Australia

Australia Day (Monday 26) is celebrated like the Fourth of July—by beaching, barbecuing and boozing. But for the 10,000 or so Aussies stuck in New York this winter, the next best thing to hitting the sand is crowding an expat den to toast to their country’s roguish holiday, which marks the arrival of the first British convict ship at Sydney Cove in 1788.

HANG WITH AUSTRALIANS
Matt Astill, Sydney-born co-owner of The Australian (20 W 38th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-869-8601), expects hardy nationals to show up at his pub before noon on Saturday 24 in celebration of Australia Day; later he’ll offer live music and a trivia competition. (Hint: The two animals on the coat of arms are the kangaroo and the emu, because neither can walk backward.) “We like things a bit more laid-back,” says Astill. “People talk here.” On nights with live cricket or soccer matches on TV, rowdy fans pack the bar until 2am, singing “Waltzing Matilda,” the unofficial national anthem, after each victory.

"Nomad Two Worlds" at Stephan Weiss Studio

The Barons Brewing Co. New York Magpies (nyfooty.com), an Australian Rules Football club, is also throwing its Australia Day party on Saturday 24 (The Canal Room, 285 West Broadway at Canal St, 212-941-8100; 8pm--2am, $20). Learn the rough sport, a cross between rugby and a street brawl (with no sissy padding), when training begins in early March for both traveling and Metro-league teams. “There’s no pressure,” says the Magpies’ Brett Smiley. “You can come for a kick and see if you like it.” (Half of the players are from the U.S.)

SEE AUSSIE ART
“We’ve been called the Other Special Relationship,” says Frances Cassidy, president of the American Australian Association (aaanyc.org), which has hosted public events in New York for 60 years. This international bond is especially visible this week during G’Day USA (australia-week.com), an annual fest that showcases Australian culture around the city. One satellite event includes “Nomad Two Worlds” at Stephan Weiss Studio (711 Greenwich St at Charles St, nomadtwoworlds.com; Fri 23--Jan 29), a collaboration between photographer Russell James and aboriginal artists, who painted over his haunting shots.

Eight Mile Creek

Aboriginal art is regularly on view at the Robert Steele Gallery (511 W 25th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves, suite 101, 212-243-0165); check out Dennis Nona’s 12-foot-long cast bronze crocodile sculpture through February 28. Indigenous culture is also visible on stage, promoted in New York by the Australian Aboriginal Theatre Initiative (aboriginaltheatre.com). This month, it produces Yanagai! Yanagai!, a collection of mythical stories of the ancient Yorta Yorta people, at La MaMa E.T.C. (74A E 4th St between Bowery and Second Ave, 212-475-7710; $18, seniors and students $13, children under 10 $10) through Sunday 25.

TALK LIKE AN AUSSIE
If something is crap or sucks, call it bodgy. A dag, which is technically the poo that hangs off a sheep’s bum, is a geek. If you’re wasted, say “I’m pissed off my tits.” Spit the dummy is to lose one’s temper; hard yakka is hard work; and “pull your head in” means “mind your own business.” Hooroo is goodbye.

Tuck Shop

EAT LIKE AN AUSSIE
Cultural bridges are well and good, but what did Hugh Jackman tell Oprah he missed most about his native Australia? Tim Tams. Pick up a package of the chocolate cookies ($6) at Tuck Shop (68 E 1st St between First and Second Aves, 212-979-5200), along with a $2 flat white (a frothless Aussie latte), and try a Tim Tam slam: Bite off opposite corners of the cookie and use it as a straw to slurp the coffee, then slam it into your mouth as it melts. “Aussies come in here and stare wide-eyed for a minute when they realize they can get everything they’ve wanted for the last five years,” says co-owner and Melbourne native Lincoln Davies, who also sells meat pies and spongy Lamingtons.

In restaurants, some Australian food takes an Asian, farm-fresh spin, a style the friendly Eight Mile Creek (240 Mulberry St between Prince and Spring Sts, 212-431-4635) has peddled in Nolita for nine years. Pair a glass of sparkling shiraz ($10) with the buttery emu carpaccio ($13), rare even in Sydney. Follow it with a crisp barramundi filet ($22), from the country’s north coast, rich with ocean flavor and served alongside a noodle salad. The joint draws plenty of transplants, says manager Andrew Jordan, adding that the biggest difference between Sydney and New York is the beach culture: “Imagine you work at 23rd Street, but instead of going to the South Street Seaport you have Bondi Beach.” Sorry, buddy—this staycation can only take you so far.

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