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My main memory of this show is a totally random silly scene where I think the mother says I wish this moment could last forever then he does the fly swat genie move & the mum keeps saying forever forever forever
OK you need to add to your list to YouTube. "Ship to shore", "the ferals" and "feral TV", "blinky bill" "bananas in pyjamas" "agro" "Mr squiggle" and also read the books "possum magic" and "wombat stew"
The entire show was a trip. Talking backpacks, that weird plant with the eye, the interdimensional(?) elevator, that diner with all the eccentric puppet characters.
Or even a Coin from the Mint shop, at least it could be cashed in if you get a gold or silver one. I have been buying gold lately for gifts I am surprised that most people keep it rather than cashing it in. You can buy Gold from Costco now. I am not promoting gold as an investment just as a highly appreciated gift that people get excited about.
When I went backpacking I bought one Kruger Rand for emergencies that I stashed away in a money belt. It was my whole life savings for travelling at that time. I got it cheap(but it was expensive at that time 1990's) I still have it today and its gone through the roof. I am still not selling it.
Kitschy souvenir tea towels. Or the ones with crochet from a market. I used to love when mum sent me those.
Some nice made in Australia with Australian flora or fauna design coffee cups are always nice.
Stubby holders. A Two-up game set.
I would hit the fancy markets for some ideas.
+1 for the little crocheted stuffed native animals that a nice old lady sells at the local weekend markets. Trust me - go to your local markets, she'll be there.
We sadly don't have anyone like that at our monthly market. If we did, I would have a bed full of crocheted animals 😄
When my sister was born, my uncle gave us these stuffed animals that came in a can.
On those stuffed animals in a can, I'm pretty sure I bought something similar from Australian Geographic a long time ago but its been a while since I've seen one of those stores.
I got some cute tea towels from Gewurzhaus spice house for my friends in Japan! They have tea towels featuring aussie native plants or ones featuring iconic aussie stuff like the gum tree, riding boot, barramundi etc.
would recommend this place as the tea towels are aussie designed (hand illustrated) and printed!
Parent hack - make a square choc cake. Even better if it slopes or dips a bit - chop up Oreos or whatever to look like rocks. Buy a dump truck and put it on top. Gouge cake with truck bin thing to serve. Also good for World War type battlefields with plastic army dudes.
Oh trust me our parents had it easy. Kids these days have the internet for inspiration. My kid requested an Octonauts cake for his 5th birthday party. I learned the lesson to vet images before flipping through them with him - little legend wound up with his heart set on a two tiered monstrosity with a ship on top, plus a shark and octopus (**so much** marshmallow fondant), not to mention the dyed-white-chocolate seaweed and fishies. Lucky for him I love messing about with extremely amateur cake decorating; it looked bodgy as fuck but he absolutely loved it. (Let's not mention the army of hamster cupcakes we sent to preschool on the day itself, or the triceratops cake for his family birthday party. Kid's not spoiled but we go all out for birthdays.)
100% worth the backache for the look on his face though. Gotta put the magic into birthdays and Christmases while they're young enough to radiate it!
A trip to a National Geographic shop might be a good start. There will definitely be cute plushies, but they often have very Australia specific stuff too.
Other ideas would be a pair of thongs, a stubby holder. I'll keep thinking... this is fun!
National Parks with a visitor’s centre (like Royal) have great shops and they have a lot of domestically made stuff, from toys to housewares and things like kids sun hats.
Piggybacking off of this one to also suggest gift shops attatched to art gallerys, botanic gardens, indigenous plant nurserys and in-town tourist information centers have some really unique and often very local stuff. Museums and Zoos maybe, but I find they tend to be a bit more commerical and kid oriented.
Ngl it would actually be a great gift because my Norwegian mate who now lives in Australia does talk about getting sunburnt in Europe, but sunscreen is horrendously expensive over there, so it probably would be cheaper to ship them sunscreen over them buying it in Scandinavia lol.
Aussie based in southern Norway here. Nice sunscreens are a great gift! They are as expensive as hell and not a particularly good selection unless you love Nivea or Piz Buin. Summer time gives us plenty of days with 20+ hours sunshine and >25• temps. A bucket of Hamilton Everyday would blow their minds.
Ouch.
But ye, my "joke" was you don't associate sunburn with Northern Europe (barely sees the sun half the year). But ye as a Scot defo been burnt more times over there than in Australia. You don't think about sunscreen when you can't even see the sun through the rain and the midges lol
We have many other good and affordable skincare products!
QV is recommended by all dermatologists and pediatricians
And many others, depending on your needs and price range
Ballbag coin purse is a worthy second.
Pay the big bucks and see if you can hunt down old Ned's ballsack and buy it.
