Australians are irreverent

Want to learn more about Australian humor? Bob Hawke, a previous prime minister, started off with this joke. Australia is a place where it's OK to greet your boss with "G'day, mate," where profanity is used as liberally at the dinner table as salt and pepper, where they make fun of their politicians and are equally ready to make fun of themselves. No, Australians aren't especially good at the whole "solemn reverence" thing.

A stranger to an Australian is simply a friend they haven't yet met. Mateship, which is essentially a national characteristic, is the lifeblood of the Australian spirit. Australians take pride in being nice neighbors and friends to individuals they don't merely know. They frequently say "g'day" or "how ya doing?" to everyone they encounter, from the mailman to the cab driver. For Australians, the emphasis on mateship fosters a positive, open-minded mindset that asserts that anyone may be a mate.

Who said friends had to be people? Animals are terrific friends, and Australians' passion for environmentalism and sustainability is fueled in part by their diverse wildlife, which includes neighbors like fairy penguins, koalas, and wallabies.