With it looking ever less likely to be able to visit Australia in 2022 – or even longer – A and I decided to visit the land down under via another travel themed date night. Since we have gone back to doing some actual travel, we haven’t done as many of these. But they are still things we look forward to, and a great way to supplement our travel schedule, plus to get to know a new place!
I’ve never been to Australia, except to change planes in Sydney, which doesn’t count. So for me, this was a first exposure to a place that’s near the top of my travel wish list. We followed our normal itinerary formula: food, a documentary during dinner, some virtual travel, and a feature film. Remember, you can change this up as much or as little as you want if you plan your own Australian Date Night.
If you enjoy this, click here to check out all of our travel themed date nights. There are a lot of them at this point!
Australian-Themed Date Night
Eat: Meat Pie and Pavlova
Australia is not exactly known for its rich culinary history. And yet, like every country we have learned about, it’s got some great dishes. Australian meat pie is awesome! I cheated a bit and used a store-bought pie crust and puff pastry, but the filling, beef and veggies simmered in beef stock and Guinness, was cooked with love over a long time. A lesson for next time: pat the meat dry before filling the pie, as it releases a lot of liquid.
There is debate as to whether pavlova was invented in Australia or New Zealand. Regardless, A made an incredible version. A pavlova is a meringue base formed into a shallow bowl, and filled with whipped cream and fruit. A also made a lemon curd out of the egg yolks (yay for no waste!) which helped to cut the sweetness. This was definitely in the top tier of desserts we have had.
Learn: History of Australia
This animated documentary was short, and I wish it had been a bit longer. However, like all done by Suibhne, it was full of interesting facts and solid animation. One of the morals: Australia might have treated their native population even worse than we did, and that’s saying something.
Visit: Uluru
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a huge red rock in the middle of the Australian outback. And, lucky for us, Google street view has the path circling it! Just check out the color, and the otherwise completely flat landscape. It’s amazing!
Experience: Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is a large island off the coast of Adelaide, and its tourism folks have produced some awesome videos of some of the native animals. We watched koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos. Kangaroos hopping make me giggle, and this lovely island is now part of my theoretical Australia itinerary.
Watch: Muriel’s Wedding
I polled my Aussie friends about what films truly represent the country. A few were on everyone’s lists, and this was the one I could find streaming (on HBO Max). I didn’t love it. It reminded me of the Australian version of Pretty in Pink, where if I had grown up with it, I’d think fondly, but without that, it’s objectively a pretty meh film. However, it is significantly more representative of a classic in Australia than the stereotypical Crocodile Dundee sorts of things we produce here. Overall verdict? C-.
While the film was disappointing, the rest of Australia Night was awesome! Great food and some solid travel experiences make for a wonderful evening. I hope this inspires you to plan your own Australian date night!
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