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Deadly Sydney animals

Deadly Sydney animals

Deadly Sydney animals may not be front of mind when you think of Sydney. Possibly, you may think of our Opera House, Harbour Bridge, New Years Eve Fireworks or possibly, cute and cuddly animals. Whilst our city is all of these things, it is also home to some of the world’s most deadly animals. Unfortunately, many people associate Australia and its largest city with deadly animals. Whilst there are many deadly animals here, as a tourist, chances of dying after encountering a wild animal are extremely remote. Let us take you through the deadly animals that call Sydney home and then why you will be unlikely to die by any of them.

Deadly Snakes

Of the most deadly Sydney animals, 21 of the 25 most toxic snakes in the world live in Australia. Sydney is home to 4 of these. These are normally in bushlands in and around the city. When hiking in the bushland areas, ensure that you wear enclosed footwear and walk on the tracks rather than through think grass where possible. If walking through areas where you cannot see your feet, make plenty of noise as this will normally scare off the snakes. Never place your hands into tree hollows where you cannot see what is there. Snakes normally only attack when cornered or someone tries to pick them up or walk on them.

EASTERN BROWN (COMMON BROWN) SNAKE

The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), aka the common brown snake, is a highly venomous snake. Considered the world’s second-most venomous land snake after the inland taipan, it is responsible for about 60% of snake-bite deaths in Australia and certainly on of our city’s most deadly animals. It grows up to 2.4 metres (close to 8ft). Whilst it has small fangs, it has significant bite. It is often found in tall grass around the outskirts of highly urbanised areas. It is generally a solitary animal and as such you will not normally see it with other snakes.

EASTERN TIGER SNAKE

Tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) are a highly venomous snake species. These snakes are highly variable in their colour, named after the banding like those on a tiger. Tiger snakes give birth to 20 to 30 live young. Tiger snakes account for about 17% of snake bite deaths in Australia. We were lucky enough to see one of these on one of our tours.

DEATH ADDER

The common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is a species of death adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and globally. The common death adder feeds on frogs, lizards and birds. Unlike many Australian venomous snakes this snake stays in one place and waits for prey to come to it.

RED BELLIED BLACK SNAKE

The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a species of venomous snake endemic to the city and its surrounds. Averaging around 1.25 m in length, it has glossy black upper parts, bright red or orange flanks, and a pink or dull red belly. It is not an aggressive species and generally retreats from encounters with people, but can attack if provoked. Although its venom is capable of causing significant illness, no deaths have been recorded from its bite, which is less venomous than many other Australian snakes. It is the most commonly spotted snake in Sydney.

Deadly Spiders

Arguably the 2 most dangerous spiders in the world call Sydney home. Never pick up a spider. Sometimes spiders can live in shoes that are left outside. If leaving your shoes outside always check inside before putting them on. Funnel webs are often found in swimming pool filters.

FUNNEL WEB SPIDER

Many regard the funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) as the world’s most venomous spider. Its bite is capable of causing serious illness or death in humans if left untreated. They are widespread throughout Sydney and you can often find them in swimming pool filters in people’s backyards. They can live underwater at the bottom of swimming pools for up to a week by carrying their own pouch of air. The Sydney funnel-web has a body length ranging from 1 to 5 cm. They are glossy and darkly coloured. It is another of our city’s most deadly animals.

RED BACK SPIDER

The redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), also known as the Australian black widow is a species of highly venomous spider. The adult female is easily recognised by her spherical black body with a prominent red stripe on the upper side of her abdomen and an hourglass-shaped red/orange streak on the underside. Females usually have a body length of about 1 cm, while the male is much smaller, being only 3–4 mm long.

Deadly Sharks

The world’s 3 most dangerous sharks are found in the waters in and around Sydney. Most shark attacks in Australia are at dusk and dawn and are on surfers whom the shark mistakes for seals. With this in mind, it is best not to go swimming at these times in unprotected swimming areas.

BULL SHARK

The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) icommonly lives worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. It is aggressive in nature and lives in warm, shallow, brackish and freshwater systems including estuaries and rivers. Bull sharks thrive in both salt and fresh water and can travel far up rivers.

GREAT WHITE SHARK

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as the great white, white shark or “white pointer”, is notable for its size, growing to 6.1 m in length. They can live to 70 years or more. Great white sharks can swim at speeds of 25 km/hr for short bursts and to depths of 1,200 m. The great white shark has no known natural predators other than, on very rare occasions, the killer whale. It is arguably the world’s largest-known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of, up to the size of large baleen whales. It is responsible for more recorded human bite incidents than any other shark. Again, it is one of the most deadly Sydney animals.

TIGER SHARK

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over 5 m. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern, but fade as the shark matures. The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. Though tiger sharks are sometimes taken by groups of killer whales. Due to finning and fishing by humans, it is now a near threatened species. The tiger shark is second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans.

Other Deadly Sydney Animals

BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS

Blue-ringed octopuses, comprising the genus are four highly venomous, species, of octopus. They are easily identifiable by their yellowish skin and characteristic iridescent blue and black rings that change color dramatically when something threatens the animal. The Blue ringed octopus is one of the world’s most venomous marine animals. They are 12 to 20 cm and are dangerous to humans if provoked. They can inject enough venom to kill a small child.

The advice here is not to be picking up rocks in small rock pools and not to be placing hands in areas of these small rock pools where you can’t see.

HONEY BEE

Of all the deadly animals in the area, the one responsible for more deaths than any of those already listed above. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is around 15mm long, golden-yellow, oval-shaped with brown bands. Normally 100 honeybee stings can kill a human, however, a single sting can be fatal to someone with allergies which is why they make this list. Whilst not native to Australia, the Honeybee is Australia’s deadliest insect and Sydney’s most deadly wild animal.

CROCODILES

Contrary to what I have read elsewhere on the internet, there are no crocodiles in Sydney with the exception of a few zoos. If you wish to see these deadly animals in the wild, you will need to go to QLD, WA or NT.

STONEFISH

You may have heard about the Stonefish. If you step on one, it is quite likely you will end up on hospital or dead. Fortunately, these are not found in Sydney. However, if you travel to Northern Queensland you will need to be careful.

IRUKANJI JELLYFISH

You may also have heard about the Irukanji Jellyfish, one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world. They are only 1cm long but their sting can kill a person. Fortunately, there are none in Sydney. However, if travelling to the Central Queensland coast you will need to take care where you swim. They are generally not found on the reef.

MOSQUITOS

Mosquitos worldwide kill more people than all other animals combined. However, whilst mosquitos in Sydney can be a pain in the neck, none are deadly nor do they carry serious disease. In other parts of the country there are some serious and potentially fatal mosquito borne diseases such as Murray Valley Encephalitis, Ross River Fever and Dengue Fever. However, there have been no known mosquito related deaths in Australia since Malaria was eradicated in 1981.

Other Deadly Animals

Sydney is one of the safest cities of its size in the world. It does not have the violent or gun related crime as is the case in many US cities. However, there are a few things that visitors should know to keep safe.

In Sydney, we drive on the left hand side. For international drivers not used to driving on this side of the road, this can cause problems that end in fatalities.

In Australia, most Australians learn to swim at an early age. We also learn about rips in the ocean. These are strong currents that can drag an unwary swimmer out to sea.

Conclusion

Whilst there are more deadly Sydney animals than one would expect in an average city, the chances of seeing any of them in the wild during your visit are next to nil. Even less than that are the chances of dying from one of these deadly animals.

87 people die by drowning each year in the whole of Australia

During the period 2000 to 2010 the following shows the number of animal deaths:

  • Horses (77) [incl ponies & donkeys]
  • Cows (33) [incl all bovines, 16 by causing car accidents]
  • Dogs (27) [children under four years old and in elderly people]
  • Kangaroos (18) [mostly related to car accidents]
  • Bees (16) {people with allergies]
  • Sharks (16)
  • Snakes (14)
  • Spiders (0)

If that doesn’t convince you then have a look at the following statistics.

  • 58 people die in Australia from falling out of bed every year;
  • 715 people die from slipping, tripping or tumbling in Australia per year;
  • 1,500 people die in Australia per year in road accidents.

As you can see, less than one person per year dies from the teeth, fangs, stingers or tentacles of our deadly Sydney animals on average in the whole of Australia. The chances of dying from one of Sydney’s deadly animals are far less.

That being said, if you see a snake in the wild, back away slowly. Don’t try and touch wild animals, especially any on this list. Don’t go swimming at dusk or dawn in known shark habitats. Swim between the flags at patrolled beaches and understand rips.

Not so deadly animals that can cause pain

Apart form the animals listed, there are still blue bottles, mosquitoes, ants and ticks that reside in Sydney that can cause you pain.

Blue bottles live in our oceans and often wash up on our beaches. They have a nasty sting. If stung, best idea is to go to the surf life savers who may have vinegar or similar to put on the sting.

Mosquitoes are common in summer, especially around areas with stagnant waters and are particularly prevalent at dusk and dawn. Whilst those in Sydney are unlikely to cause disease, they can be an annoyance ad their bites can cause pain. There are various insecticides that can be used to warn them away.

Ants can bite and sting and are sometimes found in great numbers. So be careful not to launch your picnic on top of an ants nest.

Ticks live in bushy areas. They will find the warmest parts of your body (arm pits, groin, hair). So if walking through the bush, check yourself thoroughly afterwards. Leaving ticks in can cause infection and Lyme disease.

STING RAY FALLACY

You may have heard that a sting ray killed Steve Irwin. In fact, it was a freak accident. Generally, sting rays are mostly harmless. In Steve’s case, he was swimming right on top of the sting ray and it struck its barb straight into his heart and ultimately he bled to death.

You may also like to know more about our Sydney wildlife tours. Whilst this page was about the more deadly of our Sydney wildlife, the city and its surrounds offer some of the most beautiful and captivating wildlife in the world.

