Hello

Hopefully I can get some help on this site. I am an American author who is planning on basing their next book out of Australia.

Is there a specific term that is used in Australia in place of the standard "good bye" or "good day"?

Also, are there last names in Australia that are quite popular. For example, in the U.S. they are Smith, Black, Thompson, etc.

Thank you for your help!

Are you planning to visit before you write your book? I hope so. I once read a novel by Richard Condon ostensibly set in Australia, and the vagueness of the descriptions made it painfully obvious that the nearest he'd come was perhaps a bottle of Australian sauvignon blanc.

Anyway, the ubiquitous "g'day" is used in casual greetings, and casual farewells might be "see you later", "see you", among younger people "catch you". Otherwise it's pretty much the range of greetings you have in the US - good morning, good afternoon (or 'morning, 'afternoon) etc.

www.abs.gov.au will provide census breakdowns of Australia's immigrant mix. The main differences between the US and Australia in this respect is that we have many fewer Hispanic names pro rata and would think fewer German and Scandinavian also. So take your pick. In one large corporation I worked with the staff electronic directory revealed that Smith was indeed the most common surname, but the Nguyens, Camilleris and Tans were catching up.

Last piece of advice - do NOT attempt Australian slang unless you've spent some time here and have a very good ear for dialogue. Guides to Australian slang are usually exaggerated and misleading. Above all, if some galah tries to come the raw prawn with you, shoot through like a Bondi tram. (Joke. You're unlikely to hear that sort of thing.)

See ya. See ya later. Catch ya. Bye. Ta Ta.

It will all depend on the age group of your characters.

I love "I'm off like a bride's nighty".

All your common American Anglo names will likely be common Australian Anglo names....Smith, Jones, Brown, Johnson, Thompson etc - after all we came from the same English/Irish/Scots backgrounds.

As Neil said forget trying to use Aussie slang, as it's just part of our day-to-day and sounds terribly forced and not realistic if deliberately "placed" in sentences.

Coincidentally there's an article on this subject in last weekend's Australian newspaper where the writer is pointing out the difference to a Californian between the Australian and American different meanings of the term "lucked out".

The writer, one Murray Waldren, goes on to say ".....Californian cousins will soon be wrestling with issues of much more linguistic import: how to chuck a sickie, a wobbly and a U-ey or realising that a cocky is a farmer, a cockroach and a parrot but not any part of the male anatomy.

Even more importantly, he should repeat after me: in Australia a bum is not a tramp, randy is not a name, my fanny is not my rear end and to root is not to cheer".

Translation: chucking a sickie is malingering for a day off work; chucking a wobbly is having a hissy fit; chucking a U-ey is simply making a "U" turn in vehicle. Here, bum means bottom, randy means sexually excited, fanny is female genitalia and rooting, although considered vulgar, is having sex. So you can understand Australians sniggering about such terms as "fanny pack" (known here as "bumbags&quot and "rooting for my team" (not unknown here either).

Very unscientific - but from the Sydney telephone directory:

Smith wins the prize (c. 12 pages)
Brown scores 6
Green/Greene 2/3
Thomas 3
Thompson and variations 3

Nguyen 6

Do you often set a book in a country to which you have never been?

Much smaller numbers obviously in Cairns phone book where Smiths and Smyths win with 2 pages, but percentages are similar to those of Sydney, except for a large no of Cavalleris and other Italian names.

I'm reminded of spoof guide to the USA by an Englishman (wish I could remember the name) which began with words to this effect: "A lot of books on America are written by people who have spent only a few weeks in the country. This one is different. It is written by a man who has never been there in his life."

You're joking, right? I wondered why some of the responses to your questions about beaches were a little cold. You are actually going to set a book in a country that you've never visited, apparently without ever having spoken to an Australian? I'm guessing realism isn't super important to your audience?

I'm currently in Western Australia...

"How ya going?" seems to be the greeting of choice in these here parts.

auzzienights if you are out there I would be interested in your responses to the postings.