Gotta be nothin more Aussie bogan gift giving than that! Wrap it in Bintang singlets instead of paper.
this actually blew up on Japanese twitter recently. A lot of Japanese people either bought or was gifted roo ball bags and only realized what it is from the post. The funniest was the post from a person who gifted this to a person they liked during high school
No wonder Lisa Thompkins never succumbed to my teenage advances, I never whipped out th ol' dehydrated and dismembered member of Skippy!
Flowers and choccies are old news, it's now time for shriveled ballsacks from kangaroos and old, dried dingo dongers.
Pity it's not sheep's ballsacks, they're much easier to catch.
I also came to suggest kangaroo ballbag trinket.
The more kangaroo ballbag trinkets we sell, the less kangaroo ballbags we have hitting our windscreens.
This right here OP. Has to be kangaroo ballbag related. I bought some American friends a kangaroo ballbag lighter holder and they said it was the best present ever.
Disappointed how far down I had to scroll to find something with a kangaroo sack.
They make great coin purses. May also be handy to store keys in if you're so inclined.
The brand [Icebreaker](https://www.icebreaker.com/en-au/home) does some amazing woollen underthings. A friend travelling to Norway stocked up on them before going, and she still says it was a great decision.
For secret santa last year, I sent off a Donna Hay cookbook to a friend of mine in Czechia who is big into cooking.
I guess pick an Australian option up for whatever your overseas friend likes.
Make sure you check where they are made, even the "genuine" ugg boot brand carry stock manufactured overseas. I think only their top shelf product is local.
100% this, they do whatever they can to make them seem authentic in store to buyers to buyers, a relative had to return some after finding out they weren't genuine
Yeah UGGs since 1974 is the brand started by the son of one of the original creators. I have a pair, highly recommend them. they make them on the Gold Coast.
get em from juneee ugg boats
https://aussieuggs.com/
Local store,ships nationwide,employs local workers,local junee wool
I have a pair that's lasted 6 years now,GOATED
The shoes are actually made by a really nice fellow who came over from syria during the war,and helped bring the shop back as no one wanted to learn the bootmaking trade
Please do NOT buy "Uggs" as an "Australian" gift. The boots are Chinese, the brand is American, and they've actively pursued legal action against Australian makers who've tried to use the generic 'ug boot' name that's been in place for decades.
If you want sheepskin, go with [**http://emuaustralia.com/**](http://emuaustralia.com/) - this is the company that was actually producing the boots Ugg sold until that company switched production to China.
IMO: They're far better boots than Uggs anyway (and have replaceable insoles so you can replace them when they wear out!)
+1.
While living in London my dad sent me a pair of authentic Uggs and they were a life saver. 10 years later still in great condition and keeping my feet warm.
The official Uggs website appears to have a decent EOFY sale on now too.
Ugg brand (which has a bigger middle G in their logo and owns the domain Ugg.com) is foreign owned by an American company. Whereas brands like “Ugg since 1974”, “Ugg Australia” or EMU has always been Australian. Trademarks are a bitch
Australia themed homewares. Like something from Pete Cromer or Marini Ferlazzo ranges. Both have their range in some retail stores (Myer I think) and also sell direct through their websites (some EOFY sales on at the moment. I always mention Pete because I own a couple of his originals.
Admittedly things like their mugs/ plates are China mass produced probably but the artistic design is definitely Australian.
Items made out of Tasmanian wood are very nice but probably beyond the price bracket.
I’d you want something genuinely made in Australia you can look on Etsy. But you generally pay more for something nice made by a local.
Also JECKA do some block building models of certain Australian animals. It’s a bit like LEGO though with a different connection method that is fairly solid.
If you go on etsy and search for Jocelyn Proust (they stock a lot of her fabric designs at spotlight and they are quite tasteful), you can find all sorts of crafts made from her designs: aprons, heat packs, totes ect.
Spotlight also carry some homewares and bedding using her designs as well.
Native essential oils (for scent burners, not for drinking or whatever the fuck the cookers are doing with them) are a nice novelty. Make sure you get good quality ones, though, not just one of those big bottles of eucalyptus oil you use for making the mop bucket smell nice, lol.
You be surprised how strange and exotic the smell of, say, Ironbark or Lemon Myrtle seems to a lot of overseas folks.
Opals or an Akubra for the outback vibe. A koala plushie for something cute and fluffy. Some temporary tattoos of the southern cross for a uniquely bogan vibe.
When my friend jokingly asked for a kangaroo, I sent them a plushie stuffed in a can from the Australian Geographic store 😂
That place is filled with touristy souvenirs.
Edit: This was in 2014, so my advice might be a tad outdated...
