The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31
LIFE IN AUSTRALIA.
Described by Frank P. Slavin,
the Champion Pugilist.
A LAND WORTH LIVING IN.
Food 10 Cheap, All Sports Flourish, and
When You Buy q Drink You Help
Yourself as You Do Here.

A find that Americans that do not travel
much and who do not associate with those
who do travel, have very queer ideas about
Australia. Il is country SO far away
from the United States that such people
seem to think the natives are peculiar,
half-civiiized kind of people; that they
live in the woods or the mountains, and
altogether lead rough and rather preca-
rious kind of existence. OF co urse this is
not the fact
The Australian colonies are seven in
number, and comprise Australia and the
islands of Tasmania, New Zealand and
part of New Guinea. The total area in
square miles is over 5000, 900,
while the area of the king
dom of Great Britain is only about
10000 square miles. We have all kinds of
climate there. In South Australia the
weather is something like what you
have in New York in Victoria,
the principal city in that section. it
is very cold and bleak in the win
ter time, but lovely during the summer
season. In New South Wales the sum-
mers are dry and hot. Up North, in Cook
town, for instance, it is as hot in the
winter season as it would be in New York
during the summer season. But it is a
dry heat that does not make you feel
uncomfortable. On the eastern coast we
get three months snow in the year.
QUITE "FLY."
Certain parts of Australia are quite wild.
and we have but few large towns, but
such as they are the inhabitants are quite
as sly" and up to the times as the resi-
dents of London or New York
Malha,1rpa ia ha o;{ Of Az
tralia and Is visited by many Americans,
who say the place reminds them
very much of San Francisco; others,
again, say it is a good deal like
Chicago. The town is only a little
over forty years old and the rush
of people from Great Britain and other
countries and the great industry of sheep
and cattle raising has caused it to be filled
with a mixed nationality, but / think it
all the more interesting on that account.
Briefly here are some peculiarities about
life in Melbourne:
Cabs not being much in demand you
can ride to some places for only six cents
in the day time and twelve cents after Il
O'Clock at night The real Australians
live mostly inland; they are thin, big
boned, red-faced and have long hair They
eat great deal of meat. The people, as a
rule, are not as dressy as the Londoners
or the New Workers. You couldn't tell
by a mans dress to what class of life he
belonged. There are some, however, who
are quite swell in. their attire, and every
man who can afford it wears a "bell-top-
per" which is the colonial name for tall
hat.
Workmen belong to their labor unions
and only work eight hours q day. The
people are fond of amusement, and the
theaters are as good as they are here.
There are very few boarding houses, and
they are only for the accommodation of
single men. Married couples have to
board at the hotels or keep house.
CHARACTERISTICS.
All the small taverns in the country have
quot ground near the building. This is
a sport of which the stockmen and the
workers in the sheepfolds are particularly
fond and they will play it for hours to-
gether. The restaurants In the cities are
good and cheap; you can get good broiled
steak, vegetables. bread and butter for p
cents. We have the finest temperance cof-
fee houses in the world. The Federal
Coffee Palace" and the Grand Hotel" are
remarkable enterprises of this kind. The
Australians are very fond of tea; whether
you live in the city or the widest part of
the country you will find the billy" las
stockmen call the teapot) always in use.
Colonial beer is weak stuff and English
bottled beer is quite expensive, being from
81 to so cents a bottle. Whisky, gin and
brandy are about l. cents a glass, and
man can do as he does in New York-pour
out his "nobbler' Tor drink from the gen
eral bottle. The verandas attached to
houses and stores are very useful in keep
ing the heat off pedestrians.
Forty years ago, during the gold dig
ging excitement there used to be some
queer stories told about the scarcity of
women in the colony, which was very
much in the condition of your California.
They say that parties of gold diggers re-
turning from the mines would stop at a
cabin which was known TO be occupied by
a married man and demand that he should
bring forth his wife. The man would have
TO comply with the request; but the party,
though it was pretty rough one would
not offer to do any harm. They would
look admiringly upon the woman, no mat
ter how homely she was, viewing her as a
sort of curiosity, a bit OF human bric-a-
brac, and then they would present the
husband with few ounces of gold for the
pleasure he, or rather his wife had af-
orded them, and resume their Journey TO
the coast.
Inere are plenty OF women IN Australia
now, though they are naturally TO be
found in the cities. But the herdman or
miner who works in the rougher part of
the country can nearly always get a wife
10 share his fortunes if he is a decent sort
of chap, and will come TO town after her.
HORSE RACING FLoURIsHEs.
In the cities the sporting life is about
the same in Australia as il is in London or
New York. Horse racing there as here,
is very popular amusement, and the con-
tests are always done by the watch. the
horses running to tiisse as they do here |
think our race courses are far better than
those of England or America. Our tracks
are level. and the managers aim to cater
for the amusement of the general public
AT the race course al Melbourne 80. 900
people can be seated, while if they get an
audience of $1,000 or 5000 in England
they think they are doing well.
You can go from Melbourne TO the race
track, about two miles and half from the
city, for 81. which includes q seat on the
grand stand. In England it costs - los.
Thousands view the races from . hill lust
back of the grand stand, while the ''tiat"
is free As many as forty horses some