturdy desert plant that has brilliantly showy scarlet blooms when in blossom. It's the floral emblem of South Australia. I didn't have to go to the desert to see it though … they had one for sale at Farmer Joe's.

Haigh's Chocolates – A South Australian-based family-owned confectioner/chocolatier that's been around since 1915. At a dinner party at Pauline and Denys', Kay brought some for us to try. Kay insisted she was a South Australian icon, too.

Fru-chocs are chocolate covered dried fruits previously only available in South Australia for some strange reason. Pauline bought some for us to try. They're quite tasty.

West End Beer, a local brewery since 1859 (now evidently owned by Lion/Mitsubishi).

There are some unique words used here and since we're speaking of beer, here's one for you ... a “butcher”. Believed to be derived from the German becher, meaning a cup or mug, it's the name given to a 200 ml (7 imp fl oz) beer glass. So you can buy your beer in an Imperial Pint (20 oz), a Pint (15 oz), a Schooner (10 oz), a Butcher (7 oz) or a Pintie (4 oz). Australians like to have lots of options when it comes to beer.

A unique South Australian invention is the “stobie pole”. Built of concrete and steel, they're used like the traditional wooden telephone poles to support power and telephone lines and were invented in South Australia by James Stobie in 1924 because hardwood was scarce AND they're resistent to white ants.

And since we're talking uniquely South Australia, here are some of South Australia's notable firsts:

• South Australia is the first and only state to have never had a convict settlement at any time in its history.

• Adelaide was the first Australian capital city to be connected by telegraph with London. (1872)

• South Australia was the first territory of the British Empire, excluding Britain, to legalize trade unions. (1876)

• Cremation was legalized here in 1891, an Australian first.

• South Australia was the first Australian Colony to grant women the vote and allow women to stand for parliament. (1895)

• The first license to drive a motor vehicle in Australia was issued in Adelaide. (1906)

• South Australia was the first Australian State to decriminalize homosexual relations between consenting male adults in private (1975)

I'm sure there are many other firsts, quirky words and uniquely South Australian things. Come on, you South Aussies, contribute if you can. Educate the rest of the world.

Uniquely South Australia - Pt. 1

 

Spending time with native South Australian friends lately has been great for discovering things about South Australia we wouldn't usually find out from our Lonely Planet. Here's a list of some things that are uniquely South Australian ...

Australians have nicknames for Aussies from different states, not unlike the USA. South Australians are known as croweaters, derived from the fact that early colonists ate crows due to poverty and lack of food when the free-settled colony of South Australia was first established in 1836. It's non-derogatory and in fact, one of their football teams is called the Croweaters or simply the Crows.

Bung Fritz – aka Devon sausage in other Australian states, although South Australian bung fritz purists would debate this issue. Typical commercial preparations list the major ingredient as "meat including pork". It is usually composed of several types of pork, basic spices, and a binder. Think a cross between Spam and baloney – Wow! There's even a Bung Fritz Appreciation Society that boasts “no lips and no arseholes.”

The Frog Cake is a sponge cake dessert in the shape of a frog's head originally covered with green fondant icing and two little black dots for eyes. It now comes in a host of colors. It was created by the Balfours bakery in 1922, and became a popular treat in South Australia. The frog cake is considered "uniquely South Australian" and in 2001 it was listed as a South Australian Heritage Icon by the National Trust of South Australia.

The Kitchener Bun is another South Australian sweet dessert which resembles a jelly doughnut, split in half, topped with a chantilly cream and dusted with sugar. Yum! These South Aussies know their sweet treats.

Farmer's Union Iced Coffee outsells Coke in South Australia. Even McDonald's sells it. South Australians consume 36 million litres/year making it the only place in the world where a milk drink outsells cola. The product was traditionally sold in cardboard containers and when they introduced it in a plastic “stubby” bottle, they had fun with their advertising. We tried it … definitely better than Coke.

Pie floaters – A true epicurean delight and available on many menus in South Australia. Take a meat pie, set it afloat in thick, green pea soup and squeeze a mighty squirt of tomato catsup on the top and you've got a pie floater. We're told it's good for a hangover. Makes you want to give up drinking, I'd say. The Enjoy Bakery offers them 24 hours!

Stay tuned for Part 2 and more Uniquely SA tomorrow.

Australia Day 2014

 

January 26th was Australia Day. Think 4th of July without a Revolutionary War. It's a mid-summer holiday. Time for BBQs, days at the beach, parties and fireworks. We've been in Australia for three Australia Days now. The first was spent with friends in Paynesville and Raymond Island in the Gippsland Lakes. Last year was spent in an anchorage sampling Vegemite (yum). This year we headed into Adelaide for the city's national celebration.

In the early morning, we had the train to ourselves, the streets were virtually empty and the temperature was pleasantly cool. There was lots going on in the city today, but it just hadn't awakened yet. The Tour Down Under bicycle race was culminating and there was a huge bike expo being held in Victoria Square. We were content to wander around, check out several of the City's landmarks and while the day away exploring … waiting for the Australia Day Parade festivities to begin.

We spent an hour or so exploring the Rundel Mall and the rest of the morning at the Botanic Gardens (topics of future blogs). We met friends at the Beehive Corner and enjoyed a delightful lunch at The Austral. The afternoon was spent enjoying one of Adelaide's many museums (delightful not only for its exhibits, but for its air conditioning).

Because of the heat, the parade was scheduled to begin at 6pm. Around 5pm, we headed to a side street off Victoria Square where we watched the parade participants setting up. The excitement and energy were palpable. Everyone was smiling. Last minute details were put on costumes and floats.

Hornists (my newly coined word which encompasses all horn players) were limbering up their lips; drummers drummed; stringists (that's akin to hornists) plucked and strummed. We had no specific name for some of the musical instruments, but all were played with gusto. Dancers practiced their choreographed moves. Then it was time for the parade to begin.

We made our way up King William Street and, in front of the City Hall, we found an empty spot on the curb that accommodated our bums and sat down to view the spectacle. The parade must have been coordinated by the Swiss, because precisely as the bells chimed 6 o'clock, the parade moved forward. The street was lined with people, all decked out in Australia Day garb.

The Australian Army Band led the parade with a rousing rendition of Waltzing Mathilda.

One thing we noted and especially liked about the parade was the fact that it was a cultural celebration of so many of the people living here in Australia … all celebrating the day and the greatness of Australia. Some were dressed as 19th century Australian colonists. There were firetrucks and vintage cars, Girl Scouts (Girl Guides in Australia), military bands, pipers and representative cultures from just about everywhere … Mexico, Brazil, the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe. Everyone was involved.

People enjoyed and were encouraged to represent their own culture and show it off in the parade, while embracing the culture of the country to which they've immigrated.

What we saw was a melting pot of Australia's people sharing their native costumes, dances and music while proudly waving their Australian flags.