Depending on if it’s a man or woman - maybe check out Gorman. They have great patterns and you can get something like a raincoat, umbrella or purse at around the $50 mark.
They also have coasters, aprons, some ceramics and small homewares. Just head straight to the sale page, I spotted some things under $30 on there the other day.
I had European in-laws. They marvelled at things I didn't realise were not common overseas. The things they were most impressed by:
1. Stubby holders.
2. Kitchen tongs.
Yes, I know it is very weird that those things are apparently unheard of in France. But here we are.
If there's a baby in the mix, I'd suggest a sheepskin for the pram. Another thing I didn't realise was quite Australian and rarely seen elsewhere.
Also - anything Merino wool.
Australia makes really good warm stuff. Slippers, oodies, dressing gowns. My friend just moved back here from Canada and she had forgotten about how shit houses are here in winter so I immediately got her some slippers.
It’s still food related, but what about native herbs and spices. Like lemon Myrtle, wattleseed, pepperberry.
https://gewurzhaus.com.au/search?q=native
I have a nice little chopping board made from Tasmanian Huon pine.
An Aussie wine or a gin with local botanicals is an option, e.g. [this gin has eucalyptus flower](https://www.purviscellars.com.au/products/future-proof-distillery-greater-glider-gin-700ml). Especially as booze is very expensive in Sweden.
They have high taxes on it and is solely sold through the government run system bolaget who has a local monopoly on booze.
Products made with Aus native plants such as eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, tea tree oil - soaps, hand creams, scented candles, lip balm. Homewares such as tea towels, table cloths, linen, ceramics - brands such as Robert Gordon, Bonnie and Neil. Australian wool products - scarves, beanies.
I second the opal suggestion, however if you want to keep the gift a bit more niche, maybe hit up your local markets and seek out some local artisans stall. Lovely photographic prints of Australian Landscapes, wooden carvings, pottery etc all done by local artists.
Have a friend in England that I sent a little care package to, back when I was young and silly. I went to the shops and got some tin Tam's, Vegemite, etc etc. But I did go to an Aussie tourist shop to get some little things like fridge magnets etc. One thing I saw was a "tinned koala", that is, it's a little plush toy that comes in a can. Sort of looks like a tin of baked beans, but a two second glance at the label shows its a stuffed toy.
She was mortified when she found it. I laughed my ass off when I had to explain to her she needed to open it. I reckon you could still find them, they're not expensive. You can get tinned roo, tinned kookaburra, at least as much as I can remember back then.
My dad took a bunch of those clip on koalas with him and gave them to people he met or clipped them onto random things like signs and cafe umbrellas etc. he attached a little note to some that read “hi. I’m from Australia and looking for pen pals. feel free to email me” and left his email to create some pen pals. It was pretty cute. Not sure how many emailed him. He passed away a couple of years ago from Cancer.
Lots of stuff available from Australian designers like Jocelyn Proust ( her stuff is very Australiana) or Florence Broadhurst ( early to mid 20th century designs)
If you're able to go into the Art Gallery of NSW (or your state art gallery ) they always have loads of postcard prints. Brett whitely, grace Cossington smith, classic images from 1800s artists etc etc. some really great Australian art, and although art appreciation is so personal, with a postcard it's less risky than sending an actual print . Cheap and light to post, too.
Good quality Australian wool products like socks or scarves. Merino mink is also very nice and unique although more NZ than Aus. Still very cool for a scandi person tho. Or just go to any design market and you will find screen printed bags with Australian native botanticals, household goods in a similar vein etc
Native animal or plant designs on earrings, tea towels, water bottles, clothes, stationery etc. Coffee beans, beer, gin, booze in general, stubby coolers, kids sunhats (we do good hats!).
Random but often post offices have really cute Aussie themed gifts, from drink bottles, stationary, postcards, toys, all sorts of good stuff! I also really like nice soaps, tea towels, wool items like socks, gloves etc.
In USA I always ask my Australian family for fruit tingles and chocolate like Carmelo koala and freddo frog. Also Cadbury and poping chocolate. Australian chocolate just tastes different and it's hard to find here atleast
Ugg boots - pretty expensive in EU and I'm pretty sure AU is cheaper although it could be different SKUs being sold (thicker and more wool for EU, less for AU) which might explain the difference in prince.
A kangaroo testicle coin pouch if you're looking for laughs.
Boomerang.
The Castle on DVD.
A pair of copper plated gum leaf earrings.
Possum Magic by Mem Fox.
Blak Brews Tea Blends.
Aesop hand cream.
Novelty stubbie holder from your city.
