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Odds 'n Ends

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Mum or Mom ?

Kylie had a go at us for using the word "mom" instead of "mum" in a joke from our page of Aussie Jokes for Kids. It's tough sometimes to keep the Americanisms from creeping into our website. I've fixed the joke and searched the rest of our site to find any more mom's that might be lurking around.

I hope I've caught them all, but if you spot a mom where mum should be, let me know. 

Flush Backwards?

Funny how we get certain questions over and over. To Leah and Jacob, no our toilets do NOT flush backwards. To Peter and Anthony, the water in our sinks and bathtubs empty in the SAME direction as everyone else.

There are a couple of reasons Australian toilets do not flush backwards. First, the Australian toilet flushes straight down. This question is generally asked by Americans. The toilet bowl in America holds a lot of water while the Aussie version hardly has any water in comparison. So when you flush an American toilet, what's there goes round and round before it disappears. An Aussie toilet simply flushes straight down.

We have an article on our website all about Aussie toilets, with a bit of humour thrown in.

Direction water travels

Second, it's a common mistake that the direction water travels when a toilet, sink or bathtub empties is different in the Northern hemisphere where the USA is from the Southern hemisphere where Australia is. This is often attributed to the Coriolis force and even some teachers incorrectly tell their students this.

The Coriolis force only acts on large bodies such as the earth. Things such as toilets, bathtubs, and sinks are too small to be affected. What causes the water to spin clockwise or anti-clockwise is simply how the container is made and how the water empties from it. More Information

Direction dogs circle

In case you were wondering about the direction Aussie dogs turn round and round before laying down, it's the same as in the rest of the world ...  whatever the dog wants to do. And yes, we have had this question too. We love your questions and doing the research is always interesting.

Oprah & Friends Come to Australia

Oprah Winfrey celebrated the 25th and final season of her hit TV show by taking 300 lucky fans on Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure in December 2010. With that in mind, we thought you might enjoy reading some typical questions we get from Americans.

Is English spoken everywhere in Australia? Yes, but there are definite differences you should know about. Start with the word "root" in our Slang section and you'll understand.

Why does it take 2 days to fly to Sydney from LA? The distance from LA to Sydney is 12,049 km (7,487 miles) and flight time is about 15 hours. Leaving LA on Qantas at 10:30pm on a Monday, means you'll arrive in Sydney around 7:30am on Wednesday.

A 15 hour flight turns into 2 days because Sydney is 18 hours ahead of LA. During the flight you cross the international date line.

No worries mate. When you return, you'll arrive before you've left. Read our Help for Americans page for more info. And yes, we also have Daylight Savings here too that will change the arrival time as well.

Do I need a visa to travel from Melbourne to New Zealand and Tasmania? Yes and no. You do not need a separate visa to travel to Tasmania because it's an Australian state. New Zealand, however is a completely different country. So yes, you need a visa for New Zealand.

Will I see kangaroos when I'm in Brisbane? Do you see deer running around in New York City? Seriously, you can see a lot of our wildlife like kangaroos when you drive around Australia. However, you won't see them in the city or in heavily populated areas. But check our golf courses. Kangaroos seem to enjoy eating and relaxing while watching the golfers.

And finally ... while there are huge differences between the US and Australia, we do have many things in common. Yes, we have lots of ATMs, taxis, modern hospitals, modern supermarkets, shopping from the basics to the gloriously expensive.

You'll find in Australia your US chains: Kmart, Target, The Gap, Subway, KFC (since 1968), McDonalds, Sizzler, Burger King (Hungry Jack's since 1971), Domino's Pizza (since 1983), Pizza Hut (since 1970). Wendy's and Arby's are said to be coming here too. We also have our own fast-food chains: Red Rooster and Eagle Boys Pizza. However, to really experience our food try a local take-away shop.