Sydney is one of the safest cities in the world. Australia does not have the same gun crime associated with US cities and muggings and pickpocketing are rare.

Stay safe in Sydney.

sydney possums

Sydney Possums

Introduction

People know our harbour city for its stunning landscapes, iconic landmarks, and diverse wildlife but not so much for its possums. While the city celebrates picturesque beaches and a vibrant urban life, it’s also home to a unique and often misunderstood group of inhabitants: possums. Sydney possums, specifically the Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail possums, are fascinating creatures. They play a significant role in the city’s ecosystem. In this article, we’ll delve into the lives of these nocturnal neighbours and learn about their importance in our urban environment. They live in highly urbanised areas and are often found in the roofs of people’s houses.

The Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

The Common Brushtail Possum is perhaps the most recognizable of our city’s possums. These marsupials are known for their lovely bushy tails, which resemble a bristle brush. Their fur varies in color from grey to brown, and they have large, round eyes adapted for nighttime activity. Common Brushtail Possums are primarily arboreal. That is, they spend their days in tree hollows and emerging at dusk to forage for food.

Brushtail Possum Feeding Habits and Diet

Brushtail Possums are herbivores with a varied diet. They feed on a combination of leaves, flowers, fruits, and even the occasional insect. Their adaptability to urban environments has allowed them to make use of introduced plant species like roses and camellias, but they also feed on native flora.

Nocturnal Lifestyle of Sydney possums

Common Brushtail Possums are predominantly nocturnal, which means they are most active during the night. They have evolved to thrive in low-light conditions and are well-equipped for navigating tree canopies and rooftops with ease. Our city’s residents often hear their distinctive calls, which can range from gentle hisses to sharp screeches, during the nighttime hours.

Brushtail Habitat and Urban Adaptation

In their natural habitat, Brushtail Possums inhabit forests and woodlands. However, they have shown remarkable adaptability to urban environments. With the loss of their native habitats due to urbanization, these possums have taken up residence in suburban gardens, parks, and even the heart of the city itself. They utilize roof spaces and tree hollows as shelter, making them frequent visitors to suburban homes.

Brushtail Conservation and Protection

While Common Brushtail Possums may be seen as a nuisance by some due to their occasional nocturnal disturbances or foraging habits, they play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem. These possums help control insect populations and disperse seeds, aiding in the growth of native vegetation. Consequently, they are protected under Australian law. It is illegal to harm or relocate them without proper permits.

Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

The Common Ringtail Possum is another of our city’s possum species. These smaller, more delicate possums are known for their prehensile tails with a distinctive white tip. They are primarily folivores, meaning they mainly eat leaves, and have a diet composed of eucalyptus leaves, flowers, and a variety of other plant matter.

Sydney Possums Social Behaviour

Common Ringtail Possums are often more social than their Brushtail counterparts. They build spherical nests, known as dreys, which are made of twigs and leaves. These nests serve as both shelters and communal resting places. It’s not uncommon to spot multiple Ringtail Possums in a single drey, cuddled up together for warmth and safety.

Urban Adaptation

Just like Brushtail Possums, Common Ringtail Possums have adapted to urban life. They are frequently found in gardens, parks, and green spaces, using their strong tails to balance on powerlines and branches as they move through the urban canopy.

Conclusion

Our possums, both Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail, are intriguing nocturnal creatures. They have successfully adapted to the urban environment while retaining their essential roles in the ecosystem. As our city continues to grow and develop, it’s important for residents to coexist peacefully with these native animals, appreciating their unique characteristics and the vital part they play in preserving the city’s natural balance. By understanding and respecting these nighttime visitors, we can ensure that our city remains a vibrant and diverse habitat for all its inhabitants, human and possum alike.

flying foxes

Flying Foxes Sydney Tours

Sydney flying foxes (fruit bats) inhabit a number of colonies throughout the Greater City Basin. At times, in some streets the guano (bat droppings) paints whole streets white. In our city, there are currently three species of flying fox: The grey headed, black and little red flying fox. These species inhabit areas from North Queensland to Southern Victoria and are amongst the largest fruit bats of the world, with wingspans of up to one metre. Although numbers change, there are about 17 active Flying Fox colonies in Sydney. Apart from the fruit bats, there are also a number of micro bat species making up the city’s bat population.

Travel Ideology offer the best and the first fruit bat experience in this city (est. 2020) and the only private tour. We head to one of the city’s numerous permanent flying fox colonies. Here, we will see fruit bats high in the trees and at eye level, normally in great numbers. Some will be sleeping with their wings covering their faces whilst others will be flying in the air. Some may be being intimate. Others will be moving around. They are in greatest numbers between February and May. Come and learn about these delightful winged creatures and learn how to identify the gender of a fruit bat and how important they are to the ecosystem.

Flying Foxes – The Party Animals

These cute little animals with fox like faces, flying foxes are also known as fruit bats. This is due to their penchant for fruit. Some of our fruit bat colonies disappear completely from our city during winter as they head north for warmer climates. These aerobatic ‘foxes’ normally roost high in the trees. Here, they live with hundreds of their family and friends. In their seemingly party atmosphere they make a great deal of noise and get happy on the diet of (sometimes fermented) fruit. It is a spectacle to see. during the day, they often cover their heads with their wings as though they were pulling the bed cover over their head after a heavy fermented fruit drink hangover.

Our Sydney Flying Foxes are Unique

The flying fox is the world’s largest flying mammal. It can fly at speeds of about 20km/h and 60km/h when using a tail wind and will fly up to 50km from its roosts. The Sydney Flying Foxes we see grow up to 1 metre wingspan. However, the largest fruit bats, the Giant golden-crowned fruit bat will have up to a 1.5 metre wingspan. These Australian bats bear their pups (babies) whilst upside down and only have one at a time and the mother catches them in her wing when they are born. Whilst they chew fruits rather than eat nectar, They suck the nectar.

The Grey-headed Flying-fox is the largest Australian bat and is amongst the largest bats in the world. It has a weight of between 600g and 2000g and has a head and body length of 23 – 29 cm. Moreover, it has dark grey fur on the body, lighter grey fur on the head and a collar of orange/brown fully encircling its neck and thick leg fur extends to the ankle. The wing membranes are black and the wingspan can be up to 1 m. Once a year they can have a pup. The young fruit bats start to fly at about 2 or 3 months of age.

The black headed flying fox is another of Australia’s largest bats, about the same size as the grey headed fruit bat. It is distinguishable as it is completely black with no other colourful markings. Also, its fur stops at the knees.

The third species, the little red flying fox is about half the size of the other two. Their fur is red-brown and their wings are more translucent. They feed almost entirely on blossom of eucalypts and melaleucas. Moreover, they are highly nomadic, following blossoming river redgums along inland rivers or visiting the coast for a month or two.

Excellent Pollinators

The Sydney flying fox is an important pollinator of the Eucalyptus forests in and around the city. Whilst they love fruit, their main food source is provided by nectar from Eucalyptus flowers. Eucalyptus trees need pollen from other trees of their species (out-crossing) to produce fertile seed, and the fruit bat provides this service. 

Population Changes

Recently, in 2019, heatwaves saw temperatures reach around 47°C. This saw a lot of them fall from trees to their deaths from heat exhaustion and thinned their numbers a little. In 2011, the colony of fruit bats that called the city’s Botanic Gardens home was dispatched and moved on to protect the heritage listed trees.

The Dark Side of our flying foxes

Whilst bats are often associated with black magic, vampires and horror movies, this is normally far from reality. However there is a dark side to these cuddly looking animals. They are noisy, smelly, messy creatures whose bite or scratch could have you kissing death. This is because they carry a nasty virus(Lyssavirus) similar to rabies, so its best to avoid touching them. To our knowledge, only one person has ever died of it. Fortunately, they will normally not come close to humans. Another effect when colony numbers are high, whole streets may turn white with fruit bat guano; even the cars change colour. Also, note that it is highly corrosive.

Come and see a flying fox colony

Come and see one of the Sydney flying fox colonies in conjunction with another of Travel Ideology’s Tours and learn all about these amazing creatures. See them plying the air, sleeping, covering their eyes with their wings and hear them squawking. This is the only private flying fox tour in Sydney. Contact us to add it to one of our wild kangaroo or parrot trips. In summer, we often see them on our wild wombat tours as well. On this tour you will learn some interesting facts about these amazing animals including the important role they play in the ecology.

What to bring on your Sydney Flying Foxes Tours

Please wear enclosed (preferably old) footwear as it can get quite marshy at times. Bring good photographic equipment as flying foxes can be high in the trees and flying about.

Come on this Sydney Flying Foxes tour to see our Australian fruit bats and gain an insight into these interesting yet relatively unknown creatures.

rainbow lorikeet cover

Sydney parrots and other native birds

Our Sydney parrots tour is amazing. Whilst our kangaroos, koalas and wombats are iconic, there’s more to Australia than our amazing mammals. Did you know that one sixth of the world’s parrots species call Australia home? Moreover, 56 species of the 300 or so species of parrots are found in Australia, and only 5 of these are found elsewhere in the world. These species are large curious intelligent colourful birds with powerful curved beaks for cracking nuts and seeds. They can also feed on fruit, nectar and sometimes insects. They normally nest in hollows in mature trees. Parrots have two toes pointing forwards, and two toes pointing backwards. Our amazing parrot family includes cockatoos, lorikeets, rosellas and budgerigars.

Our city full of parrots with their beautiful colourful plumage can brighten up some of the dullest days. Not only that, about 5% of the world’s parrot species are found in our amazing city and many are found throughout its suburbs. Furthermore, parrots are some of the most intelligent bird species. Our Sulphur Crested Cockatoo for instance has learnt to lift the quite heavy garbage bin lids in search of a snack. In some suburbs, the parrots come and knock at windows in search of food. In other suburbs, the sulphur crested cockatoos take a bite out of the woodwork. They are famed for their beautiful crests which are used in courtship. Our beautiful colourful rainbow lorikeet, another favourite. can often be seen feeding on the nectar of flowering eucalypts and banksias.

