Green whimped out and said I had to start this thread. Happy Australia Day. The Aussies on the board want to let you know that we live in the greatest country in the world, and commisserate with those who don't live here. One of the most iconic poems about Australia is "My Country" by Dorothea Stuart MacKellar. The love of field and coppice, Of green and shaded lanes. Of ordered woods and gardens Is running in your veins, Strong love of grey-blue distance Brown streams and soft dim skies I know but cannot share it, My love is otherwise. I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror - The wide brown land for me! A stark white ring-barked forest All tragic to the moon, The sapphire-misted mountains, The hot gold hush of noon. Green tangle of the brushes, Where lithe lianas coil, And orchids deck the tree-tops And ferns the warm dark soil. Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky, When sick at heart, around us, We see the cattle die - But then the grey clouds gather, And we can bless again The drumming of an army, The steady, soaking rain. Core of my heart, my country! Land of the Rainbow Gold, For flood and fire and famine, She pays us back threefold - Over the thirsty paddocks, Watch, after many days, The filmy veil of greenness That thickens as we gaze. An opal-hearted country, A wilful, lavish land - All you who have not loved her, You will not understand - Though earth holds many splendours, Wherever I may die, I know to what brown country My homing thoughts will fly. Dorothea Mackellar You can learn more about her at the official Dorothea MacKellar website

Oh - and if you want to hear a song that most Aussies love and consider almost a spirit of Austrlaia, here is the video "Sounds of Then" by Gangajang and (one of my absolute faves) "Solid Rock" by Goanna

Pfft, did not wimp out...just suggested you do it! LOL For my own offerings.... our National Anthem - sung the way it should be... Advance Australia Fair

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie friends!

Much love to my Aussie friends! Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day, to all of you from the Land Down Under. That poem is really cool. I'll have to check out the videos when I have more time. Australia is still on my list of places I'd love to visit.

It was an amazing day Aussie flags everywere, on beach towls, cloths and body decorations with the music cranked, work today was a blast, best Australia day (since the last) ps its wonderful to see so many flags attached to peoples cars, (on the highway and in car parks, more than last year) Happy Australia Day , everyone Icehouse - Great Southern Land John Williams -True Blue John Williams - And the Band played Waltzing Matilda Home among the Gum trees (with the hand signs as you sing it) Men at Work - Land Down Under Cold Chisel Rolf Harris (yes I said it , it's out there) http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/MusicAwards/History/2001Top30Songs.aspx

Have a great day, or I hope you had one maybe you are watching Fireworks now, to all our Aussie friends!

Happy Australia Day to all those Down Under, whose great country gave us (among other wonderful things) koala bears, kangaroos, boomerangs, and Tim Tams!

Originally posted by RIgirl ... and Tim Tams!

Oh ... especially for those!!!!!

I hope everyone celebrating had a wonderful day!

Happy Australia Day to my friends in Australia!

I am still looking for these mysterious Tim tams I hear so much about.

They're not shit : ) Tim tam ad

Happy Australia Day! Thanks for the poetry and the links to the songs -I'd not heard any of them before and it's so interesting to see what makes up another country's shared patriotic cultural heritage. I've seen Tim Tams in stores in the U.S., but I'm not sure if they were the real thing (imported) or if some U.S. company has bought the rights to make them here and use the "Tim Tam" name.

I believe that Pepperidge Farm has the license to make Tim Tams in the us (RIgirl bought some at one of their outlets - was it Pepperidge Farm??) Anyway - if her reaction was anything to go by, they are the same that we Aussies know. Of course, they won't be exactly the same - but that just means we can tease you even more with them....

Yes, that's right, Maddy. It was Pepperidge Farm. Even said "Australia's favorite cookie" on the package. As for being the same or not, judging by the commercial link that Crescent Moon posted, they look exactly the same...

Hmmm, I will have to see if I can locate any Pepperidge Farm products here in Canada. And then if they do offer the Tim Tams. So far I have begun to suspect they are as mythical as the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot.

Hi all, I'm a little late but Happy Australia Day!!! We went to a BBQ and braved the hot day, set up a wading pool under the shade for the kids splash in and keep cool...and of course I made a Pavlova for desserts! Awe Maddy... i love that poem.

I'm still looking for the Tim Tams too. I think I'm going to have to look at a more upscale store than I normally shop at.

