"Australia? ..... Never Heard of It"

[kelvedon]

there is a Melbourn near Cambridge (the original one in England not the US copy)

This one, but spelt with no e. Ours was named after Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister of the day

 

[Deleted member]

Clazgirl is constantly asked what part of America are you from, and are you enjoying your holiday in Australia. Despite being Canadian and living here for 20 years.

She responds with I love your Kiwi accent ...... been here long

If in doubt,( about USA V Canada) I ask them to say the word "about". That will give you the clue.

 

[Deleted member]

I ordered a scientific calculator for my father a few years ago. It was a very specific make and model , only available in the US. It took a number of attempts (3) but eventually after the parcel was returned to them they finally used the address I provided to them, rather than correcting it to what they thought it should be.
The address was a PO Box in Cleveland , Queensland 4163. The dispatchers in the US , insisted on changing it to Cleveland Kentucky (not even the more well known one in Ohio). It was a very frustrating experience.

 

[coco50]

Having two children living in the LOTFAP, I travel there frequently. I agree with the posts that LOTFAPIANS have little idea of where Australia is. I attended an authors' conference in June in San Antonio. When I showed the a photo on Ballina on my laptop they were amazed that the place was as civilised as it was, and they wanted to know where all the kangaroos were. When my youngest daughter married a proud Texan at a family only wedding in 2012, in my speech I said that although Texas was big, Australia was so big that we had a town called Texas. They didn't believe me until one of them googled Texas, QLD and came up with the online proof.

 

[Aussie Doc]

Clazgirl is constantly asked what part of America are you from, and are you enjoying your holiday in Australia. Despite being Canadian and living here for 20 years.

She responds with I love your Kiwi accent ...... been here long

I was born in Australia, lived in Canada for 6 years as a kid, and been back in Australia for a few decades now. Still get asked at least once a week if I'm either a) American or b) Irish?!?!

 

[chelzmalee]

Finally the guard said "You lost your walrus?"

Had a similar one in WalMart - Mum was looking for bathroom scales. Blank stares followed by "I'm sorry I can't understand you". Dad intervened with his Yank accent, then we were on our way.

 

[Renato1]

I travel a fair bit to Korea and am always asked where I'm from. If I say Australia then about half the time I get blank stares. I've learnt to say Hoju which is the Korean name for Australia. Then they always know where we are in the world.

Thanks - that explains the total blank I got from the Korean student.
Very odd though.
Regards,
Renato

 

[marki]

Me I get asked or told That I am South African.
btw never been there apart from a Holiday.

I was born in Australia, lived in Canada for 6 years as a kid, and been back in Australia for a few decades now. Still get asked at least once a week if I'm either a) American or b) Irish?!?!

 

[Renato1]

This has happened to me several times when in USA. I make an assumption that geography in school does not go outside of the USA. Once I was told "You don't look like an Aboriginal. And you speak good English. Where did you learn English?"

Which parts of the USA were you in?

It didn't happen to us in the major cities (Washington, New York, LA, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, nor even at the Grand Canyon). On several occasions when asked where I was from and I said "Australia", the chaps said something akin to "Well, that's obvious, I meant which city - Melbourne, Sydney or somewhere else". One chap was a Texan who said that, and I don't know about the other one.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Archphoto]

I was born in Australia, lived in Canada for 6 years as a kid, and been back in Australia for a few decades now. Still get asked at least once a week if I'm either a) American or b) Irish?!?!

I'm constantly asked what part of Britain I'm from; my mum is English, but her accent disappeared over 50 years ago - guess I picked it up from my grandparents?

Or my living and working OS for over 20 odd years has given me the "Worldwide Accent" - not leaning towards anywhere in particular?

 

[andye]

I see plenty of 'ten-pound-poms' and their accents seem to stay with them, particularly Scots and Northerners. Despite being a South Londoner, I seem to be quite good at picking the Bury accent

 

[dajop]

Is part of the problem (even for those with reasonable geographic knowledge)that many people say they come from "Ostray-ya"? Overheard a German backpacker last week joking about how he'd spent six months in "Ostraya" as most of us call it. Maybe care should be taken to fully pronounce in a LOTFAP accent ... "Os-trail-ee-ar".

 

[jono88888]

Happens a lot in LOTFAP.
On our second trip there I got a car from Dollar in New Orleans.The agent being very perceptive said-you're not from round these parts are you?Where are you from?
Australia.
Austria?
No Australia.
We then went through about 10 more countries so she finally said-Just give me your licence.
So I handed over my NSW licence which back in the 80s was a sizeable bit of paper.
You call that a licence?
Yes I do.
She proceeds to read my address-East Maitland,New South Wales.
Oh why didn't you tell me you are from Wales.
OK I am from Wales.

I'm amazed she new anything about Wales.

I'm originally from Wales and 30 years ago I spent 9 months living in Indiana. Every bar I'd go into the conversation would take a familiar line. First they'd say, 'Ah you're from England' to which my first response was 'Yes' as that was the easiest answer. But then I'd usually follow up with, 'Well I'm really from Wales' to which they'd nod their head like they knew what I meant, but on asking them they never knew. I had the conversation dozens of times and never once met anyone who knew what I was talking about. This was quite a while back and in the Mid West, I don't know if they're more worldly wise nowadays. I know if you asked 10 Australians to pinpoint say Kansas on a map of USA, most would not be spot on, but I'd like to think most would at least know it was some city or state in America - I might be wrong.

