Why I love living in Australia.

I don't think you ever appreciate how lucky you are to live in Australia until you have travelled overseas.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE travelling overseas but nothing beats returning home from an overseas adventure to Aussie soil. It's not only the people who make Australia great. To me, it's also the comfort of knowing we're safe, that we're unique and that we have services to help us maintain a great standard of living that makes Australia an amazing place to live.

There are many reasons that I love living in the land down under and why I think Aussies are so incredibly fortunate.

Some of my reasons may shock you. They may not be things that you have thought about when asked why you love Australia. They may be things you take for granted. They are things that I know that I used to take for granted.

After travelling to South East Asia, my view changed on what I loved about Australia. I started to think about things differently. Things that I often whinged and bitched about as well as things that I often took for granted became things that I now regularly think about and appreciate about Australia.

The rugged coastline of Australia.

1. Centerlink. I know that the mention of the word Centerlink to Australians instantly brings up the image of long lines of dole seekers, masses of paperwork and headaches. But I think we are SO lucky to have a service like Centrelink. When we are unable to find work we can apply for a Newstart allowance which provides us with cash to pay the bills and rent, preventing people from becoming homeless with empty bellies and no money for bills. Centerlink also provides financial support for those people who can't work because of an injury or disability. I know that it may not be much, but it's better then nothing. When we get to 65 we can apply for a pension which also helps with the ever demanding bills. As a student, you can apply for AusStudy and Abstudy to provide you with an allowance. When you have children you are eligable for a child benefit payment.

I know Centrelink can be a real pain, but many other countries DO NOT have a service like this. Could you imagine what it would be like to have no safety net? To be out of work, or raising a family, or studying, or injured without the financial support of Centrelink? It would make things a lot more stressful and difficult to make ends meet. In Vietnam we saw injured war vets begging for money on the street. We saw children going hungry. We saw homes made out of corrogated iron, strophone boxes and palm tree leaves. They beg for money. All we have to do is fill out a couple of forms and stand in a line when we're desperate or struggling.

An emu surrounded by the dry, harsh, red dirt and saltbush found in Australia.

2. Our Government. I know the word Government in Australia causes peoples eyes to roll, verbal diarrahea to form and flow from peoples mouths and many different opinions about what's right and wrong. The fact is, we are so fortunate to have a Government who uses some of our taxes to maintain our roads, sewage and rubbish disposal, create curbs, keep our cities clean and tidy, keep education affordable so that everyone can have an equal opportunity to learn and provides public health systems so that medical bills don't cost us an arm and a leg through Medicare. I have travelled to countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand where the Government takes taxes from the people and in their corrupted worlds, keep it for themselves, and don't give it back to the people. They don't have roads, they don't have garbage collection nor footpaths or rainwater drain off. They have the bare essentials because their governments use the peoples money for other things. So yes, it sucks that we have to pay GST and tax from our wages, but I'd rather that then have no roads, decaying footpaths and rubbish laying around everyone because there's no disposal systems.

A cute little Koala which are actually quite fiesty with sharp claws!

3. Freedom of speech. I think this is one thing that many Australians take for granted. In many countries you can be stoned to death or locked up in jail for bitching about the Government. In Australia, we have people protesting about the Government right out the front of Government House. We have people setting up stalls in the mall talking about God and their beliefs. We can speak openly about things that we are passionate about. We can agree and disagree with the Governments decisions. And ultimately, we have the right to vote. Never take these things for granted. Australians are so lucky.

Sandy uncrowded beaches.

4. The uniqueness of our landscape. Whenever I travel overseas I almost feel guilty because I'm injecting my hard earned money into another economy. Australians are so lucky to live in such a diverse country. Travelling to Queensland from South Australia is like entering another world. From a hot dry climate in summer and wet freezing winter, salt bush, gum trees, wattle and stoned fruit in South Australia to a sticky mediterian climate, mangos, avacados, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. We have deserts in Western Australia and Northern Territory, snow in Winter in Victoria, beautiful untouched coastlines, giant rocks in the middle of no where, huge national parks, huge backyards, massive single story houses, giant cities and small quaint towns. You could spend a lifetime travelling around Australia and still not see everything. I can't wait to hook on a caravan or zoom around in a Winnebago checking out Australia's hidden secrets.

The beautiful rainforest in QLD.

There are so many other things that make me proud to be Australian, like the relaxed, friendly attitude of the people.

I love Australia. No matter how far and wide I travel, Australia will always be home.

Too often I think Australians take for granted our Government, Centrelink, Medicare and the relaxed attitude and uniqueness that makes our country what it is.



Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory.



It's easy to bitch and moan about the politicans, to roll your eyes at Centrelink and to rant and rave about not getting your rebates fast enough from Medicare, but they are things that other countries long for. They are the reason so many people want to call Australia home.

Maybe we all need to take a step back every now and again and think about how truely fortunate we are.

Yes we pay taxes. Yes we work hard. But most of all we are lucky to live in a country where we don't face the constant threat of war, where our Government isn't corrupted, and where, as a general rule, we are safe.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Have you ever been to Australia? What do you love about Australia?

Look after yourself and those around you,

Kirsty xxx