Sure we may have a few challenges, but we’ve never lost anyone to a dingo!

Back in the seventies the Australian rock band Men at Work put out a song that summed up all of the adventurous nature of the Aussie spirit, a little ditty called Down Under. It was a lively tune, showing the Australian spirit of exploration and highlighting their image of bold and brave navigators of the world.



But upon further review, one of the key parts of the chorus was perhaps, a hint though of what may actually be the true Aussie spirit…

Cant you hear, cant you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.

Who knew that they were actually so afraid?

In fact who really knew that our impression of Aussies as wild outdoorsy, adventure seeking types is all wrong! Instead it seems, at least from what their government is advising, they very well may be timid little creatures, more afraid of their shadows, fearful of strange places, and cautious not to stray too far from a government suggested comfort zone.

In an unusual move, the Australian government has issued a travel advisory of sorts to their world explorers, advising that Canada is perhaps a place where caution must always be employed.

In the website warning, Australia has urged its residents to exercise caution while travelling in Canada. Citing such troublesome things as earthquakes, avalanches, snowy roads and icy conditions, as well as our being a potential terrorist target, Australia placed Canada in a higher risk category than such nations as South Korea and Chile.

With cautions to keep a respectful distance from wildlife and maybe even keep a snow shovel in your trunk, the instructions are clear, we are a dangerous place.

Even worse, Canada is a apparently a land of harsh laws ( who knew!) and while they’ll try their best, they can’t guarantee that they can help out their fellow citizens should they run afoul of our draconian rules and regulations…

Fortunately it seems that few Australians listen to their government (something that they may have in common with their soon to be new friends in Canada).

Despite all of our obvious fatal flaws, Australians still find Canada an attractive travel destination, with Canada regularly coming up as a much desired spot that Australians wish to visit. In fact, Australia is still a home for the brave it seems, as over 200,000 Australians a year regularly make the trek to these dangerous shores, throwing caution to the wind and governmental advice to the side.

For our part, Foreign Affairs Canada offers no such warnings about travel in Australia, though we suspect that providing a directive about the over indulgence of Fosters and shrimps on a Barbie might be advice that would be good for our health!