to wonder what, culturally speaking, australia has ever given the world?

[workstostaysane]

really.
apart from neighbours, peter carey and patrick white?
anything?

Midnight Oil, of course
I think Australian children's TV is very good, anyone else's dcs completely tickled by the excellent Mortified on CBBC?

'I"ve got a couple of Peter Careys on my bed side table, he always puts me in mind of Ian McEwan for some reason' -
i see now why i have never got on with PC...can't stand Ian McEwan! thanks for that
Patrick White however, is gut wrenchingly, heart meltingly, inhmanely wonderful.

Shane Warne does not count. i need not explain why surely.

still no news on sydney nolan.. i may have to wipe him off the list then

OI!
Russell Crowe is NOT Australian
He is a Kiwi
humpf
My brother is marrying an Australian in Australia in October
We are Kiwis
It's like the orange marrying the green in Ireland in the 1800's
But you know we get a holida out of it, I'm forgiving them cultural insignificance in light of their beautiful beaches

thank you for that piffle.

i do think this should be restricted to aussie cultural contributions only. its no fair to yank in your next door neighbour to big yourself up.
so no jane campion, janet frame or katherine mansfield i'm afraid.

and actors still don't count

I can tell that suzywong and worktostaysane will never be sharing a bottle of Barossa Valley Pinot Noir together ..... don't like Ian McEwan ....ptchaaaaw

barossa valley - is that good then?

my mother has taken dd for the afternoon so i can get some kip and all i've done is fritter the afternoon away on MN!
what is wrong with me!!?

sorry, back to the OP;;
wine counts as cultural contribution...

Worktostaysane, you are obviously not very impressed with the answers you have received so far, so maybe you need to be more specific. What aspects of cultural life do you think Australia should have contributed to but hasn't? Are you looking for a list of poets? Artists? Architects? Dancers? Singers? Authors? Fashion designers?
What?

Are you a journalist?

Message withdrawn

blimey, had for gotten all about Midnight Oil !

Does Alf Stewart ever say 'you great galah ?"...I love that expression

anyone mentioned Steve Irwin!!

I dont know what to make of this thread. I am married to an Aussie and so personally from my time in Aus and my experience of the culture I think that yes YABU.

Aus is a long way away and we are not taught in this country about its artists/architects/writers, so I am not surprised that you havent heard of half the people that are being mentioned.

Rabbit proof fence s a fantastic film - why do you think its an embarassment bookwommum?
Other brill movies include "The Castle", "The Dish" and "Stricly Ballroom", "Muriels wedding" to name but a few.

Those yummy pink bickies are Hundreds and Thousands Biscuits. Mmmmm. Arnotts make so many fabulous biscuits, nothing in the UK compares.

The Wiggles.
Crowded House.
Tim Winton.
Vegemite.
Speedos.
Hills Hoist.
Ultrasounds.
Youse.
Wonderful multicultural cities.
Great food, great chefs.

But, in the end, the most significant and prized things about Australian Culture are the fabulous weather and the outdoors lifestyle, which we wont share with the rest of youse, which, I suspect, is the real reason the OP started this thread .
Ya Flamin' Galah.

'Brett Whitely, Norman Lindsay, Fred Williams, Grace Cossington Smith, Tom Roberts John Glover' - all Australian artists

Tim Winton, Elizabeth Jolley, Ruth Park, Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson... Australian writers

(Banjo Patterson wrote "The Man from Snowy River" and "Waltzing Matilda" - the poems not the movie/song...)

Dame Joan Sutherland?

Glad to see Powderfinger have been mentioned.

Mmmmmmm who are those annoying singling skinny blokes in different coloured jumpers on Cbeebies and one dresses up like a pirate and one is in a dinosaur suit . They're Australian.

Prisoner Cell Block H.

Guy Pearce was born in Norfolk not Australia

INXS

the amby natures nest hammock!

WTSS, where are you?

I agree with some of the others on this thread, if you had substituted other countries, religions, etc, etc, etc, there would have been calls of racism etc.

Great follow-up postings though - we have contributed acutally alot!

sidney nolan www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au/nolan_paintings/_pages/nolan_bio.html

ever heard of google - if you don't know who they are - do a little research instead of coming across as sneering and ignorant.

sorry to be away so long-had to take bike to bike shop and cook dinner. plus, SIL had a baby this morning so am baking muffins to take over.
have really really enjoyed this thread. thank you (mostly) for taking it in the spirit it was intended which was a bit of silliness.

bubbaluv. i;ve never been to oz and i don't think it is under any obligation to have contributed anything at all to world culture. twas just a funny question IMO.
as for your list: ' poets? Artists? Architects? Dancers? Singers? Authors? Fashion designers?'

those are exactly what i was looking for.
so the following count:
dame joan sutherland,
germaine,
clive james,
patrick white,
peter carey,
aboriginal art,
thomas keneally,
red wine,
sydney opera house and other unspecified architectural work -(we're taking your word for it that its great)
sass and bide clothing,
cate blanchet (who is clearly an artist - did you see her play bob dylan??!!)

i;ve learnt quite a lot: grace cossington smith and sydney nolan look totally cool, been reminded how much NZ has thrown up even though there are mainly sheep there, will investigate peter sculthorpe further and been led to understand why i don't get on with peter carey.

those forgotten by you philistines include;
robert helpman (ballet dancer extraordinaire - you may know him as the child catcher in chitty chitty bang bang), leigh bowery (perfomance artist) and andy warhol. i know they were all gay but come on!

FWIW: john glover and tom roberts, elizabeth jolley are english.

sorry to have upset you so, eids.

as you can see, i was off doing my research.

worktostaysane, andy warhol was born in pittsburgh

thought that might be too good to be true.
oh well, he's off the list then