Happy Australia Day to all the wonderful Aussies here-a-bouts. Ooo may have to pay close attention to Pepperidge Farm Isle next time I'm at the store to try Tim Tam's.

Tim Tams - bite of a bit of opposite ends of Tim Tam , place mouth on one end, place other end in hot beverage, (hot chocolate , coffee) suck liquid through Tim Tam... enjoy

Okies -- did my research and here's what I found -- In the U.S., Tim Tams are sold in Target stores. To test this theory, I went to my local Target store, did some looking, and lo and behold! Tim Tams in the cookie aisle! So they are out there and being sold, at least here in this little corner of the northeast U.S.! (And someone who has had both the U.S. and Australian versions said they tasted exactly the same to her.)

Now if only I could find them in my little corner of Canada, I would be very happy.

If not, there is this: http://www.amazon.com/Pepperidge-Farm-CARAMEL-Sandwich-Cookies/dp/B003KHF2Z8 (I think I will be visiting the local Target store soon...) EDITED TO ADD: Don't order them from Amazon! Out of curiousity, I made a "test" order to send one box to an address in Canada, to see if they shipped there. They do, but it's $29.99 for the Tim Tams and $73.34 for shipping and handling! That's insane! Needless to say, I will not be finalizing and placing the order.

Now you know why I do not do shopping on line LB. Expect huge costs just for shipping. And then there are sometimes costs for importing items across the boarder - custom fees. Those custom fees have been big news items just recently and I can see why many people feel the need to drive across the boarder to shop. If I can not find Tim Tams around here then I guess I will have to wait until next summer when the Con is on. Then I can make a visit to a target, just to get some.

*chokes at the costs of postage* That is just incredible! I thought Australia Post was expensive!' As for Canada - I believe SJ once found some in a corner store or something in Toronto. *goes back to planning Aussie takeover of the world - one Tim Tam at a time....*

Guess what I just found in my local grocery story (or one of them that I do not frequent that often). Yes I found Tim Tams. They are Arnotts and say they are manufactured in Australia, and packaged in New Zealand. So Finally I am able to try these famous treats you Ausies talk so much about on this board.

Yay!!! Cloud... just a word of warning... they are addictive....but soooooooooo good! they are worth the addiction! lol

Ahhh, don't worry, Green. I have so many other sweet addictions, I don't think I will have to worry about this one. *crosses fingers * But it will be nice to discover what the fuss is all about. I have been hearing about these things for years now since Ebony joined the site - or was that when I joined the site and Ebony was talking about them? Either way now I finally get to satisfy that curiosity.

I found them at Safeway... just along with the other Pepperidge Farm cookies!

i don't think we get pepperidge Farm cookies here in Canada. At least I did not see them while I was looking, but then once I found the Tim Tams I may have stopped looking as carefully.

* ticks off more "furriners" addicted to Tim Tams*

Nahhh, not addicted. They are good I agree, but I still have biscuits/coookies I enjoy more.

blasphemy!!! try Ice Vo Vo biscuit or laminingtons!!! or fairy bread or Anzac biscuits or Milk Arrowroot or mint Slices or Monte Carlo Biscuits or SAO Biscuits or Quatros ARNOTT's makes lots of other nice biscuits other than Tim Tams (ps Tim Tams come in some many more flavours now than straight chocolate)

Mmmm black forest timtams are my favourite.... I was doing some field work once and had been stuck in the middle of the ocean for 2 weeks. I mentioned to the ops guy back in the office that I was dreaming of timtams. A couple of days later I was so surprised to find they had sent me out about 10 packets. The ops guy had got one of the supply base guys to go into town and buy some and put them in with the rest of the mail! Unfortunately everyone else was also dreaming of timtams so after they had been offered around the crew there was only one packet left for me! I ate half straight away and silly me left them on my desk and went to lunch. When I came back someone had eaten them!

Ah, Palynerd! And, you thought that you'd find even one Tim Tam left after leaving them behind, in such an evident place?! They're so irrisistable! Why don't you ask my DH?!! But, jokes apart, it was so thoughtful of the guys to give you such a surprise!! LW ... thanks God you're right regarding the many Tim Tam varieties! Every time I buy Tim Tams from the supermarket I often alter flavours, sometimes discovering even another new one, which always ends up with a thumbs up!!