Like one other poster I also you to get so many comments along the lines of 'I've always wanted to go to England', to which I'd reply 'Then get on a plane, it's not hard'.

 

[TomVexille]

... I know if you asked 10 Australians to pinpoint say Kansas on a map of USA, most would not be spot on, but I'd like to think most would at least know it was some city or state in America - I might be wrong.

You would be wrong

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/sorry-america?utm_term=.qmKv2R8KRn#.puZo5WwPWj

 

[jono88888]

You would b wrong

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/sorry-america?utm_term=.qmKv2R8KRn#.puZo5WwPWj

Shock

 

[Renato1]

Is part of the problem (even for those with reasonable geographic knowledge)that many people say they come from "Ostray-ya"? Overheard a German backpacker last week joking about how he'd spent six months in "Ostraya" as most of us call it. Maybe care should be taken to fully pronounce in a LOTFAP accent ... "Os-trail-ee-ar".

It could be. But on the other hand, numerous Americans don't understand how we say the word "Beef". I asked for beef and got chicken on a Subway-like roll. when I complained it became obvious to me that they didn't understand I was saying "beef". How else does one say "beef"? Then I recollected that a friend of mine related a similar story about them not understanding the word "beef" some 30 years ago. One has to say "steak" to be on the safe side.

So it may not be all our fault.

Also, when one says that one want milk with one's coffee, they nearly all get confused. Apparently, they call milk "cream" over there in coffee establishments (but not in supermarkets). I don't know what they call actual cream in coffee though.
Regards,
Renato

 

[drron]

You would be wrong

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/sorry-america?utm_term=.qmKv2R8KRn#.puZo5WwPWj

Though the fellow who labelled the South Bogans was pretty close to the mark with his descriptions of the states.

What amazed me was the follow on article on what Americans knew about Australia.Tasmania (as it should) stood out.

 

[TomVexille]

It could be. But on the other hand, numerous Americans don't understand how we say the word "Beef". I asked for beef and got chicken on a Subway-like roll. when I complained it became obvious to me that they didn't understand I was saying "beef".

Also, when one says that one want milk with one's coffee, they nearly all get confused. Apparently, they call milk "cream" over there in coffee establishments (but not in supermarkets). I don't know what they call actual cream in coffee though.
Regards,
Renato

Actually, the "cream" in coffee is actually cream. And "half 'n half" is half milk, half cream. As for your issue with "beef," unless you want roast beef, or ground beef (mince to you), asking for steak is safer.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

What the heck do they do in geography or social science or whatever??

They learn about the "hood" homie!

He came back the next day to cheerfully tell me, "​I looked up Australia in an Atlas. It's quite big!"

That's excellent to hear he went and looked it up. You can't really blame someone for a lack of knowledge that they've never learned (or never been taught), but one who takes the time to inform themselves has to be congratulated!

then say I play golf at a course near the zoo and we are always on the lookout for escaped crocodiles.And they believe it.

Perhaps Clive Palmer imported them from Nth Qld! He seems to enjoy having crocodiles eye up his patrons for lunch!

To follow on from what JessicaTam wrote earlier, my uncle used to be a big-wig in Myer and he was asked the same thing perhaps 40 years ago in the States, if Australia was near New Zuland, and from what he gathered it was due to the NZ wool industry. They apparantly bought a lot of Kiwi wool and made a big deal of marketing it as being pure NZ wool.

After trawling through all these posts to this thread, it stikes me that we're referring mainly to Joe Average in the street. I have a slightly OT story about a customs staffer at immigration at an Indian international airport. One would assume (at least I did) that custom/immigration staff would know most countries in the world.....if not exactly where they were, at least a pretty fair idea, but apparantly not. I was speaking to a PNG doctor and he was telling me that he was entering India for holiday during the height of the ebola problem. The customs person said he had to undergo ebola screening as he was from Papua New Guinea. He replied that there was no ebola problem in Papua New Guinea to which he was promptly dressed down as being stupid as it was rampant there..........the doctor replied that he had never been to Africa nor Guinea and that he was from Papua New Guinea, and then added, "you know, it's a state in Northern Australia" from which he was told "oh that's OK then, welcome to India"! The absurdity was two-fold. Firstly that the customs person had no idea that Guinea and Papua New Guinea were two different places (nor in fact that Papua New Guinea is not an Australian State with it's own passport ) and secondly, then went on on to take the guys word for it! Wonderful border protection!

 

[Renato1]

Actually, the "cream" in coffee is actually cream. And "half 'n half" is half milk, half cream. As for your issue with "beef," unless you want roast beef, or ground beef (mince to you), asking for steak is safer.

If the cream in coffee is actually cream - how come I never got any cream in my coffee?

I can tell the difference between cream and milk.

The jugs with "Whole" and "Half-Half" did not contain any cream in the sense that Australians recognise as cream. Cream is viscous, milk isn't. Everything that came out of those jugs was watery like milk.
Regards,
Renato