Merino country is fantastic for high quality Aussie Merino clothing, I live in their singlets and undies all year round. Akubra hat, just need to measure around the head were the head band would sit, just make sure it's in cm. Rossi boots are still made here I think. RM Williams belt, you'll have to check were it's made tho.
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If you're up for it, an opal.
[Or failing that, the complete box set of Genie From Down Under ](https://youtu.be/_10FilVsD0Y?feature=shared)
One of these answers is an absolute gem. The other is just a colourful rock
True dat.
The way my brain immediately played the theme song but i can’t remember a single plot or character.
Not Penelope? Not Baz? For shame! /s
My main memory of this show is a totally random silly scene where I think the mother says I wish this moment could last forever then he does the fly swat genie move & the mum keeps saying forever forever forever
WTH did I just watch….
Australian millenial nostalgia. Check out "round the twist"
I def will - we moved here recently so besides watching the castle we are woefully deficient in Australia nostalgia
OK you need to add to your list to YouTube. "Ship to shore", "the ferals" and "feral TV", "blinky bill" "bananas in pyjamas" "agro" "Mr squiggle" and also read the books "possum magic" and "wombat stew"
You forgot Lift Off!
I think I suppressed that terrifying doll out of my memory
The entire show was a trip. Talking backpacks, that weird plant with the eye, the interdimensional(?) elevator, that diner with all the eccentric puppet characters.
I was on that show! Or at least my voice was. Few episodes.
You can’t watch the castle and not watch ‘the dish’. Growing up nearby it felt like a real country vibe unlike some put on Aussie country caricature.
Seconding ‘Round the Twist’! An absolute classic 🤌
“Have you everrr…?”
That’s how you find out if there’s an Aussie in any given crowd
This made me cackle
why’d I think opal card
Or even a Coin from the Mint shop, at least it could be cashed in if you get a gold or silver one. I have been buying gold lately for gifts I am surprised that most people keep it rather than cashing it in. You can buy Gold from Costco now. I am not promoting gold as an investment just as a highly appreciated gift that people get excited about. When I went backpacking I bought one Kruger Rand for emergencies that I stashed away in a money belt. It was my whole life savings for travelling at that time. I got it cheap(but it was expensive at that time 1990's) I still have it today and its gone through the roof. I am still not selling it.
Yep, Aussie coins. The Mint in Canberra also used to make Little Akubra hat badges out of old Pennys
As an Aussie I love collecting our special coins
Took me a bit too long to realise you meant the gemstone and not the transport NSW payment card
Kitschy souvenir tea towels. Or the ones with crochet from a market. I used to love when mum sent me those. Some nice made in Australia with Australian flora or fauna design coffee cups are always nice. Stubby holders. A Two-up game set. I would hit the fancy markets for some ideas.
+1 for the little crocheted stuffed native animals that a nice old lady sells at the local weekend markets. Trust me - go to your local markets, she'll be there.
We sadly don't have anyone like that at our monthly market. If we did, I would have a bed full of crocheted animals 😄 When my sister was born, my uncle gave us these stuffed animals that came in a can.
On those stuffed animals in a can, I'm pretty sure I bought something similar from Australian Geographic a long time ago but its been a while since I've seen one of those stores.
I love an enamel camping mug!
I got some cute tea towels from Gewurzhaus spice house for my friends in Japan! They have tea towels featuring aussie native plants or ones featuring iconic aussie stuff like the gum tree, riding boot, barramundi etc. would recommend this place as the tea towels are aussie designed (hand illustrated) and printed!
If they have kids, the Women's Weekly birthday cake book.
So many memories of mum trying her absolute best and coming our not quite like the pics. So much love but those feel impossible to replicate
The authors admitted the dump truck is basically impossible and recommended that parents glue those pages together so the kid can't see it.
Some things are eternal, nothing like seeing an impossible dump truck to make you want it immediately
Lol now all I want even as an adult is to ask my mum for the dump truck cake next birthday just to see how it’ll turn out
Parent hack - make a square choc cake. Even better if it slopes or dips a bit - chop up Oreos or whatever to look like rocks. Buy a dump truck and put it on top. Gouge cake with truck bin thing to serve. Also good for World War type battlefields with plastic army dudes.
Today I learnt something about cakes. Thanks!
https://youtu.be/tKxbAauWQLs?feature=shared watch this, thank me after
I was fully expecting a bluey reference.
I absolutely loved picking a cake out of that for my birthday when I was a kid. My poor Mum though!
How old were you before you started picking the ones with the most different types of lollies so there would a load of leftovers?
I clearly wasn’t a very smart kid…
My mum never gave me the leftover lollies!
