Day 7

Jan. 26, 2012

        Everyone was so excited to go hang out at the Australia Day parade that we all woke up early today. The parade is basically Australia's 4th of July. Since we had nothing else to do, we decided to go grab a breakfast at the hotel. It was great and they had a typical 'Aussie breakfast' set up for us. The meal included bacon, eggs, toast with the infamous Vegemite spread and baked beans with some soda on the side. The dialect in Australia isn't as odd as people think it would be, because when we asked for soda the waitress knew what we were talking about. It seems like it's almost exclusively called soft drinks around here, though.

          The hotel is cozy and good for backpackers, which is what we've been called a few times. They gave us directions to the street that the parade starts on and told us a little bit of what happens. Apparently, many booths will be set up, floats are going to be up, and side shows will be all around. A couple contests and marching bands should be going through, as well. The lady at the hotel's front desk told us about a surprise that was related to an inflatable animal! Hopefully, we'll find out what she's talking about.


            We left for the Australia Day parade later in the day, after a couple of snacks and much waiting. The whole group was very impatient and a little too excited for all the upcoming activity. Our hotel was so close to the starting street of the parade that we took the short walk. The scenery on the way there wasn't anything picturesque, but it was still a different scene than the rest of our trip. By the time we got there, everything was set up and ready to go. Seats were scattered on the side lines of the major streets and all 5 of us took a seat. Soon enough, the floats began floating in. 


             One float we saw was shaped like a kangaroo, of course, and someone was riding on the loop of the tail. It was a pretty creative design and our group especially enjoyed it. After most of the parade was over, we went to a booth with fresh-made lemonade and potato chips that were fried on the spot. The latter happens to be an Australian custom for fairs and parades. Many floats and events were government sponsored and based around anti-smoking and anti-drinking campaigns. One float even warned against skin cancer, and told the crowd to not fall into 'the slip!' This is a colloquialism for 'slipping' on applying sunscreen. After that, some samples of the sunscreen was passed out randomly to the crowd.



       A giant, inflated, rainbow echidna surprised Justin and David, who were in the front row! It sprang out from almost no where. There were some volunteers inside of the inflatable and carrying it around. A few stood outside and waved sparklers around. That was one of the highlights of this awesome event. I loved the interactiveness of this whole parade and I would definitely want to celebrate Australia Day again. It is a great opportunity for Australians to come together and celebrate their culture, as well as the arrival of the First Fleet of 11. 

           
          More history on the First Fleet will include the fact it landed in what is now Sydney Harbor in 1788; that happens to be where we were for awhile! Back in the early 1800s, this day was celebrated with drinking and merriment, much like it is now. About thirty years after the fact, the Governor of Australia ordered a 30-gun salute, hosted a dinner ball, and gave the government employees a holiday. Slowly but surely, this holiday developed into a bit more. I might have said this in a previous post, but the indigenous people don't feel as great as the average Australian. They think they might be a tad excluded, since their civilization was thriving long before the arrival of the First Fleet. 


          Most of that information was learned from a brochure we picked up at a Q&A tent. It was a pretty informative place and we're glad we stumbled upon it. They gave us a quick lesson and the Australian point-of-view and sent us on our way with a brochure. 


          The whole time was a blast and I think we might have a little more fun this year when the 4th of July rolls around. This definitely inspired all of us to be more patriotic, after seeing that the Australians were beating us. 

The highlight of the parade, the rainbow echidna!