K: Kangaroos, Kings Cross and Kids

1. Kings Cross (or a loving look at Australian crime scene). This is one of the topics really close to my heart.

Kings Cross is a wild mixture of prostitution and crime, with stylish restaurants and hotels. It has visitors of all kinds and although has some slightly run down areas has a certain quality to it as well.

Kings Cross is also home to one of Sydneys oldest areas, Wooloomooloo. Here, opposite the Artspace Gallery, you will find Harry's Cafe de Wheels, open for 18 hours a day, started in 1945. It is a must visit on the way home after a night out.

CLICK HERE to read more about this district of Sydney and learn some useful tips ;-)

Click the picture below to enter the world of Harry's Cafe de Wheels.




The soul of a nation is frequently defined by its outlaws. We'll be talking at lenght in the future about the likes of Ned Kelly, but on Monday we'll just have a look at present day criminals and their portrayal in various media (but mostly films).

Have a look at the clips below to get the feel of Kings Cross, but you don't really need to prepare any answers.






But you will have to do a bit of work for topic #2 ;-)

2. Kangaroos

Everything you ever need to know about roos and wallabies.

source: Australia FB

3. Kids' TV programmes and books

Some clips from the shows we will be talking about in the class:

Koala Brothers

A fantastic look at the Outback and the life there. Stunning voice acting with a variety of broad accents.

Dot and the Kangaroo

 

This is the whole movie if anyone feels like watching.

The film is one of iconic elements of Australian culture. It's the second ever animated Australian film, and a fantastic mixture of world views represented by the white and the Aboriginal members of Australian society.

Visit Australian Screen website to read more.

The Wiggles

The Wiggles is the most popular show for kids in Australia, and normally it looks like that:



(It's a TV programme, but here you have a clip of Wiggles in concert).

However sometimes the Wiggles are much more demonic than that... ;)

This is another song which has traumatised generations of young Australians. Brace yourselves...

Yeah. What have they been smoking, eh? ;)




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L: Aussie Lingo

Australian accent - more reading for those interested in the topic.

Hey again :)
This semester we're lucky to have our classes in the computer room, which means we'll be able to get a tad more interactive.

Below are some links we'll be using in the class. You only need to watch the two clips below. The readings will be done either in class (depending on time) or as a follow up.

Australian slang - how language was shaped by various historical events

History of accent change - a very useful interactive timeline

More in-depth analysis of the differences between Australian, British and American - vowel quality change, word formation etc.

 

AUSTRALIAN SLANG DICTIONARY

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