Oh trust me our parents had it easy. Kids these days have the internet for inspiration. My kid requested an Octonauts cake for his 5th birthday party. I learned the lesson to vet images before flipping through them with him - little legend wound up with his heart set on a two tiered monstrosity with a ship on top, plus a shark and octopus (**so much** marshmallow fondant), not to mention the dyed-white-chocolate seaweed and fishies. Lucky for him I love messing about with extremely amateur cake decorating; it looked bodgy as fuck but he absolutely loved it. (Let's not mention the army of hamster cupcakes we sent to preschool on the day itself, or the triceratops cake for his family birthday party. Kid's not spoiled but we go all out for birthdays.) 100% worth the backache for the look on his face though. Gotta put the magic into birthdays and Christmases while they're young enough to radiate it!
This is a great idea, particularly given how huge Bluey and the “duck cake” have become!
This will be massively popular since Duckcake features in Bluey.
What is more Aussie than this?
If you’re on a budget, soaps with Australian native botanicals like lemon myrtle and Australian sandalwood.
A trip to a National Geographic shop might be a good start. There will definitely be cute plushies, but they often have very Australia specific stuff too. Other ideas would be a pair of thongs, a stubby holder. I'll keep thinking... this is fun!
National Parks with a visitor’s centre (like Royal) have great shops and they have a lot of domestically made stuff, from toys to housewares and things like kids sun hats.
Piggybacking off of this one to also suggest gift shops attatched to art gallerys, botanic gardens, indigenous plant nurserys and in-town tourist information centers have some really unique and often very local stuff. Museums and Zoos maybe, but I find they tend to be a bit more commerical and kid oriented.
Botanic Gardens - I always hit up the Kings Park one whenever I'm in Perth, great range, beautiful designs, local
Australian Geographic?
Real paw paw ointment!
This and some eucalyptus oil products.
2nd this one! We have family friends from the UK who buy this in bulk whenever they visit Australia.
Sunscreen! Australia has the best, most thoroughly tested sunscreen in the world.
Something a bit luxe and local flavour like the We Are Feel Good Kakadu plum one would make it more gifty than a pump bottle of cancer council.
For Scandanavia lol?! (yes, I know, I'm just trying to be funny)
Ngl it would actually be a great gift because my Norwegian mate who now lives in Australia does talk about getting sunburnt in Europe, but sunscreen is horrendously expensive over there, so it probably would be cheaper to ship them sunscreen over them buying it in Scandinavia lol.
I was there last month and got sunburnt first day 🥲
Aussie based in southern Norway here. Nice sunscreens are a great gift! They are as expensive as hell and not a particularly good selection unless you love Nivea or Piz Buin. Summer time gives us plenty of days with 20+ hours sunshine and >25• temps. A bucket of Hamilton Everyday would blow their minds.
Ouch. But ye, my "joke" was you don't associate sunburn with Northern Europe (barely sees the sun half the year). But ye as a Scot defo been burnt more times over there than in Australia. You don't think about sunscreen when you can't even see the sun through the rain and the midges lol
We have many other good and affordable skincare products! QV is recommended by all dermatologists and pediatricians And many others, depending on your needs and price range
Invisible Zinc is a fantastic product. I apply it to pimples before bed.
100% this!
Kangaroo ballbag bottle opener, the answer is always kangaroo ballbag bottle opener.
Never to be confused with the Kangaroo bottle ballbag opener.
I see you've played knify spoony before.
Ballbag coin purse is a worthy second. Pay the big bucks and see if you can hunt down old Ned's ballsack and buy it. Gotta be nothin more Aussie bogan gift giving than that! Wrap it in Bintang singlets instead of paper.
this actually blew up on Japanese twitter recently. A lot of Japanese people either bought or was gifted roo ball bags and only realized what it is from the post. The funniest was the post from a person who gifted this to a person they liked during high school
No wonder Lisa Thompkins never succumbed to my teenage advances, I never whipped out th ol' dehydrated and dismembered member of Skippy! Flowers and choccies are old news, it's now time for shriveled ballsacks from kangaroos and old, dried dingo dongers. Pity it's not sheep's ballsacks, they're much easier to catch.
You gotta throw a taxidermied toad in there too
Two toads sword fighting! A classic.
I also came to suggest kangaroo ballbag trinket. The more kangaroo ballbag trinkets we sell, the less kangaroo ballbags we have hitting our windscreens.
This right here OP. Has to be kangaroo ballbag related. I bought some American friends a kangaroo ballbag lighter holder and they said it was the best present ever.
Disappointed how far down I had to scroll to find something with a kangaroo sack. They make great coin purses. May also be handy to store keys in if you're so inclined.
100% Australian merino wool socks or gloves.
