Little Australia

Little Australia is a name for any of the various communities where Australians congregate upon emigrating to other countries. Examples can be found in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The concept of "Little Australia" holds many different aspects of the Australian culture. Common features include shops selling Australasian goods and restaurants lining the streets. A "Little Australia" strives essentially to have a sample of the culture of Australia transplanted to the midst of a large non-Australian city.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Mulberry Street and Mott Street, Manhattan

Since 2010, the world's largest Little Australia has emerged and is growing in Nolita, Manhattan, New York City.^[4]^[5]^[6] Mulberry Street and Mott Street in Lower Manhattan are commonly referred to by Australian expats as "Little Australia" due to the influence of Australian and New Zealand cafe culture in the neighborhood, which includes establishments such as Ruby's, Two Hands, Bluestone Lane, Bowery Cafe, Cafe Grumpy, Egg Shop, Musket Room and Happy Bones. Little Australia is adjacent to Little Italy and Chinatown in Manhattan.^[7]

In 2011, there were an estimated 20,000 Australian residents of New York City, nearly quadrupling the 5,537 in 2005.^[8]

Earl's Court, London

Earl's Court in London had the nickname "Kangaroo Valley" or "Roo Valley", although many Australasian visitors now go to cheaper districts to the north or west.

When Barry Humphries went (by sea) to London in 1959, he and then wife Rosalind lived in Ladbroke Grove in Kensington. He made an impromptu visit to "an Earl's Court pub, in the middle of Kangaroo Valley, as it was sometimes called. He fell physically ill and frightened by what he saw. The packs of loutish Australian youths swilling beer and swearing revived painful memories of the bullies at Melbourne Grammar."^[9] This theme re-emerged more affectionately from 1964 in Humphries' Barry McKenzie series; the character lived in an Earl's Court flat.

In 1962, Clive James went (also by sea; only one friend could afford to fly) to London with a week's accommodation booked in Earl's Court, which "in those days was still nicknamed 'Kangaroo Valley'". He said that there was no mistaking the Earl's Court Australians, with "jug ears, short haircuts ... and open, freckled, eyeless faces" despite their "navy-blue English duffle-coats; though they had not yet taken to carrying twelve-packs of Foster's Lager, and the broad-brimmed Akubra hat with corks dangling from the brim was never to be more than a myth". After he moved, he "vowed never to enter Earl's Court again".^[10]

Whistler, British Columbia

The town of Whistler, British Columbia holds a congregation of Australians and has been described as a ‘Little Australia’ due to the strong Australian culture present. Australian Alpine skier Jono Brauer coined the term "Whistralia" to refer to the ski village in a 2010 interview, and this has since become a nickname.^[11] In 2010, it was estimated that Australians made up 34% of the workforce for Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort.^[11] Australian snacks such as meat pies, Tim Tams, and Vegemite are sold at supermarkets in Whistler, and Australia Day is celebrated, with multiple pubs throwing organised party events.^[11]

References

^ Dena Silver (2015-10-02). "New York's So-Called 'Little Australia' Gets a New Clothing Shop". Observer. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
^ "Whistler, Canada | Australian ski workers | Welcome to Little Australia". Traveller.com.au. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
^ "Nocookies". The Australian. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
^ Shaun Busuttil (November 3, 2016). "G-day! Welcome to Little Australia in New York City". KarryOn. Retrieved May 24, 2019. In Little Australia, Australian-owned cafes are popping up all over the place (such as Two Hands), joining other Australian-owned businesses (such as nightclubs and art galleries) as part of a growing green and gold contingent in NYC. Indeed, walking in this neighbourhood, the odds of your hearing a fellow Aussie ordering a coffee or just kicking back and chatting are high – very high – so much so that if you're keen to meet other Aussies whilst taking your own bite out of the Big Apple, then this is the place to throw that Australian accent around like it's going out of fashion!
^ "Why Are There So Many Australians in New York?". newyork.cbslocal.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
^ Reynolds, Emma (July 30, 2018). "Australia's secret weapon is quietly changing New York". news.com.au. Retrieved June 4, 2019. THERE'S a quiet revolution taking place across the Big Apple, and it all stems from Down Under.
^ "Australian expat community living in New York City". News.com.au. February 22, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^ [1] Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed June 1, 2019.
^ Pender, Anne (2010). One Man Show: The Stages of Barry Humphries. Sydney: ABC Books. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-7333-2591-5.
^ James, Clive (1985). Falling Towards England: Unreliable Memoirs II. London: Jonathan Cape. pp. 17, 18, 23, 30. ISBN 0-224-02822-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Welcome to Little Australia". Traveller. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2020-11-02.