On this parrots tour, we will search for parrots in at least 3 different locations. During the day we may see many of our colourful parrots including king parrots,  cockatoos, lorikeets, corellas, galahs, more parrots . On some days we may only find a few of these species, on others we will find ten or so. Often, we may also see other native birds including our pelicans, ibises, kookaburras and magpies. Book Now

Unique Island

Our city’s waterways have many hidden and unique islands. In this tour, we take a leisurely boat to a very special island where there are no private cars. Here, people use old wheelbarrows to cart their shopping from the ferry wharf to their homes and school children ride their bikes to the wharf to catch a ferry to school. We walk around this beautiful small island, the locals call paradise. It is a haven for Australian parrots and other native birds and a beautiful tranquil area to spend some time. We will most likely see kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets and sulphur crested cockatoos. On many occasions, we also see eastern rosellas, king parrots, galahs, corellas and even pelicans.

Olympic Lunch Stop

This tour will stop for lunch at Olympic Park, where the 2000 Australian Olympics were held. Here, we will meet some of the local ibis (also known as bin chickens because they raid garbage bins). We will also take a short walk to visit a wetlands area where we may see some of our lovely water birds. We head to a specially constructed permanent hide. Bring binoculars to see them the best. At times, we are able to see pelicans and black swans in this location. We will generally see other water birds at the same location.

In the afternoon, we will visit suburban areas where many species of parrot make their homes.

Conclusion

In a city known for its stunning harbor views and iconic landmarks, Sydney’s parrots add an extra layer of beauty and charm to the urban landscape. Whether soaring overhead in a kaleidoscope of colors or foraging for food amidst the foliage or simply perched high in the eucalypts, these feathered denizens bring a sense of wildness and vitality to the heart of the city. So the next time you find yourself in our city, join one of Travel Ideology’s Sydney Parrot Tours, take a moment to look up, and you might just be treated to a dazzling display of nature’s splendor courtesy of our parrots.

Other Tour Details

Guarantee
These are wild animals. As such, there is no guarantee that any birds will be there for us when we get there. However, if we do not see at least 3 species of parrots, we will provide you an opportunity to attend another occasion at no charge. This has not happened on this parrots tour in our history.

Who will enjoy our Parrot tour?
This tour is for international tourists who have an interest in seeing and appreciating some of our unique and colourful bird life. We transport you to the places where you will have the best chance of seeing our amazing parrot and bird life.

Whilst twitchers may like to join this parrots tour to get to see our bird life, our Sydney Parrots tour is not a twitchers (or bird watchers) dream as we may not provide the duration or detail about the birds you desire.

Sydney Parrot Tour Testimonials

★★★★★ Lynne R

best experience

“locals would talk about visiting this place and insisted it was a must visit. I’m so glad i went
my experience was excellent, a lovely change from the norm. we had so much fun and the
weather was great!.

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Sydney Wildlife Tours

Sydney Wildlife Tours

Travel Ideology offers the very best Sydney wildlife tours and gets international tourists up close and personal with our amazing Sydney wildlife in the wild. We enjoy showcasing our wonderful diverse and often quite bizarre wildlife as part of our Sydney tours. Moreover, we offer the best Sydney wildlife tours for experiencing wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, emus and much more. Sydney wildlife is some of the most interesting in the world and our tours put you amongst it.

Comparable with the best wildlife tours in the world

Australian wildlife is up there with the fauna of Madagascar, Galapagos Islands and the game parks of Africa in terms of diversity. Sydney is the ideal place to do so and our trips put you amongst it. Apart from having some of the most dangerous animals in many categories, we have egg laying mammals, one mammal that excretes cube shaped poop, another one that propels itself through the air in leaps and bounds. Our wildlife includes animals that cannot walk backwards and many that carry their young in a pouch. Furthermore, we have some of the largest flying mammals in the world. If you are looking to experience wildlife in the wild, you have come to the right spot. Our “in the wild” Sydney tours are up there with the world’s best.

Unusual Sydney Wildlife

See our Australian wildlife including kangaroos, wombats and beautiful parrots and pelicans in the wild. You can see wildlife in a zoo but its not really wild life. In fact, some animals look downright depressed in their small caged environment. It is OK for some to go and see the animals in a zoo. However, we are offering something considerably more – a wildlife encounter in the wild. Our Wildlife Tours put you amongst it.

Sydney wildlife is diverse

Sydney wildlife is pretty impressive for a large international city. Australia’s most famous native animals are by far its marsupials. Kangaroos, wombats and koalas are some of Australia’s most internationally recognised and adored animals and they may be found not far from our city.

We have unusual animals found in no other countries with some pretty impressive traits as well as large impressive birds and more than our share of beautiful colourful parrots. Whilst you will not find most of these wild animals in Pitt St, no tours are complete without seeing our amazing wildlife. Here are some of the amazing fauna that you may spot on our Sydney wildlife tours.

Kangaroo

None of our iconic Sydney wildlife is more loved than our kangaroo. The beautiful and iconic Eastern Grey Kangaroo lives throughout the Eastern third of Australia. The kangaroo is the largest animal in the world to use jumping as its primary means of movement. Furthermore, it can only move forwards and has an advanced reproductive cycle, making it a beautiful animal to study. Also, it is from the macropod (meaning big foot) family and grows up to about 160cm. Moreover, the best way to experience wild kangaroos is to book one of our Walking with Kangaroos Tours. It is one of our most popular of our wildlife tours. One can also see them on our Walking with Wombats Tours.

Wallaby

The swamp wallaby is the smaller cousin to the Eastern Grey kangaroo and possibly the cutest of Sydney wildlife. It is also called the black or black tailed wallaby due to its blacker complexion especially around the paws, feet and tail as well as a squatter nose. Moreover, it is found in a number of bushy southern, western, northern and northern beaches locations. Furthermore, they grow up to about 76 cm in height. To see wallabies, join us on one of our Northern Beaches Tours. We can also arrange tours that specialise in finding wallabies.

Flying Fox

Our Flying Fox (aka Fruit Bat) is the largest of our city’s bats. There are three species of flying foxes in our city with the most common being the grey headed flying fox. It has a body length head to toe of up to 29 centimetres and a wingspan of up to a metre making it one of the world’s largest bats. It is also easily distinguishable from other species of flying foxes by its grey fur down to its knees with a copper-rust coloured collar. Add a Sydney Flying Fox Tour to one of our other Sydney wildlife tours. Also, we see them during summer months on our Walking with Wild Wombats tours.

Goanna

The Lace Monitor or tree goanna is a member of the monitor lizard family native to eastern Australia. A large lizard, it reaches 2 metres in total length and 14 kilograms in weight. It is commonly found in our city’s national parks. They are a good tasting traditional food eaten by aboriginals. Whilst not normally aggressive towards humans, the lizards have a mild venom they can inject if they bite. Previously, scientists believed that it was a bacterial infection. They are occasionally found in Ku-ring-Gai national park on our Northern Beaches tours.

Dragons

Dragons are types of lizards that are synonymous with Sydney wildlife. Two types of dragons are a common part of Sydney wildlife. Namely, the Eastern Water Dragon and the Eastern Bearded Dragon. They grow to about 20 or 25cm long. They occupy different terrains and as such do not normally live in close proximity. Consequentially, the water dragons live near the water, often near the ocean whereas the bearded dragons usually live in forested areas. Moreover, they are quite prevalent in the bush and waterside areas of certain areas of our Northern Beaches. We often see water dragons sunning themselves in summer on our Walking with Wild Wombats tour Sydney and Northern Beaches Tours.

Possums

Ring Tailed (pictured) and Brush Tailed possums are both common throughout our beautiful Sydney wildlife. The two are easily differentiated as the ring-tailed possum rolls its thin tail to hold onto a branch whilst the brush-tailed has a brushy fluffy tail. They are most active from around September to March. We even find them in quite highly urbanised areas. Moreover, our cute possums are nothing like their sometimes ugly counterparts found in USA. They often make their homes in the roofs of suburban houses. We can organise special tours to see find these beautiful creatures.

Echidnas

Echidnas also known as spiny anteaters are one of two mammals that actually lay eggs (the other being the platypus). There are two varieties with the short beaked echidnas found here. They protect themselves with spines on their backs (like a hedgehog or porcupine) and can curl into a ball when threatened camouflaging themselves quite well. Thus, this unique part of our city’s wildlife are very difficult to spot but do live in bushy areas not far from the city. The male echidna is well endowed with a 4 headed penis. We often spot these toothless spiky creatures on our Walking with Wild Wombats tour Sydney

Wombats

Whilst not strictly Sydney wildlife, wombats are found within a few hours from the city. This awkward looking quadruped can attain speeds of 40km/h for short sprints. The wombat, one of the world’s best and largest digging animals, has a backward opening pouch to ensure its in pouch offspring remain free of dirt. It has cubed shaped pooh and when threatened will go into its burrow, blocking with its tough tendon toughened backside. The best way to see wild wombats is to join one of our walking with wild wombats tours. This is another of our iconic wildlife tours.

Dingos

Dingos are the native dogs of Australia. These wild dogs arrived on the continent over 4,000 years ago from Asia, They have successfully adapted to diverse ecosystems, from deserts to forests. Their distinctive yellow-ginger coat, pointed ears, and bushy tail contribute to their charismatic appearance. Furthermore, dingos are highly intelligent and exhibit complex social structures, displaying cooperative hunting and communication skills within their packs. Whilst not normally barking, their vocalisations range from melodic howls to yips. We do not allow young children or people with walking disabilities on our dingo tours. Whilst none of our scheduled Sydney Wildlife tours, we can run specialised tours to see dingos.