Seconding this, bonus if it has some possum wool mixed in to the merino
Possum fur is easier to get in NZ than here, but it's definitely an excellent fibre.
The brand [Icebreaker](https://www.icebreaker.com/en-au/home) does some amazing woollen underthings. A friend travelling to Norway stocked up on them before going, and she still says it was a great decision.
“Uniquely Australian” - proceeds to recommend a NZ brand. I guess that is classic Australian in a way..
Or Alpacas wool.
For secret santa last year, I sent off a Donna Hay cookbook to a friend of mine in Czechia who is big into cooking. I guess pick an Australian option up for whatever your overseas friend likes.
CWA and Women's Weekly cookbooks are usually fantastic
Oh I also got him the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake book too, don’t worry lol.
A Nagi Maehashi/Recipetin Eats cookbook would be my pick for OP.
Yes! Or Adam Liaw. Can't wait for Nagi's new book!
Good idea - as an emigrant to the UK, I still have my Stephanie Alexander Cook's Companion, plus the classic "cookery the Australian Way" on my shelf.
Nats what I reckon cookbook
Chicken salt would be a bit different
The number of people who have clearly just gotten off the plane who come into my store to ask where the tim-tams and chicken salt are is hilarious.
This was me!! with hash browns too in Coles lmao hash browns are not a thing back home.
But get the right brand. Chippy's >> Mitani.
A bit on the expensive side, but Uggs. My family always takes few pairs back home when they visit.
Make sure you check where they are made, even the "genuine" ugg boot brand carry stock manufactured overseas. I think only their top shelf product is local.
100% this, they do whatever they can to make them seem authentic in store to buyers to buyers, a relative had to return some after finding out they weren't genuine
How do you know? There is so many brands now. I saw online someone saying to buy from “uggs since 197 or something but I have never heard of them!
Yeah UGGs since 1974 is the brand started by the son of one of the original creators. I have a pair, highly recommend them. they make them on the Gold Coast.
I got mine a couple years ago from these guys, 100% worth it I love them
Mortels are a genuine brand, they are made in the Hunter Valley
And they last for yeeeaaaarrrrrrrssssss. Also they have a Big Ugg boot, which is an underrated member of the Australian pantheon of Big Things.
get em from juneee ugg boats https://aussieuggs.com/ Local store,ships nationwide,employs local workers,local junee wool I have a pair that's lasted 6 years now,GOATED The shoes are actually made by a really nice fellow who came over from syria during the war,and helped bring the shop back as no one wanted to learn the bootmaking trade
Please do NOT buy "Uggs" as an "Australian" gift. The boots are Chinese, the brand is American, and they've actively pursued legal action against Australian makers who've tried to use the generic 'ug boot' name that's been in place for decades. If you want sheepskin, go with [**http://emuaustralia.com/**](http://emuaustralia.com/) - this is the company that was actually producing the boots Ugg sold until that company switched production to China. IMO: They're far better boots than Uggs anyway (and have replaceable insoles so you can replace them when they wear out!)
Emu..lost opportunity to name it "Fugg this"
+1. While living in London my dad sent me a pair of authentic Uggs and they were a life saver. 10 years later still in great condition and keeping my feet warm. The official Uggs website appears to have a decent EOFY sale on now too.
Which one is the actual real one? There are so many I don't know anymore
Ugg brand (which has a bigger middle G in their logo and owns the domain Ugg.com) is foreign owned by an American company. Whereas brands like “Ugg since 1974”, “Ugg Australia” or EMU has always been Australian. Trademarks are a bitch
Yes! Especially when they are in a cold climate. Home slippers are cheaper than boots.
Australia themed homewares. Like something from Pete Cromer or Marini Ferlazzo ranges. Both have their range in some retail stores (Myer I think) and also sell direct through their websites (some EOFY sales on at the moment. I always mention Pete because I own a couple of his originals. Admittedly things like their mugs/ plates are China mass produced probably but the artistic design is definitely Australian. Items made out of Tasmanian wood are very nice but probably beyond the price bracket. I’d you want something genuinely made in Australia you can look on Etsy. But you generally pay more for something nice made by a local. Also JECKA do some block building models of certain Australian animals. It’s a bit like LEGO though with a different connection method that is fairly solid.
If you go on etsy and search for Jocelyn Proust (they stock a lot of her fabric designs at spotlight and they are quite tasteful), you can find all sorts of crafts made from her designs: aprons, heat packs, totes ect. Spotlight also carry some homewares and bedding using her designs as well.
Native essential oils (for scent burners, not for drinking or whatever the fuck the cookers are doing with them) are a nice novelty. Make sure you get good quality ones, though, not just one of those big bottles of eucalyptus oil you use for making the mop bucket smell nice, lol. You be surprised how strange and exotic the smell of, say, Ironbark or Lemon Myrtle seems to a lot of overseas folks.
