Australian humour can be confusing.
Especially if you’re not Australian.
Someone makes a terrible mistake.
Everyone laughs.
Your best mate insults you.
That’s apparently affection.
Something goes spectacularly wrong and somebody says:
“Well, that’s not ideal.”
Nobody seems particularly concerned.
Then a stranger says something completely ridiculous with such a straight face that you’re left wondering whether they were joking at all.
Welcome to the Australian sense of humour.
Dry.
Sarcastic.
Self-deprecating.
Occasionally inappropriate.
And often delivered without the slightest indication that anything funny has just been said.
Australians Love Taking the Mickey
One of the foundations of Australian humour is taking the mickey.
In other words, teasing someone.
Friends do it to friends.
Workmates do it to workmates.
Families do it constantly.
And the better you know someone, the more material you have to work with.
Taking the mickey usually isn’t intended to be cruel.
Done properly, it’s affectionate.
You notice something ridiculous about somebody.
They know it’s ridiculous.
You know they know.
So naturally, you’re going to mention it.
Probably repeatedly.
For years.
If Australians Stop Teasing You, Start Worrying
Friendship can look slightly strange from the outside.
Two good Australian mates may spend an impressive amount of time insulting each other.
Your haircut.
Your football team.
Your driving.
That thing you did ten years ago that everyone agreed never to mention again.
It will absolutely be mentioned again.
At every available opportunity.
The important part is understanding the relationship behind it.
Among friends, teasing can be a sign that you’re comfortable with each other.
Nobody needs to be overly formal.
Nobody needs to impress anybody.
You can have a laugh at each other’s expense and know it doesn’t change the friendship.
Australians Are Quite Happy to Laugh at Themselves
The safest target for Australian humour is often yourself.
Make a mistake?
Get in first.
If you’ve done something stupid and you know everyone else noticed, there’s little point pretending otherwise.
Laugh.
Tell the story.
Make yourself sound even worse.
Australian humour tends to have little patience for people who take themselves too seriously.
Being able to laugh at yourself shows that you know you’re no more important than everybody else.
And if you don’t make the joke first?
Don’t worry.
Your mates probably will.
We Have a Problem With People Getting Too Important
Australian culture has long had a reputation for cutting overly important people back down to size.
This is often associated with the idea of tall poppy syndrome.
That term can describe something less admirable when successful people are criticised simply for succeeding.
But there’s another side to the Australian dislike of pretension.
You can be successful.
You can be clever.
You can achieve extraordinary things.
Just don’t start behaving as though everybody else should bow when you enter the room.
Australians tend to appreciate people who can achieve something impressive and still behave like an ordinary person.
And preferably laugh when somebody gives them a hard time about it.
Understatement Is an Australian Specialty
Australians can make serious situations sound remarkably minor.
A vehicle breaks down 200 kilometres from anywhere.
“Bit inconvenient.”
The temperature reaches 45 degrees.
“Warm today.”
Rain floods half the district.
“Had a bit of weather.”
Someone attempts a repair and makes the problem considerably worse.
“That went well.”
Understatement works because everybody understands the reality is much bigger than the words being used.
The gap between the two is where the humour lives.
“Not Bad” Can Actually Mean Very Good
Australian understatement also makes compliments difficult.
Ask someone how the meal was.
“Not bad.”
That might mean it was excellent.
Ask how the holiday went.
“Yeah, wasn’t too bad.”
They may have had the best three weeks of their life.
Ask whether someone is good at their job.
“Yeah, he goes alright.”
The person may be an absolute expert.
We could just say something was wonderful.
Apparently that would be showing off.
Sarcasm Is Almost a Second Language
Australians don’t always announce sarcasm.
There may be no change in facial expression.
No exaggerated voice.
Nothing to help you.
Someone looks outside at torrential rain and says:
“Beautiful day.”
A machine stops working.
“That’s handy.”
Someone drops an entire tray of food.
“Good job.”
The humour relies on saying the exact opposite of what everyone can plainly see.
If you’re waiting for somebody to explain the joke, you’ll be waiting a while.
The Straight Face Is Important
Some of the best Australian humour is delivered completely seriously.
This is where visitors can get into trouble.
An Australian tells you something ridiculous.
You look for a smile.
Nothing.
You ask whether they’re serious.
“Yeah, mate.”
