Hmmm, re-reading my last post makes me think that I've probably made you all believe that Australia is a Nazi infested paramilitary urban war zone. It's not.
Australia for the most part is a melting pot of different cultures who all get along without any problems at all. Many Australians speak at least one other language (usually the mother tongue of an immigrant parent), foreign languages are taught in schools and you will see many non-white faces, not just in cities but in towns and small rural communities.
I have not experienced any racism since I arrived - I did have an odd question from an older Australian man who was a bit baffled about how such a 'dark' person could be English, but I expect that kind of thing from the older generations of every country and he was simply curious and didn't mean to be offensive .
People are constantly asking "G'day, How are ya?" and you can not enter a shop anywhere in Australia without being asked "Hi, how are you?" - it's not just customer service, they really do want a reply, they don't want to know your life history but a 'Yeah, good thanks" makes them happy.
Australia is generally a very nice and friendly place, but as with so many countries it's a minority who spoil things for everyone else.
It's good to hear someone who is actually there talk about it. All we'll get here in the US is the graphic footage of the attacks. Unfortunately, if it doesn't bleed, it doesn't lead (as they say in the US news industry)
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