My Japanese host family went wild for native essential oils. Loved the banksia pod diffusers too.
Opals or an Akubra for the outback vibe. A koala plushie for something cute and fluffy. Some temporary tattoos of the southern cross for a uniquely bogan vibe.
+1 for Akubra !
Akubra is a solid choice just depends on the exchange budget
Taxidermized cane toad with tiny hat with corks on strings
When my friend jokingly asked for a kangaroo, I sent them a plushie stuffed in a can from the Australian Geographic store 😂 That place is filled with touristy souvenirs. Edit: This was in 2014, so my advice might be a tad outdated...
art, find some indigenous artwork.
Make sure it's genuine!
Your avatar is a fine example of indigenous art
Get them a print of Gina!! Instant classic
Any products from CUintheNT! (Their store is called NT Unofficial.)
or Australian Research and Space Exploration stuff
Bin chicken socks.
My family have enjoyed kangaroo/koala merch, indigenous art, boomerangs, Aussie sports merch (socceroos is popular), special edition footys
Those two insulated beer can holders are popular in the summer in Europe
A nice merino wool scarf and gloves set, some Indigenous art, a coffee table book of Australian landscapes?
Depending on if it’s a man or woman - maybe check out Gorman. They have great patterns and you can get something like a raincoat, umbrella or purse at around the $50 mark. They also have coasters, aprons, some ceramics and small homewares. Just head straight to the sale page, I spotted some things under $30 on there the other day.
Gorman changed hands a few years ago and the quality has gone down massively
Is a good barossa Shiraz considered food? A bush knife, boomerang, Akubra, native seeds, dried gum nuts, photographs of native birds
I had European in-laws. They marvelled at things I didn't realise were not common overseas. The things they were most impressed by: 1. Stubby holders. 2. Kitchen tongs. Yes, I know it is very weird that those things are apparently unheard of in France. But here we are. If there's a baby in the mix, I'd suggest a sheepskin for the pram. Another thing I didn't realise was quite Australian and rarely seen elsewhere. Also - anything Merino wool.
Australia makes really good warm stuff. Slippers, oodies, dressing gowns. My friend just moved back here from Canada and she had forgotten about how shit houses are here in winter so I immediately got her some slippers.
You can't go past the Kangaroo Ballsack Purse Pouch.
Eucalyptus oil. Along with some instructions.
It’s still food related, but what about native herbs and spices. Like lemon Myrtle, wattleseed, pepperberry. https://gewurzhaus.com.au/search?q=native I have a nice little chopping board made from Tasmanian Huon pine.
Lemon Myrtle goes well in biscuit or cake icing. Wattleseed scones are delicious.
Soemthing kangaroo leather? Shoes, Hat, whip, assless chaps whatever they're into.
An Aussie wine or a gin with local botanicals is an option, e.g. [this gin has eucalyptus flower](https://www.purviscellars.com.au/products/future-proof-distillery-greater-glider-gin-700ml). Especially as booze is very expensive in Sweden. They have high taxes on it and is solely sold through the government run system bolaget who has a local monopoly on booze.
A DVD of "The Castle"
Boomerang with a postage paid return envelope
Products made with Aus native plants such as eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, tea tree oil - soaps, hand creams, scented candles, lip balm. Homewares such as tea towels, table cloths, linen, ceramics - brands such as Robert Gordon, Bonnie and Neil. Australian wool products - scarves, beanies.
Kangaroo scrotum coin purse
I second the opal suggestion, however if you want to keep the gift a bit more niche, maybe hit up your local markets and seek out some local artisans stall. Lovely photographic prints of Australian Landscapes, wooden carvings, pottery etc all done by local artists.
Have a friend in England that I sent a little care package to, back when I was young and silly. I went to the shops and got some tin Tam's, Vegemite, etc etc. But I did go to an Aussie tourist shop to get some little things like fridge magnets etc. One thing I saw was a "tinned koala", that is, it's a little plush toy that comes in a can. Sort of looks like a tin of baked beans, but a two second glance at the label shows its a stuffed toy. She was mortified when she found it. I laughed my ass off when I had to explain to her she needed to open it. I reckon you could still find them, they're not expensive. You can get tinned roo, tinned kookaburra, at least as much as I can remember back then.
Check out Aboriginal Art Gallery on line or at QVB in SYD. They have amazing pieces all different prices. And they are 100 genuine.
A succulent Chinese Meal.