Still nothing.
Now you’re unsure.
This can continue much longer than necessary.
In fact, your uncertainty may have become the funniest part.
Eventually someone breaks.
Or perhaps they don’t.
You may spend the rest of your holiday wondering whether drop bears really exist.
Australians Have Been Frightening Tourists With Drop Bears for Years
The drop bear may be one of Australia’s finest contributions to tourist misinformation.
According to the story, these dangerous koala-like creatures hide in trees before dropping onto unsuspecting people below.
Australians have developed wonderfully detailed advice about avoiding them.
Different regions have different versions.
Various ridiculous precautions may be suggested.
The important thing is maintaining a completely serious expression while explaining it.
The joke works partly because Australia already has enough unusual wildlife that another dangerous creature doesn’t sound entirely impossible.
We’re working with excellent material.
Nicknames Don’t Have to Make Sense
Australian humour also appears in nicknames.
Sometimes they’re obvious.
Sometimes they’re based on surnames.
Sometimes they’re deliberately the opposite of reality.
A very tall bloke might be called Shorty.
Someone with red hair might traditionally end up with a nickname that makes no logical sense to anyone outside Australia.
Someone with a complicated surname may have it shortened beyond recognition.
And occasionally a nickname develops from an incident so old that nobody remembers what actually happened.
The person simply accepts that this is now their name.
Possibly forever.
Australians Shorten Everything
This isn’t strictly humour.
But we certainly have fun with it.
Afternoon becomes arvo.
Service station becomes servo.
Bottle shop becomes bottle-o.
Tradesperson becomes tradie.
Mosquito becomes mozzie.
Sunglasses become sunnies.
Football becomes footy.
Breakfast becomes brekkie.
We aren’t always shortening words efficiently either.
Sometimes the Australian version contains almost as many syllables as the original.
That doesn’t matter.
It sounds better.
Apparently.
Laughing When Things Go Wrong
One of the strongest parts of Australian humour appears during difficult moments.
Not because the situation isn’t serious.
Sometimes it is.
But humour can make it easier to deal with.
The tyre is flat.
The tent leaks.
The road is closed.
The power goes out.
The barbecue won’t light.
You’ve driven 40 kilometres in the wrong direction.
There comes a point where getting angry won’t fix anything.
So somebody makes a joke.
Everyone laughs.
Then you work out what to do.
Humour becomes a way of saying:
This is a mess, but we’ll manage.
Bush Humour Developed Its Own Style
Country Australia has a particularly strong tradition of dry humour.
Perhaps long distances and difficult conditions encouraged it.
Farmers dealing with drought, floods, broken machinery and unpredictable weather don’t always have much control over what happens next.
But they can control how they respond to it.
Australian bush stories have long featured characters who meet disaster with understatement.
The situation may be completely hopeless.
The character remains unimpressed.
That contrast has been part of Australian storytelling for generations.
Our Writers Helped Capture It
Australian humour didn’t suddenly appear with television.
Writers such as Henry Lawson, Banjo Paterson and C.J. Dennis captured aspects of Australian speech, characters and humour long before radio or television entered Australian homes.
Bush yarns often relied on exaggeration.
Impossible characters.
Unfortunate situations.
Clever language.
And stories that became slightly less believable every time they were told.
Australian humour developed alongside Australian storytelling.
And some of the best stories were probably never completely true in the first place.
The Pub Has Always Been a Good Place for a Yarn
Australian pubs helped keep that tradition going.
Someone tells a story.
Another person improves it.
Someone else claims they were there and that’s not what happened at all.
By the time the story reaches the other end of the bar, the fish is twice as large, the flood is three metres higher and the person involved has somehow become a local legend.
That’s the beauty of a good yarn.
Accuracy is appreciated.
But apparently not always essential.
Australian Comedy Eventually Found Radio and Television
As Australian media developed, our humour came with it.
Radio comedians and performers developed distinctly Australian characters and voices.
Television later brought generations of Australian comedy into homes around the country.
From satirical sketches and suburban characters to political comedy, working-class humour and send-ups of Australian life, comedians repeatedly found material in ourselves.
That’s another important feature of Australian humour.
Nobody is completely safe.
Including Australia.
Especially Australia.
We Like Sending Ourselves Up
Australians can be fiercely proud of the country.