Koalas

Koalas are one of the icons of Australia and an important part of the Sydney Wildlife. People perceive them as cute and cuddly. However, they are usually extremely difficult to find and live high in the tree tops, blending in with the trees that they sit in. Appearing as a small ball that is almost impossible to perceive, they generally rest motionless. Moreover, they sleep for 22 hours a day.

At birth, they eat their mother’s poo to introduce the bacteria necessary to digest the otherwise toxic eucalypt leaves. In the case of a bushfire, their natural instinct is to climb a tree. Now, we have said they sleep 22 hours a day, giving them 2 hours a day to eat and do everything else. Furthermore, they have the highest incidence of chlamydia in the natural kingdom, so we wonder what they get up to in those other two hours and it isn’t just eating poisonous leaves. At this point in time, we do not run tours to find koalas.

Emus

This is another animal that is no longer strictly a Sydney animal. However, they are found a couple of hours from the city. The world’s second largest bird is a curious icon of Australian wildlife. Whilst it cannot walk backwards, it runs at up to 50km/h and lays green eggs. Possibly, Dr Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham is not that far from emu reality. We can run specialised Sydney Wildlife tours to find some wild emus if desired.

Pelicans

Australian pelicans, an iconic part of our Sydney wildlife, live throughout beach areas of NSW. They are beautiful majestic large black and white birds and although they mainly eat fish, are known to pick up small dogs such as Chihuahuas in their large beaks. The Australian pelican grows to about 40 or 50cm long and has a wing span of about 2.5 metres. Furthermore, the pelican’s beak can hold up to 13 litres. Hence, once it catches fish, it will flush the water from its beak before digesting the food. The best way to see some of our Australian pelicans is to book one of our Kangaroos and Pelicans Tours. We often see them on our Northern Beaches Tours, Walking with Wild Wombats Tours and Parrots Tours.

Kookaburra

Kookaburras are terrestrial members of the kingfisher family and grow to 42cm in length and weigh around 300g. The name is an aboriginal word representing the sound of its call, which sounds like a laugh. Don’t worry they are not laughing at you. Instead, it is a sound to establish their territory. They live throughout our city, mainly in forested, arid and suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. We often see kookaburras on many of our wildlife tours. We spot Kookaburras normally on our Parrots tours. They are synonymous with Sydney wildlife and the song “Kookaburra lives in the old gum tree”.

Parrots

Sydney wildlife boasts 5% of the world’s parrot species and a colourful part of our city’s wildlife. Seeing parrots on one of our Sydney wildlife tours is an experience not to be missed.

Cockatoo

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is a large white cockatoo. It raises its crest when feeling threatened or to threaten others. They prefer to live in tall trees and often feed on the ground. They can also destroy cedar fences quite quickly. We find cockatoos on many of our wildlife tours. They are abundant throughout many of our suburbs. The best way to see them is to join one of our Parrots tours.

King Parrot

Male Australian King-Parrots are the only Australian parrots with a completely red head. Females appear the same as males except for a completely green head and breast. All Australian king parrots have a red belly and a green back, with green wings and a long green tail. 

Rainbow Lorikeet

The beautiful rainbow Lorikeet is common throughout our city and feeds mainly on nectar, pollen and fruit. It brightens up any day and over time will learn to accept food from human beings becoming quite docile. We often spot them on our Parrots tours high up in the trees. They are a unique and distinctive part of our city’s wildlife.

Other Parrots

Other common parrots in our city are the Corella, Rosella and Galah, the latter named after its antics. Two types of corellas live in Sydney namely the little corella and the long billed corella. We often see them on our Sydney Parrots tours. The crimson and eastern rosellas are prevalent in our suburbs but can be more difficult to find. Moreover, normally we find galahs, known for their distinct grey and pink coats.

Lyrebirds

Lyrebirds are named after the male bird’s beautiful fine lace looking lyre. He fans his tail out to attract a mate. The female lyrebird’s tail exhibits normal dull feathers rather than the lyre of the male. We normally find these beautiful birds on the rainforest floor, scratching for food which consists of spiders, worms, insects and occasionally seeds. They are excellent mimics and are known to mimic other birds but also chainsaws and camera sounds. In 2022, a lyrebird in Taronga Zoo was filmed mimicking the emergency siren two weeks after the real siren had been activated after a pride of lions had escaped. We often see them on our Walking with Wild Wombats tour Sydney They are easiest to find around July and August when they are mating, although that is not a guarantee.

Whales and Dolphins

Whales and dolphins are two major parts of our marine wildlife of Sydney that migrate off the coast from mid June to July and September to mid November. Whale cruises operate during these months. Humpback whales form the vast majority of whales that migrate past our beachside suburbs. A number of Northern Beaches vantage points offering whale viewing opportunities with the aid of strong binoculars. We may see them with luck on our Northern Beaches Tours. These nautical mammals make up yet another part of our city’s amazing wildlife.

Sydney Wildlife Tours Flexibility

Travel Ideology’s Sydney Wildlife Tours complete your stay by allowing you to see some of Sydney’s amazing wildlife. We organise wildlife tours to see these amazing Australian animals and can pick you up from your Sydney hotel and take you on wildlife tours to places from the Hunter Valley to the Southern Highlands to Jenolan Caves and anywhere in between. Moreover we organise full day tours and part day tours to view our unique Australian fauna. Our Sydney Wildlife tours in the wild will get you closer to wild animals in the wild than you may have previously thought possible. We can get you close to iconic Australian animals such as kangaroos, wallaby, wombat, lyrebird, pelican, flying foxes, goannas, water dragons, parrots and many more.

If none of our Sydney private wildlife tours allow you to see the native animals in the wild that you want, please contact us as we can normally organise our Sydney tours to your specifications.

Our most popular wildlife tours include:

Walking with Wild Kangaroos Tour

Walking with Wild Wombats Tour

Urban Kangaroos Tour

Parrots Tour

Walking with Flying Foxes Tour

Australia’s Best Wildlife Tours

aussie culture

Australian Culture

Australian culture – What defines Australia and Australians?

So what is Australian culture? Whilst we should not generalise and stereotype, Australian culture more than many other cultures revolves around the outdoors and in particular the water. It is a relaxed, informal culture. Barbecues, surf lifesaving, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and weird animals are all earmarks of the country/continent known as Australia.

In Australian culture, being Australian means being part of a multicultural society where we accept those of all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions and beliefs. We all look different but are drawn together by common beliefs or values. We do not all dress like Crocodile Dundee nor Steve Irwin nor do we wear cork hats (an English fallacy). Moreover, we do wear bikinis, board shorts and Speedos at the beach. We are the spirit of the Anzacs, the hardy soldiers who fought resiliently in World War II.

You will quickly find that we shorten words and add an “o” to the end. We enjoy barbecues but never with shrimps. We may play backyard cricket using a wheelie bin as the stumps or picnic with a cask of wine. You will find that we sometimes walk barefoot in the supermarket, especially in areas near the beaches away from the city centre. We squeeze Vegemite through Saos. We have a easy-going “She’ll be right” attitude. Rather than being earmarks of a lack of education or culture, Australians on average are highly educated, these cultural norms are marks of our relaxed way of life.

Geography and Population

The country fills the space south of Asia, north of Antarctica, west of South America and east of Africa. The climates range from unbearably hot deserts to snow capped mountains (in winter). With a population of about 25 million it is the sixth largest country in the world. This means it is about the same size as mainland USA without Alaska and Hawaii or about 80% of the whole of Europe. These figures also means that it is one of the sparsest countries in the world.    

Australian culture is a rich mix of people from all around the world. Almost 30% of the population were born overseas. The largest numbers of immigrants come from United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, Italy, and Vietnam. Also, the second largest Greek population in the world is in Melbourne (after Athens). The population is made up of 90% Caucasians, 7% Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 3%.

The original immigrants to what is now Australia, the aboriginals came by land bridge from India 50,000 years ago. They generally lived a nomadic lifestyle and were hunter gatherers. There was very little documented history from this time. From 1788, the Australian immigrant population was almost entirely from England and Ireland until after world war II. After the second world war, the government boosted the workforce predominantly from Southern Europe, especially Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy. In the 1950s, immigrants came from Northern Europe, in the 1960s they came from Southern Europe and in the 1970s from Vietnam (due to the Vietnam war). Since the early 1980s, Australia has opened its borders and we have immigrants in large numbers from all throughout Asia and the world.

Languages

English is the official language of Australia. However, at times, especially in smaller rural communities where locals may have both strong accents and use more Aussie slang, it may be difficult for foreigners to understand as the accent is neither American nor English, which is what most foreigners learn when they study English. There is also a government funded movement to try and preserve the 20 or so surviving aboriginal languages. These are normally only spoken in more remote and isolated areas.

In terms of foreign languages, because of Australia’s high immigrant population, many people, especially in Sydney and Melbourne can speak a foreign language. There are suburbs in these cities where you can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Arabic and Punjabi. In 2016, the census found that over 20% of the population speak a language other than English at home.

Religion

Australian culture is free from religious constraints. People are free to practice whatever religion they wish or to not practice a religion. The following are dominant religions: Protestant 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, other Christian 24%, Muslim 3%, Buddhist 2%. Many people are atheist or agnostic or practice other religions. In Australia more than 70,000 people (0.37%) declared themselves members of the Jedi order in the 2001 census. Australian culture means accepting people of all religions including non religions. It also means keeping religion and governance separated.

Government

The government and law originates from British law and even though it is democratic and self governing recognises the British monarch as head of state. Government is over three levels: National, state and local. We even drive on the left hand side of the road and walk on the left side of the footpath. In Australia, the government provides both primary and secondary education and it is compulsory. Medicare is also provided by the government and provides a safety net for most essential medical expenses. Unfortunately, as a result, Australia also has one of the highest rates of taxation in the world.