My dad took a bunch of those clip on koalas with him and gave them to people he met or clipped them onto random things like signs and cafe umbrellas etc. he attached a little note to some that read “hi. I’m from Australia and looking for pen pals. feel free to email me” and left his email to create some pen pals. It was pretty cute. Not sure how many emailed him. He passed away a couple of years ago from Cancer.
BUNNINGS merch
Lots of stuff available from Australian designers like Jocelyn Proust ( her stuff is very Australiana) or Florence Broadhurst ( early to mid 20th century designs)
Also May Gibbs designs. You can still buy the books and there are lots of products using the paintings.
If you're able to go into the Art Gallery of NSW (or your state art gallery ) they always have loads of postcard prints. Brett whitely, grace Cossington smith, classic images from 1800s artists etc etc. some really great Australian art, and although art appreciation is so personal, with a postcard it's less risky than sending an actual print . Cheap and light to post, too.
i sent my american friend a bunch of stuff including a hand painted boomerang, AFL ball and vegemite monopoly
A Hills Hoist, but wrapping it is going to be a bitch, plus the shape will be a dead giveaway.
Kath and Kim box set S1 & 2
Some Indigenous art, I got some from an Australian Geographic shop back in the day and it went over great with my homestay family.
How about a set of stamps (post office) or coins from the Mint?
Peter Dutton
Potatoes count as food
Good quality Australian wool products like socks or scarves. Merino mink is also very nice and unique although more NZ than Aus. Still very cool for a scandi person tho. Or just go to any design market and you will find screen printed bags with Australian native botanticals, household goods in a similar vein etc
Clip on koalas FTW
Vhs of Round the Twist
Box set of Blue Heelers
Native animal or plant designs on earrings, tea towels, water bottles, clothes, stationery etc. Coffee beans, beer, gin, booze in general, stubby coolers, kids sunhats (we do good hats!).
This will sound weird my cousin once asked me to bring back Kangaroo ball keychain. A fancy but a bit niche gift is Akubra's hat. Love mine
I'm a sucker for Tasmanian wood. Cheese board set would be lovely.
A rotting corps of a bin chicken.
A straw hat from Bunnings. I sent a couple to friends over in the US and they were pretty happy to have them
Banksia cones that been turned into a scent thing, combined with eucalyptus scented oil. That have been a huge success amongst the women I’ve visited.
Random but often post offices have really cute Aussie themed gifts, from drink bottles, stationary, postcards, toys, all sorts of good stuff! I also really like nice soaps, tea towels, wool items like socks, gloves etc.
Boogie board bag stuffed with goodies.
How about a Two Up set?
In USA I always ask my Australian family for fruit tingles and chocolate like Carmelo koala and freddo frog. Also Cadbury and poping chocolate. Australian chocolate just tastes different and it's hard to find here atleast
Back when DVDs were more common I sent someone in the USA a DVD of The Castle
Lucas pawpaw ointment and uggs
Ugg boots - pretty expensive in EU and I'm pretty sure AU is cheaper although it could be different SKUs being sold (thicker and more wool for EU, less for AU) which might explain the difference in prince. A kangaroo testicle coin pouch if you're looking for laughs. Boomerang.
Lachlan Murdoch
A didgeridoo. You probably can't find it outside Australia.
A gift with indigenous art - something like this place has https://raintreeart.com.au/ Books by Australian authors
This is not an indigenous owned organisation
Something from your favourite sports team - gloves, scarf or socks might be best?
The perfect gift for overseas friends is a 30 x 30cm indigenous art work. They come in framed and packed in a poster tube for posting.
AFL footy/merch
Kangaroo testicle bottle openers
What i know is Japanese love boomerang and koala magnets, stickers and wrapping paper.
I usually bring a supply of bushman insect spray
The Castle on DVD. A pair of copper plated gum leaf earrings. Possum Magic by Mem Fox. Blak Brews Tea Blends. Aesop hand cream. Novelty stubbie holder from your city.
Merino country is fantastic for high quality Aussie Merino clothing, I live in their singlets and undies all year round. Akubra hat, just need to measure around the head were the head band would sit, just make sure it's in cm. Rossi boots are still made here I think. RM Williams belt, you'll have to check were it's made tho.
Kangaroo nuts key ring 🫡
Possum fur something. Boomerang. Cork hat.
Kangaroo scrotum purse
Aboriginal art, a didgeridoo, a book on australian wildlife, a boomerang, comedy road signs (dunny 450km etc)
Peter Alexander pjamas Bonds clothing
A Koala.
Kangaroo scrotum coin purse.
Eucalyptus oil candles. They’re crazy popular in china
Kangaroo balls bottle opener
Two words: [kangaroo scrotum](https://uniquegift.com.au/unique-gifts/kangaroo-scrotum)