If you’ve never heard of Home and Away, it is a soap opera / drama that is broadcast in Australia and the UK 5 days a week. Home and Away began in 1988 and has continued on Channel 7 in Australia thanks to general interest in this country, and huge amounts of interest from the UK in the form of conventions, fan clubs and the like.
My favourite character has always been Alf. He is like the poster child or cornerstone of Home and Away, and without him around to add some colour to the series I doubt many adults would be watching.
If you are in Australia and struggling to understand anyone, before you hire an Australian English Conversation Tutor (see English Tutor Sydney ) I recommend you begin watching Home and Away and start learning the accent and the expressions we speak. You’ll find them all in this TV show. Ray Meagher, who plays Alf, gets to go through the entire Australian repertoire throughout the year.
Here’s an example from episode 4000:
Alf: Mate, I’m over the moon. I know I said I didn’t want a big shindig, or anything like that, but, in the fair dinkum department when people are giving me a wide birth all day, I was really starting to have second thoughts, I can tell ya.
So, if you are heading to Australia, you really need to be able to speak Australian to be able to understand anyone. We don’t speak British English or American English! Use Home and Away to learn the lingo, or at least get an inkling as to what it’s like.
And now my favourite scene from episode 5124. (The car burning is from 5120)