Whilst it is true that much of Australia’s history was created by the British, we are by no means British. The warmer climate and mix of ethnicities has very mush influenced the Australian culture. As a result we have left the stiff upper lip for a more relaxed lifestyle.

Sport

Australians (in general) like to play/watch sport. They have the second largest number of Olympic Swimming gold medals (after USA). The country punches above its weight by population averaging 14th place over all Summer Olympic Games.

Whilst there is a small snow covered mountain area in Australia, less than 4% of the population live within 4.5 hours of the ski fields. So winter sports are not as popular in Australia as our cooler cousins. That being said, the country has still managed to amass 18 Olympic medals in Winter Olympics.

The country is also obsessed with cricket and football. In Australia, football means Rugby Union, Rugby League or Australian Rules Football but generally nor soccer, although there is a tendency to change that as well.

The country also stops for the Melbourne Cup, a horse race run in November each year.

Australian Culture with regard to Values

Modesty and Sincerity

Authenticity and Humility are earmarks of Australian culture. Australians are “down to earth” and neither put people on a pedestal nor step on them. They do not think that they are better than other people nor that other people are better than them. Everyone from the prime minister down is on equal footing. Building trust is important in Australian society. Insincerity will quickly lose you respect and make it very difficult to build relationships in Australia. People who are pretentious will find it difficult to fit in.

Sense of humour

Australians have a warm, self deprecating sense of humour and enjoy good banter and sarcasm. It helps to build relationships.  If you’re from a culture such as China or Japan, where ‘face’ is strongly valued, then you will need to understand and not take offence.

Many Australian movies and television shows convey this sense of humor Some of the best examples on the screen include the Paul Hogan Show and Barry Humphries characters of the 1970s to films such as The Castle, Crocodile Dundee and hard hitting mock-umentary – The Chaser’s War on Everything.

Australian Mateship and Egalitarianism

Australians highly value friendships. They often turn to their ‘mates’ (friends), instead of family in times of need. Relationships tend to emphasise equality regardless of wealth, gender or background.  Australians see relationships based on wealth as superficial, a quality that is against the culture. Instead, Australians prefer to seek relationships with authentic, down to earth and easy going people.

People do not regard others as better or worse solely because of their station in life. They are neither put on a pedestal nor stomped on. This is un-Australian behaviour. Those who abuse their power are cut down quickly in what is referred to as tall poppy syndrome. Likewise, there is support for the underdog.

When ex-prime minister Bob Hawke retired from parliament he signed books at bookshops. Ex-prime minister Tony Abbott was often in just his Speeedos (swimming costumes) when being filmed for interviews.

Australia’s early poet/Songwriters Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson did much to instill this concept of mateship and egalitarianism in their ballads.

Fairness

Fairness or ‘a fair go’ is an underlying value of Australians and Australian culture. In building relationships with Australians, it is important to ask is that fair? Otherwise, you may trade off a once off gain for a longer term relationship. Australia is too small to go for the once off gain as you will probably need to deal with the same people or business again.

Relaxed Attitude

Australian culture tends to value a relaxed attitude that places importance on work-life balance and place an emphasis on keeping unstressed. The terms ‘work hard play hard’ and ‘she’ll be right’ are synonymous with Australian values. Australians tend to place a high emphasis on being able to wind down (holidays, sport, etc) and carry a positive attitude towards life with a don’t worry about things that are not likely to happen attitude. You will find Australians sporting both ‘thongs’ (known elsewhere as flip flops, slip slops, jandals, etc) and ugg boots (comfortable sheepskin boots that originated in Australia. When 85% of the population live within 50 kilometres of a beach and Australia has some of the best beaches in the world it is not hard to understand why.

Punctuality

Arrive on time. If you are going to arrive more than 15 minutes late, ensure that you let the host know. Also, don’t put people out by arriving too early. Consideration of other people is essential in Australian culture.

Mythical Creatures

Whereas other countries may have stories about dragons, yetis, bigfoot, etc, in Australia we have Yowies and Drop Bears. A yowie has the Australian vernacular from Aboriginal folklore. The yowie is usually described as a two to three metre high hairy apelike creature.

The drop bear is a hoax featuring a predatory, carnivorous version of the koala. This imaginary animal is commonly spoken about in tall tales designed to scare tourists. This sort of larrikin prank is also a part of our Australian culture.

Australian Culture and Etiquette

Australian culture is quite informal. As such when greeting someone, normally a smile, a handshake and a simple ‘hello, how are you’ or ‘G’day’ is normal. If introducing yourself, use your first name.

As Australian culture is fairly tactile, close friends may kiss each other on the cheek, hug or tap the shoulder or back of each other.

If invited to somebody’s house, for a meal, it is polite to bring a box of chocolates, bottle of wine or flowers. It is important that gifts are not too expensive as that would be imposing a burden on your host should you then invite them to your place and may be perceived as flaunting your wealth. Gifts of money are never appropriate. If you receive a gift, it is polite to open on receipt. If you’re invited to dinner, check the dress code beforehand to avoid being over- or under-dressed. Never give a gift that still has a price or a receipt with it as this is considered in bad taste.

If invited to a barbecue guests often expected to bring their own meat and alcohol and possibly a plate (of food) to share. Dress code for BBQs is normally relaxed and casual.

The bills for restaurant meals are split between the diners normally. As such, expect to pay for your portion of the bill at the end of the meal. This is normal in Australian culture.

If you’re invited for a drink at a bar, Australians take turns buying ’rounds’. This means people take turns asking everyone what they want to drink and then go buy them at the bar. It is important that you take your turn otherwise you will lose the respect of the Australians.

Some important but small parts of Australian Culture

Small Talk with Taxi Drivers

If catching a taxi alone, you should sit upfront with the driver and have a conversation. Not to do so is considered rude. This is a part of Australian culture. It comes back to the philosophy that nobody is above or beneath you.

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

Bunnings is a very large Australian hardware store chain. Every weekend they support local organisations including the fire rescue, scouts, local schools, etc by allowing them to sell sausage sizzles (sausages in bread). Whilst it encourages people to come to their stores, it also helps the organisations and is welcomed by all.

Meat Pies at the Football

Just like American culture is synonymous with hot dogs at the baseball, Australian culture has meat pies at the football (footy).

Two-up on Anzac Day

Two-up is a legalised form of gambling. It was popularised by the Diggers in World War I and involves tossing two coins into the air and gambling on how they might fall. On Anzac Day it is an integral part of Australian culture, is generally legal and you will find it offered in many pubs around the country.

Tipping is Optional

In Australian culture, tips are only ever given for exceptional service. A tip is always optional. Unlike other countries, the price you pay is what has been agreed upon at the beginning and should include all taxes and gratuities. In the case that someone has provided exceptional service, you may show your appreciation by providing a tip at your discretion. However, they are only used to reward exceptional service.

Other Links

The following links may also interest you:

Australian Food

Australian Film

Actors (Australian)

Television (Australian)

Musicians (Australian)

Australian Slang

Sydney Wildlife

Sydney Events

australian festivals

Sydney Festivals and Events

There are many Sydney Festivals worthy of a visit. No stay in our city is complete without taking part in some of the major events that happen in the city.

Australia Day

Australia celebrates Australia Day on January 26 every year with a packed harbour and ferry races. Beaches around our city are full of swimmers, surfers and sunbathers. Parks fill with people barbecuing and picnicking. Backyard parties abound often around a barbeque and people celebrate. It is the Sydney event that celebrates Australia for all Australians.

Chinese New Year

Due to our city’s large Chinese population, Chinese New Year is now one of the most popular outside of China. Within the greater city limits there are about 6 suburbs where one can visit and just speak Chinese. Thus, dragon boat races, lion dances, Chinese lanterns, statues of the Chinese zodiac all come alive during this event. Whilst the main celebrations focus around China Town in the city’s centre they are also in many other non-Chinese related areas such as Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Festival

The Gay and Lesbian Festival closes down the city for a day every February. Gender confusion abounds in this very colourful festival. Moreover, people come from around the world to experience it. The festival completely takes over Oxford St and as it finishes, takes over the whole city.

Royal Easter Show

The Royal Easter show started out as an agricultural show. Whilst it is still an agricultural show, it is much much more. The show has rides to thrill any age group, shows that include motorcycle and car trick driving and of course fireworks. Retail brand names show off their wares and kids queue up to buy their favourite showbags. It is indeed a centrepiece show of our city. It is the largest of the Sydney festivals for the year.

Anzac Day

In April, the country celebrates Anzac Day to commemorate the contribution that the ANZACs made to the country. It is celebrated with street parades and by playing “Two Up”. Two up is a gambling game whereby people bet on heads or tails, once played on the fields of battle. Moreover, it is legal for this one day of the year and can be seen in certain pubs and clubs around the country.

Australian Fashion Week

Fashion Week is a week where retail buyers come to buy forthcoming spring/summer collections directly from designers and manufacturers. It is an opportunity for new and upcoming designers to get noticed. It is a big event and draws in people from all around the world.

Vivid

Vivid is an annual celebration of light and music that takes place in May. It includes large sometimes interactive outdoor light installations and projections, musical performances. Furthermore, it offers creativity, innovation and technology, transforming the city for 23 days and nights. It melds art, innovation and technology in collaboration with boundary-pushing artists, thinkers and musicians to bring together a wonderful display of light and music. It is fast becoming one of the more attended of the Sydney festivals.

Cherry Blossom Festival

In August every year, Cherry Blossom Festival brings to life the Auburn Botanical Gardens with beautiful hues of white, pink and red. The gardens, apart from the Cherry Blossom trees, the Japanese food and Japanese shows, have a small section of Australian animals.

Manly Jazz Festival

The Manly Jazz Festival takes over Manly for the October long weekend each year. It is Australia’s longest running jazz festival. Jazz performers come from far and wide to perform at various temporary stages and on the street. The atmosphere comes alive with jazz music in every corner.

