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Australia Day: APT’s essential guide to Aussie slang 

Sydney, Australia

To celebrate Australia Day (26 January), we asked Jessica Shelton-Agar, head of sales for Australian-owned cruise specialist APT, for her ultimate guide to the kind of Aussie slang that clients might hear on a cruise down under.

Here are her favourites:

Beauty Bottler

When clients cruise in Australia and take in the spectacular sights, they may well be met with this phrase. It’s how Aussies express delight at something awesome or a favourable situation. For example: “That sunset is a real beauty bottler.”

Chockers / full as a goog

We keep our guests very well-fed on our cruises, so they might expect to hear Aussies say that they are “absolutely chockers”, or “full as a goog”. Both expressions mean completely full up with food and drink.

Jessica Shelton-Agar, APT, river cruise, cruise, travel agents
APT head of sales Jessica Shelton-Agar

Coat hanger

Most trips to Sydney wouldn’t be complete without taking in the “coat hanger”. That’s Aussie slang for the Sydney Harbour bridge, so named because its shape resembles that of a coat hanger.

Centralia

Other unmissable Australian icons include the red centre – where guests will find Uluru – which is affectionately referred to as “Centralia” by Aussies.

Over east

For those clients enjoying an APT cruise or tour in the Kimberley region of western Australia, it is common to be asked if they are going “over east” as part of their travels. That is the term that western Australians give to the rest of Australia.

Muzz

While cruises in Australia are packed full of exciting expeditions, it is still a holiday, so visitors might hear people say that they are “going back to the ship for a muzz”. Muzz basically means to rest or have some downtime.

Coldie

After a day of sightseeing, this one is crucial. Asking for a “coldie” in the “watering hole” (pub) will see a nice refreshing beer served up.

Queensland safety boots

When heading to the beach, your clients might be asked to take “thongs” or “Queensland safety boots”. Make sure they are not fooled into packing underwear or steel toe caps – it actually means flip-flops.

A smile like a split watermelon

After exploring Australia with APT or Travelmarvel, someone is likely to remark that a guest “has a smile like a split watermelon”. That simply means they have a huge beaming smile.

See you round like a rissole

As departing guests say “hoo-roo” (goodbye) to the new friends made on an APT cruise, it’s not uncommon to hear an Aussie say “see you round like a rissole”. This means “I’ll be seeing you” and that, like so many of the people who cruise with us, clients have just made some friends for life.

Discover more about APT and its plans for 2022 in this interview with the line’s UK & Europe managing director Paul Melinis. 

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