Under The Skin
Read
'The Fatal Shore' by Rob Hughes - a fascinating insight into the harsh and brutal history of white Australia. With many first hand accounts, including several from the First Fleet, the earliest days of convict life in Australia are brought vividly to life.
Listen
A lot of some of Australia's better traditional aboriginal music is difficult to purchase anywhere but from the performers themselves, but you should be able to find music from Yothu Yindi, which is arguably Australia's most successful Aboriginal band and combines traditional Aboriginal music with modern Western instrumentation.
Watch
'The Dish'. Based on a true story, The Dish is a comical recount of the four-day Apollo XI mission in July 1969 and the extraordinary role that Australia played in televising the historical lunar landing to the world. Located on a remote sheep farm in the rural town of Parkes, inland New South Wales, this movie will give you an interesting insight into Australian rural life, with a healthy does of 'aussie vernacular' to prepare you for your trip.
Eat
It's hard to go by freshly caught seafood by the beach, but for the more adventurous try your hand at a unique take on native australian cuisine, such as kangaroo or wallaby fillets with an pan-asian twist.
Drink
Forget the familiar export brands and get stuck into some proper Australian lagers and wines. For beer go straight for the fine Tasmanian lagers of 'Cascade' and 'James Boag', or the flavousome brews by 'James Squire, 'Little Creatures' and 'Coopers' breweries; for wine, each state has its highlights - from shiraz in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, to cold climate pinot noirs in Tasmania.
Word
Like anywhere, a few helpful tidbits of the local language can help you whilst travelling in Australia from common words of approval, ripper (great), fair dinkum (great, with disbelief); words to help you in the outback bush (forest), billabong (watering hole), swag (single person canvas tent, for camping under the stars); to the country's marvellous cuisine, damper (campfire cooked bread) and snags (sausages).
Trademarks
Variety, dramatic scenery, breathtaking beaches, aboriginal culture, unique wildlife, beautiful vast arid nothingness, pulsing cosmopolitan cities.
Opal jewellery, Aboriginal arts and craft and local produce from city markets.