Sculptures by the Sea

Sculptures by the Sea is an event to showcase sculptures that are displayed outdoors between Coogee and Bondi Beach every October. Sculpture by the Sea is an annual event at the Bondi to Tamarama Beach coastal walk. It is the world’s largest free to the public sculpture exhibition. The spectacular coastal walk is transformed into a 2km long sculpture park over three weeks featuring 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Every December, our harbour comes alive as the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race takes place. In rough weather, boats and lives are lost. However, this is what also makes for race celebrations. It is a difficult race and under bad weather, a number of boats and lives are often lost. A regatta of small boats swarm the harbour to see off our adventurer sailors and wish them well on this difficult race.

NYE Fireworks

With fireworks that rival those in every major city in the world, our city’s show is a world class event. People fill every conceivable part of the shoreline and boats fill the harbour to experience this once a year event. Space around the shoreline is at a premium and people come to claim their small area of turf sometimes a day or more in advance.

Other Australian Festivals and Events not in Sydney

  • Australian Tennis Open
  • Elvis Festival
  • Summernats
  • Tamworth Country Music Festival
  • Adelaide Fringe Festival
  • Australian Grand Prix
  • Byron Bay Bluesfest
  • Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
  • Moomba Festival March
  • Melbourne Comedy Festival
  • Rip Curl Pro Surfing
  • Lions International Camel Cup
  • Darwin Beer Can Regatta
  • Henly-On-Todd Regatta
  • Birdsville Races
  • Melbourne Cup
  • Floriade

Other Links

You may also be interested in the following links:

Australian Food

Australian Film

Actors (Australian)

Television (Australian)

Musicians (Australian)

Australian Slang

Our Wildlife Tours

australian tv

Australian TV Shows

One of the most successful Australian TV shows is about a boy and his friend Skippy, the bush kangaroo from the 1960s. This is no longer a big export. However, people worldwide still love the kangaroo as an iconic Australian animal. Come and see them in the wild with our Sydney Tours – Walking with Wild Kangaroos.

Our TV productions offer a great variety of television. Australia exports TV shows exhibiting our beaches and culture. Others are quiz shows, medical and prison soaps and a whole lot more. We export TV shows all around the world to scores of countries and some of our formats are used in even more countries. Seven’s Aussie dramas “Home and Away”, “A Place to Call Home”, “Packed to the Rafters”, “All Saints”, “Always Greener” and “City Homicide” have been exported to and are shown in more than 150 countries. Nine’s “McLeod’s Daughters” airs in 190 international territories.

When it comes to our soaps, Neighbours sells to nearly 100 territories and has millions of spectators across the world. It’s has been airing in the UK for over 30 years! Home And Away is also a big hit in the UK, having been broadcast since 1989 and is currently airing in 137 countries worldwide.

A number of our series are also available on various overseas streaming services. These include ClevermanWentworthMiss Fisher’s MurdersLittle LunchRakeUtopiaThe CodeGlitchRosehavenKath & KimNeighboursWonderlandReal Housewives of MelbourneOffspringThe StraitsPacked to the Rafters and All Saints.

Traditionally, in terms of TV exports, the US and the UK remain dominant players in the European TV market, followed by the Netherlands and France. Australia in 2016, however, replaced Germany as the country with the fifth highest number of TV exports.

Many of our TV shows have been dubbed and others have just used the format. The drama, Celblok H, is a Dutch version of Wentworth and is one of the highest rating shows in the Netherlands. A German version of Wentworth has also been made titled Block B: Unter Arrest.

TV show production in Australia reached a record high of $A334 million spent and included 37 titles that generated 441 hours of content. 15 children’s TV shows commenced production in 2018/19, worth $A105 million generated a high of 132 hours of content.

The following is a list of modern TV shows that we export around the world. In some instances we export the format and the countries use their own contestants, in others it is subtitled or dubbed.

A Place to Call Home
All Saints
Always Greener
Anh Does
Animal Rescue
Blue Water High
Border Security
City Homicide
Farscape
Home and Away
House Rules
Lockie Leonard
McLeod’s Daughters
Medical Emergency
Million Dollar Minute
Miss Fisher’s Murders
My France with Manu
My Kitchen Rules
My Restaurant Rules
Nowhere Boys
Packed to the Rafters
Rake
Round the Twist
Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo
The Block
The Code
The Doctor Blake Mysteries
The Force
The Slap
Top of the Lake
Wentworth Prison

Other Links

You may also be interested in the following links:

Aussie Food

Australian Film

Famous Aussie Actors

Musicians (Aussie)

Aussie Slang

Sydney Wildlife

Australian Slang

380 Word Australian Slang Dictionary

We have compiled Australia’s best and most comprehensive Australian Slang dictionary to help you learn. Don’t be alarmed as most people do not speak using Australian slang most of the time. Instead they use standard English with an accent that most foreigners are not accustomed to. In more rural areas the accent can be more of a drawl. Occasionally, though, you may hear a word or two of Australian slang.

Some Australian slang is common place. You will probably hear words like Esky, thongs, G’Day whilst here. Other terms you may only hear in certain areas or in certain company.

However, there are some things that may come as a surprise should you hear them. In Australian slang, you wear thongs on your feet not your derriere. You wear a sloppy joe not eat it. …and Maccas is what we call McDonalds. Also, if you hear someone say that they’re buggered… no they have not just had sex with your dog! They are just tired.

A couple of things to note about Aussie slang. One, we often shorten the words and add a vowel and we have our own diminutive form that uses a ‘y’ or ‘ie’ at the end of the word.

Australian Slang – More friendly version of the word

Many words in Aussie slang end in a ‘o’. It is quite common to hear words like ambo (ambulance driver), relo (relative), servo (service station), muso (musician), preggo (pregnant), rego (car registration), arvo (afternoon), avo (avocado) and agro (aggressive) in everyday conversation. It shortens the word and makes it more friendly. We also shorten McDonalds (as in the hamburger chain) to Macca’s.

Australian Slang – Diminutive

The diminutive in Aussie Slang is simply formed by shortening the word (where possible) and adding a ‘y’ or ‘ie’ sound. You will often hear words such as barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit, cookie), brekkie (breakfast), cossie (swimming costume), Chrissie (Christmas), exy (expensive), footy (football), lippy (lipstick), lolly (candy – comes from lollipop), mozzie (mosquito), mushie (mushroom), prezzy (present), sunnies (sunglasses) and uggies (ugg boots) in normal conversation. Selfie is an Australian term that has come from following this rule.

The Comprehensive 380 Word Australian Slang Dictionary

[A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U][V][W][Y]

A

A Cold One = beer
Ace! = excellent! very good!
Aerial pingpong = Australian Rules football
Amber fluid = beer
Ambo = ambulance, ambulance driver
Ankle biter = small child
Apples, she’ll be = It’ll be all right
Arvo = afternoon
Aussie = Australian
Aussie Salute = wave to scare off the flies
Avo = avocado

B

B & S = Bachelors’ and Spinsters’ Ball
Back of Bourke = a very long way away
Bail (somebody) up = to corner somebody physically
Bail out = depart, usually angrily
Bail = to not turn up or to go early – normally without warning
Banana bender = a person from Queensland
Barbie = barbecue
Barrack = to cheer on (football team etc.)
Bastard = term of endearment
Bathers = swimming costume
Battler = someone working hard and only just making a living
Beaut, beauty = great, fantastic
Big Smoke = a big city, especially Sydney or Melbourne
Big-note oneself = brag, boast
Bikkie = biscuit (also “it cost big bikkies” = it was expensive), cost big bikkies = expensive
Billabong = a pond in a dry riverbed
Billy = metal container for boiling water.
Bingle = motor vehicle accident
Bities = biting insects
Bitzer = mongrel dog (bits of this and bits of that)
Black Stump, beyond the = a long way away, the back of nowhere
Bloke = man, guy
Bloody = very 
Bloody oath = yes or its true
Blow in the bag = have a breathalyser test
Blowie = blow fly
Bludger = lazy person, layabout
Blue = a fight
Blue, make a = make a mistake
Bluey = blue cattle dog 
Bluey = bluebottle jellyfish
Bodgy = of inferior quality
Bog in = commence eating, to attack food with enthusiasm
Bogan = person who takes little pride in his appearance, spends his days slacking and drinking beer
Bogged = stuck in mud, deep sand (a vehicle).
Bonzer = great, ripper
Boogie board = a hybrid, half-sized surf board
Boomer = a large male kangaroo
Booze bus = police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
Boozer = a pub
Bored shitless = very bored
Bottle shop = liquor shop
Bottlo = bottle Shop,  a place to buy alcohol
Bottler = something excellent
Brass razoo, he hasn’t got a = he’s very poor
Brekkie or brekky = breakfast
Brick shit house, built like a = big strong bloke
Brickie = bricklayer
Brizzie = Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
Brolly = Umbrella
Brumby = a wild horse
Buckleys Chance = little chance (see this)
Buck’s night = stag party, male gathering the night before the wedding
Budgie Smugglers = Speedos
Bugger me = expression of shock
Buggered = exhausted
Bugger off = go away
Bull bar = strong bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also roo bar)
Bull dust = a lie
Bundy = short for Bundaberg, Queensland, and the brand of rum that’s made there
Bunyip = mythical outback creature
Burl, Give it a = Go or try as in give it a go or try.
Bush = anywhere that isn’t in town
Bush bash = long competitive running or motorcar race through the bush
Bush telly = campfire
Bushie = someone who lives in the Bush
Bushranger = highwayman, outlaw
BYO = unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own grog, also similar party or barbecue