We can also be merciless about it.
Our accents.
Our politicians.
Our suburbs.
Our obsession with sport.
Our wildlife.
Our weather.
Our language.
Our habits.
We happily exaggerate Australian stereotypes because we recognise something of ourselves in them.
The joke isn’t always aimed at somebody else.
Often we’re the punchline.
And we’re fine with that.
Sport Produces Its Own Humour
Australian sport provides endless opportunities.
Players sledge each other.
Supporters torment opposing teams.
Friends remind each other about losses that happened years ago.
Possibly decades ago.
A person may be perfectly reasonable in every other area of life.
Then somebody mentions their football team.
Suddenly all maturity disappears.
Sporting humour works because rivalry is part of the fun.
Although there are limits.
Some losses should never be mentioned.
You know who you are.
The Aussie Sledge Can Be an Art Form
A sledge is a verbal remark intended to distract, annoy or unsettle an opponent.
Cricket became particularly famous for it.
The best sledges aren’t simply abuse.
They’re quick.
Clever.
Unexpected.
The humour comes from finding exactly the right thing to say at exactly the right moment.
Of course, there’s a difference between witty banter and simply being nasty.
Good Australian humour usually understands that difference.
Or at least it should.
Humour Changes Depending on Who You’re With
This is important.
Australian humour isn’t a licence to insult everybody.
The teasing that works between lifelong mates may be completely inappropriate between strangers.
Context matters.
Relationship matters.
Tone matters.
Knowing when someone is joking — and when to stop — is part of the skill.
The best Australian humour creates connection.
It doesn’t need somebody else to feel miserable for the joke to work.
Our Humour Can Be Difficult to Translate
Visitors sometimes struggle with Australian humour because the words alone don’t explain it.
Tone does.
Context does.
Relationship does.
An Australian might say something that appears rude on paper but is clearly affectionate in person.
Or say something perfectly polite that is obviously sarcastic to everyone in the room.
Learning Australian English is one thing.
Learning when Australians mean the exact opposite of what they just said may take slightly longer.
“Yeah, Nah” Doesn’t Help
Then we add expressions such as:
Yeah, nah.
Nah, yeah.
Perfectly understandable to Australians.
Potentially baffling to everybody else.
“Yeah, nah” usually lands on no.
“Nah, yeah” generally lands on yes.
Probably.
Unless tone changes it.
Welcome to Australia.
Good luck.
Humour Helps Break Down Barriers
One reason humour matters so much in Australian culture is that it can make people equal very quickly.
A joke cuts through formality.
Someone makes fun of themselves.
Everyone relaxes.
A stranger becomes easier to talk to.
A boss who can laugh with the team seems more approachable.
Someone famous who doesn’t mind being teased feels more ordinary.
Humour says:
You don’t need to put on a performance here.
Just be yourself.
But Australian Humour Is Changing Too
Like every part of culture, humour changes.
Things that were considered funny decades ago may not be acceptable now.
Australia itself has changed.
We’re more culturally diverse.
Our workplaces have changed.
Social expectations have changed.
Comedy has changed with them.
But the basic ingredients remain remarkably familiar.
Dry delivery.
Understatement.
Self-deprecation.
Sarcasm.
Teasing.
Wordplay.
And finding something to laugh about when things don’t quite go according to plan.
Why Australians Use Humour So Much
Perhaps humour became important because Australia could be a difficult place.
Isolation.
Distance.
Heat.
Drought.
Fire.
Flood.
Hard physical work.
Life didn’t always cooperate.
Being able to laugh didn’t solve those problems.
But it made them easier to carry.
That attitude still appears today.
When everything goes wrong, Australians often don’t need someone to pretend it hasn’t.
Sometimes we just need somebody to look at the disaster and say:
“Well… that could’ve gone better.”
Then we get on with it.
The Australian Sense of Humour – Don’t Take Us Too Seriously
Australian humour isn’t one particular type of joke.
It’s an attitude.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Don’t get too impressed with your own importance.
If something goes wrong, see if there’s something funny in it.
If your mate makes a mistake, remember it forever.
If you make the mistake, get in first and laugh at yourself.
And if a visitor asks whether Australia really has vicious koalas that drop from trees…
Well.
That’s entirely up to you.
Just remember the most important rule.
Whatever you tell them…
keep a straight face.
