Australian identity

Introduction:

Australians have always been known for their laid back attitude, using terms such as "she'll be right", "pass us a beer" etc. Also Australians are perceived as having a strong and large physique, and finding any reason to avoid doing anything that requires any effort, but this is not what I believe to be a typical or 'real' Australian. A typical Australian to me is many things, I do believe that he is laid back and is resourceful but I also believe that he posses the characteristics below.

Lifestyle (beach, city, sport):

Australia is well known for its bare and barren landscapes, this forces Because Australia is such a barren country in its middle the majority of its population resides in cities around the coast where the climate is more hospitable and there is easy access to most things (i.e. Water, sporting grounds, beach etc. etc.).

Wagga Wagga Marketplace

English: Wagga Beach in Wagga Wagga, New South Wal...

Wagga Wagga High School. Est: 1917

Because of this easy access we tend to have a more beach orientated life style. The last census shows that more and more people are moving to major cities to have this particular lifestyle, 74% of Australians population growth was in major cities (2001 census, 2001, abs). This beach lifestyle has led lots of people into water sports such as surfing and wake boarding and the creation of the "surfie" but this active lifestyle has spilled over into other sports such as soccer, which is just taking off because of the World Cup and this lifestyle.

Sport:

Australia has always been seen as a sport-orientated nation with majority of our Australian sporting teams performing extremely well in all sports (i.e. Hockey, Basketball, Cricket, Netball, etc.). We also do well in the Olympics which reinforces this belief in other nations when they see us compete. This is true for most...