C

Cabbie = taxi driver
Cab Sav = Cabernet Sauvignon (a variety of wine grape)
Cactus = dead, broken
Cake hole = mouth
Cark it = to die, cease functioning
Chewie = chewing gum
Choc A Bloc = full
Choccy Biccy = chocolate biscuit
Chokkie = chocolate
Chook = chicken
Chrissie = Christmas
Chuck a sickie = take the day off sick from work when you’re perfectly healthy
Chunder = vomit
Ciggy = a cigarette
Clayton’s = fake, substitute
Cleanskin = bottle of wine without a label.
Click = kilometre
Clucky = feeling broody or maternal
Coathanger = Sydney Harbour bridge
Cobber = friend
Cockie = cockatoo
Cockie = cockroach
Coldie = a cold beer
Compo = Workers’ Compensation pay
Cooee, within = nearby – I was within cooee of it.
Coppers = policemen
Corroboree = an aboriginal dance festival
Counter lunch/Countery = pub lunch
Cozzie = swimming costume
Crack onto (someone) = to hit on someone, pursue someone romantically
Crack the shits = getting angry at someone or something
Cranky = in a bad mood, angry
Cream (verb) = defeat by a large margin
Crikey = an expression of surprise
Crook = sick, or badly made
Cubby house = small, usually timber, shed in the garden used as a children’s plaything.
Cuppa = cup of tea or coffee
Cut lunch = sandwiches

D

Dag = Someone who’s a bit of a nerd or geek.
Daks = trousers or pants
Damper = bread made from flour and water
Date = arse[hole] (“get off your fat date”)
Dead dingo’s donger, as dry as a = dry
Deadset = true, the truth
Dero = tramp, hobo, homeless person (from “derelict”)
Digger = a soldier
Dill = an idiot
Dinkum, fair dinkum = true, real, genuine
Dinky-di = the real thing, genuine
Dipstick = a loser, idiot
Dob (somebody) in = inform on somebody
Docket = a bill, receipt
Doco = documentary
Dodgy = suspicious
Dog’s balls, stands out like = obvious
Dog’s breakfast = mess
Dole bludger = somebody on social assistance when unjustified
Donger = penis
Doodle = penis
Doovalacky = used whenever you can’t remember what to call something. Thingummyjig, whatsit.
Down to Earth = genuine, sensible and not fake
Down Under = Australia (and New Zealand)
Drink with the flies = to drink alone
Drongo = a dope, stupid person
Dummy, spit the = get very upset at something
Dunny = toilet
Durry = cigarette

E

Earbashing = nagging, non-stop chatter
Egg on = encourage
Esky = insulated container that keeps things cold for barbecues and picnics
Exy = expensive

F

Face, off one’s = completely drunk 
Facey = Facebook
Fair dinkum = true, genuine
Fair go = a chance 
Fair suck of the sav! = exclamation of wonder, awe, disbelief 
Fairy floss = candy floss, cotton candy
Fanny = vagina
Feral (n.) = a hippie
Fisho = fishmonger
Flat out = really busy
Flick = to give something or somebody the flick is to get rid of it or him/her
Footy = Australian Rules football, Rugby League or Rugby Union
Fossick = to prospect, e.g. for gold
Fossicker = prospector, e.g. for gold
Furphy = rumours or stories that are improbable or absurd

G

G’Day = Australian slang for hello
Galah = fool, silly person. Named after the bird of the same name because of its antics
Garbo, garbologist = municipal garbage collector
Give it a burl = try it, have a go
Gnarly = awesome
Gobful, give a = to abuse verbally
Gobsmacked = surprised, astounded
Going off = busy, lots of people / angry person
Good oil = useful information, a good idea, the truth
Good onya = good for you, well done
Greenie = environmentalist
Grog = liquor, beer
Gutful of piss = drunk
Gyno = gynaecologist

H

Hard yakka = hard work
Heaps = loads, lots, many
Holy dooley! = an exclamation of surprise
Hoon = hooligan (normally driving aggressively and badly!)
Hooroo = goodbye
Hotel = often just a pub

I

Iffy = bit risky or unreasonable

J

Jackaroo = a male trainee station manager or station hand
Jillaroo = a female trainee station manager or station hand
Joey = baby kangaroo
Journo = journalist
Jug = electric kettle
Jumbuck = sheep

K

Kelpie = Australian sheepdog originally bred from Scottish collie
Kero = kerosene
Kindie = kindergarten
Knackered = tired
Knickers = female underwear
Knock = to criticise
Knock back = refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)
Knocker = somebody who criticises

L

Larrikin = Someone who’s always up for a laugh, bit of a harmless prankster
Legless = Someone who is really drunk
Lend of, to have a = to take advantage of somebody’s gullibility
Lippy = lipstick
Lollies = sweets, candy

M

Maccas = McDonalds
Manchester = household linen
Mate = buddy, friend
Mate’s rate, mate’s discount = cheaper than usual for a “friend”
Metho = methylated spirits
Middy = 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales
Milk bar = corner shop that sells takeaway food
Milko = milkman
Mob = family or herd (?) of kangaroos
Mob = group of people, not necessarily troublesome
Mongrel = despicable person
Moolah = money
Mozzie = mosquito

N

Never Never = the Outback, centre of Australia
Nipper = young surf lifesaver
No drama = no problem / it’s ok
No worries = no problem / it’s ok
No Wucka’s = no problem / it’s ok
No-hoper = somebody who’ll never do well
Nuddy, in the = naked
Nut out = hammer out or work out (an agreement, say)

O

O.S. = overseas (“he’s gone O.S.”)
Ocker = an unsophisticated person
Offsider = an assistant, helper
Old fella = penis
Oldies = parents – “I’ll have to ask my oldies”
Op shop = opportunity shop, thrift store, place where second hand goods are sold.
Outback = interior of Australia
Oz = Australia

P

Pash = to kiss
Pav = pavlova – a rich, creamy Australian dessert
Perve (noun & verb) = looking lustfully at the opposite sex
Piece of piss = easy task
Pig’s arse! = statement of disagreement
Piss = some beer
Piss Off = go away, get lost
Piss Up = a drinking get together
Piss, to = to urinate
Pissed off = annoyed
Pissed = intoxicated, drunk
Plate, bring a = instruction to bring a plate of food to share (on a bbq or party invite)
Plonk = cheap wine
Pokies = poker machines, gambling slot machines
Polly = politician
Pom, pommy, pommie = an Englishman
Porky = a lie, untruth (pork pie = lie)
Postie = postman, mailman
Pozzy = position
Prezzy = present, gift

Q

Quid, make a = earn a living
Quid, not the full = of low IQ

R

Rack off = push off! get lost!
Rage = party
Rapt = pleased, delighted
Ratbag = mild insult
Raw prawn, to come the = to bullshit, to be generally disagreeable
Reckon = for sure. ‘You Reckon?’… ‘I reckon!’
Reffo = refugee
Rego = vehicle registration
Rellie or relo = family relative
Ridgy-didge = original, genuine
Right, she’ll be = it’ll be all right
Ripper = great, fantastic
Road train = big truck with many trailers
Rock up = to turn up, to arrive 
Rollie = a cigarette that you roll yourself
Roo = kangaroo
Roo bar = stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos
Root = polite synonym for f*ck 
Ropeable = very angry
Rort (verb or noun) = cheating, fiddling, defrauding
Rotten = drunk 
Rubbish, to = to criticize
Runners = Trainers, Sneakers

S

Salute, Aussie = brushing flies away
Salvos, the = Salvation Army
Sanger = a sandwich
Sav = saveloy (see also “fair suck of the sav!”)
Schooner = large beer glass
Scratchy = instant lottery ticket
Servo = petrol station
She’ll be apples = everything will be alright
Sheila = a woman
She’ll be right = it’ll turn out okay
Shit house (adj.) = of poor quality, unenjoyable
Shit house (noun) = toilet, lavatory
Shonky = dubious, underhanded.
Shoot through = to leave
Shout = turn to buy – a round of drinks usually
Sick = awesome
Sickie = a sick day off work, or ‘to pull a sickie’ would be to take a day off when you aren’t actually sick
Skite = boast, brag
Skull = to down a beer without taking a breath
Slab = a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Sloppy Joe = windcheater, normally made from cotton 
Smoko = cigarette or coffee break
Snag = sausage
Spag bol = spaghetti bolognese
Spewin’ = very angry
Spiffy, pretty spiffy = great, excellent
Spit the dummy = get very upset at something
Spruiker = man who stands outside a nightclub or restaurant trying to persuade people to enter
Sprung = caught doing something wrong
Spunk = a good looking person (of either sex)
Squizz = a look – “take a squizz at this”
Station = a big farm/grazing property
Stickybeak = nosy person
Stiffy = erection
Stoked = very pleased
Stonkered = beaten, defeated, cornered, perplexed
Straya = Australia
Strewth = an exclamation of surprise
Strides = trousers
Strine = Australian slang and pronunciation
Stubby = a 375ml. beer bottle
Stubby holder = polystyrene insulated holder for a stubby
Stuffed, I feel = I’m tired
Sunbake = sunbathe
Sunnies = sunglasses
Surfies = people who go surfing 
Swag = rolled up bedding etc. carried by a swagman
Swaggie = swagman
Swagman = tramp, hobo

T

Tall poppies = successful people
Tall poppy syndrome = the tendency to criticise successful people
Tea = dinner
Technicolor yawn = vomit
Tee-up = to set up (an appointment)
Thingo = wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit
Thongs = cheap rubber backless sandals aka flip flops or slip slops
Tickets, to have on oneself = to have a high opinion of oneself
Tinny = can of beer
Tinny = small aluminium boat
Togs = swim suit
Too right! = definitely!
Trackie daks/dacks = tracksuit pants
Trackies = track suit
Troppo, gone = to have gone crazy
Truckie = truck driver
True blue = genuinely Australian
Tucker = food
Tucker-bag = food bag
Turps = turpentine, alcoholic drink
Turps, hit the = go on a drinking binge
Two up = gambling game played by spinning two coins simultaneously and legal on Anzac Day only

U

Ugg boots = Australian sheepskin boots
Uni = university
Unit = flat, apartment
Up oneself = have a high opinion of oneself
Up Yourself = Stuck up
Ute = utility vehicle, pickup truck

V

Vedgies = vegetables
Vee dub = Volkswagen
Veg out = relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
Vegemite = the registered trademark for a dark brown, salty, food spread made from yeast extract.
Vejjo = vegetarian

W

Waffle on = talk too much
Waggin’ school = playing truant
Watering hole = pub
Walkabout, it’s gone = it’s lost, can’t be found
Whinge = complain
Whingeing Pom = an Englishman who is always complaining.
White pointers = topless (female) sunbathers breasts
Whiteant (verb) = to criticise something to deter somebody from buying it
Wobbly = excitable complaint to someone
Wog = flu or trivial illness
Wog = person of Mediterranean origin
Wombat = somebody who eats, roots and leaves
Woop Woop = middle of nowhere
Wuss = coward; nervous person

Y

Ya = you
Yabber = talk a lot
Yabby = inland freshwater crayfish
Yarn = chat
Yakka = work (noun)
Yewy = u-turn in traffic
Yobbo = an uncouth person
Yous = (youse) plural of you

As you can see Australian slang can be quite colourful. We hope you have enjoyed learning some Australian slang and that it comes in handy on your visit to Australia.

There are also some expressions not included above:

Hang on a tick = Wait a moment

Good Onya = Good on you, good for you

She’ll be apples = It will be alright

No worries = no problem

Big smoke = big city

Piece of piss = very easy (task)

Its a no brainer = Its a foregone conclusion

Learn more about Australian culture.

Other Links

You may also be interested in the following links:

Australian Food

Australian Film

Actors (Australian)

Television (Australian)

Musicians (Australian)

Sydney Wildlife Tours

Sydney Events

australian film

Australian Films

There are many successful Australian films, some better known than others. Whilst Crocodile Dundee and the phrase ‘that’s not a knife’ made instant worldwide acclaim, there have been many successful over the last 50 years.

There are many other famous lines from Australian movies. The Castle for instance is well known for the line “Tell him he’s dreaming.”. Muriel’s Wedding is known for “You’re terrible, Muriel.”. Babe is known for “That’ll do pig, that’ll do.” … and lastly in Finding Nemo, “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”

Below are some of the most successful Australian films.

2020s

2021 The Dry
2021 Penguin Bloom
2021 Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb
2021 Long Story Short
2021 Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal
2021 Ammonite
2021 June Again
2020 Go Karts
2020 Rams
2020 100% Wolf
2020 Slim & I
2020 Babyteeth
2020 Never Too Late
2020 Combat Wombat
2020 High Ground
2020 The Furnace
2020 True History of the Kelly Gang

2010s

2019 Ride Like a Girl
2019 The Nightingale
2019 Palm Beach

2018 Melodrama/Random/Melbourne
2018 Storm Boy
2018 The Film From Lot 15

2017 Breath
2017 Mountain
2017 Australia 2
2017 La Souffrance
2017 The Novelist

2016 Red Dog: True Blue
2016 Top Knot Detective
2016 The Legend of Ben Hall
2016 Spin Out
2016 Remembering The Man

2015 Sherpa
2015 The Dressmaker
2015 Oddball
2015 Blinky Bill the Movie
2015 Aussies in the Andes
2015 Holding the Man
2015 Girl Asleep
2015 A Month of Sundays
2015 Paper Planes
2015 Drown
2015 Mad Max: Fury Road

2014 Son of a Gun
2014 Wyrmwood
2014 Plague
2014 Healing
2014 The Babadook
2014 Dinosaur Island
2014 Predestination
2014 The Rover

2013 These Final Hours
2013 Tracks
2013 The Turning
2013 Wolf Creek 2
2013 The Great Gatsby
2013 Felony
2013 Mystery Road
2013 The Rocket

2012 Six Lovers
2013 Satellite Boy
2012 Black & White & Sex
2012 Bait 3D
2012 Reverse Runner
2012 Wish You Were Here
2012 100 Bloody Acres
2012 Any Questions for Ben?
2012 The Sapphires
2012 Not Suitable for Children

2011 Dingoes & Dubstep in the Red Center
2011 Little Johnny: The Movie
2011 Red Dog
2011 The Hunter
2011 Snowtown
2011 The Cup
2011 The Eye of The Storm
2011 Mad Bastards
2011 Wrath
2011 A Heartbeat Away
2011 Sanctum

2010 Wasted on the Young
2010 The Reef
2010 Wog Boy 2: Kings of Mykonos
2010 Griff the Invisible
2010 Red Hill
2010 Beneath Hill 60
2010 I Love You Too
2010 Daybreakers
2010 Tomorrow, When the War Began
2010 Uninhabited
2010 Oranges and Sunshine
2010 Animal Kingdom
2010 Bran Nue Dae

2000s

2009 Van Diemen’s Land
2009 Offside
2009 Cedar Boys
2009 Stone Bros.
2009 Charlie & Boots
2009 Mary and Max
2009 Last Ride
2009 Beautiful Kate
2009 Samson and Delilah
2009 Balibo

2008 Solo
2008 Australia
2008 Among Dead Men
2008 Unfinished Sky
2008 The Black Balloon
2008 The Square
2008 Marry Me
2008 Newcastle

2007 December Boys
2007 Black Water
2007 Rogue
2007 Noise
2007 Clubland
2007 The Jammed
2007 The Final Winter
2007 Lucky Miles
2007 Romulus, My Father

2006 Kokoda
2006 Last Train to Freo
2006 Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler?
2006 Happy Feet
2006 Jindabyne
2006 Candy
2006 Ten Canoes
2006 Kenny
2006 BoyTown
2006 Opal Dream

2005 Little Fish
2005 Monster-in-Law
2005 Three Dollars
2005 The Illustrated Family Doctor
2005 Ra Choi
2005 The Proposition
2005 Look Both Ways
2005 Wolf Creek

2004 Somersault
2004 Peaches
2004 Strange Bedfellows
2004 Love’s Brother

2003 Undead
2003 Japanese Story
2003 Take Away
2003 Gettin’ Square
2003 Harvie Krumpet
2003 Danny Deckchair
2003 Cracker Bag

2002 Trojan Warrior
2002 Swimming Upstream
2002 The Hard Word
2002 The Master of Disguise
2002 Dirty Deeds
2002 The Nugget
2002 Crackerjack
2002 Rabbit-Proof Fence
2002 The Tracker

2001 WillFull
2001 One Night the Moon
2001 The Man Who Sued God
2001 Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
2001 Moulin Rouge!
2001 He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
2001 Lantana
2001 Silent Partner

2000 The Bank
2000 Looking for Alibrandi
2000 The Wog Boy
2000 On the Beach
2000 Chopper
2000 Better Than Sex
2000 Bootmen
2000 The Dish

1990s

1999 Soft Fruit
1999 Two Hands
1998 Paperback Hero
1998 The Interview
1998 The Boys
1998 Radiance
1998 Dead Letter Office
1998 Crackers
1997 Oscar and Lucinda
1997 Blackrock
1997 The Wiggles Movie
1997 Road to Nhill
1997 Year of the Dogs
1997 The Castle
1997 Doing Time for Patsy Cline
1997 Kiss or Kill
1996 Love Serenade
1996 Romeo + Juliet
1996 Dating the Enemy
1996 Love and Other Catastrophes
1996 Hotel de Love
1996 Idiot Box
1996 Shine
1996 Cosi
1995 Babe
1995 All Men Are Liars
1995 Angel Baby
1994 The Sum of Us
1994 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
1994 Muriel’s Wedding
1994 Metal Skin
1994 Bad Boy Bubby
1994 Sirens
1993 The Piano
1992 Strictly Ballroom
1992 Romper Stomper
1991 Proof
1990 The Big Steal
1990 Flirting
1990 Death in Brunswick

1980s

1989 Dead Calm
1989 Houseboat Horror
1989 Evil Angels
1988 Ghosts… of the Civil Dead
1987 Ground Zero
1987 Dogs in Space
1987 The Year My Voice Broke
1987 The Lighthorsemen
1986 For Love Alone
1986 Malcolm
1986 Crocodile Dundee
1985 Burke & Wills
1985 Bliss
1985 Fortress
1984 Annie’s Coming Out
1983 Phar Lap
1983 Careful, He Might Hear You
1983 BMX Bandits
1982 The Man from Snowy River
1982 Running On Empty
1982 Lonely Hearts
1981 Mad Max 2
1981 Gallipoli
1980 Breaker Morant

1970s

1979 Tim
1979 My Brilliant Career
1979 Mad Max
1978 Mouth to Mouth
1978 Newsfront
1977 The Getting of Wisdom
1977 Storm Boy
1976 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
1976 The Devil’s Playground
1975 Picnic at Hanging Rock
1975 Sunday Too Far Away
1974 Stone
1974 The Cars That Ate Paris
1973 27A
1973 Libido
1972 Marco Polo Jr. Versus the Red Dragon
1971 Wake in Fright
1972 Stork
1971 Walkabout
1971 Homesdale
1970 Nickel Queen
1970 Three To Go: Michael

The top 10 most successful Australian films are:

  1. Crocodile Dundee $47,707,045
  2. Australia $37,555,757
  3. Babe $36,776,544
  4. Happy Feet $31,786,164
  5. Lion $29,545,626
  6. Moulin Rouge $27,734,406
  7. The Great Gatsby $27,383,762
  8. Peter Rabbit $26,750,712
  9. Crocodile Dundee II $24,916,805
  10. Strictly Ballroom $21,760,400

Hopefully, you will have enjoyed at least a couple of our most successful Australian films.

Other Links

You may also be interested in the following links:

Australian Food

Actors (Australian)

Television (Australian)

Musicians (Australian)

Australian Slang

Sydney Wildlife Tours

Sydney Events