Welcome to the latest instalment of our most recent blog series Top Tens, which is posting every Sunday, Australian time. Last week I shared my top 10 favourite Robin Williams films, and this week, in light of the tragedy that occurred last week, I’m going to create a blog that is much more buoyant, positive, and hopefully it’ll be a list to make us laugh, that is a bit funny, and doesn’t take itself that seriously.

As humans, life would be boring if we weren’t happy, and laughter is an outward expression of our happiness in life. As happiness is a choice- we should choose to be happy even when bad times persist, due to the constant surrounding of or friends and family; we should try to be positive about life no matter our circumstance, and that includes laughing. This top ten list is about favourite activities to do in Australia that are unique to Australia (as I am Australian- and you can look at these activities and want to undertake in them as well!), and I hope this list makes you chuckle and smile as you relate to the Aussie humour (hopefully)- this list is supposed to be light hearted in comparison to the much more meatier and more serious topics previously. So without further ado… here are my top 10 must do activities to do in Australia (in reverse order).

Eat a Vegemite sandwich, or an Arnotts Tim Tam– It’s two of the most well-known Aussie snacks, and you wouldn’t have lived in Australia until you eat these. Sure, there is probably Marmite, or Promite, or chocolate biscuits in the U.S.; but it’s Kraft and Arnotts! Is there any other reason other than supporting the Aussie companies and the local foods?

Attend a cricket match live. As you all know (or maybe not) I am a huge fan of cricket. I haven’t seen many games live, but you can watch highlights of a T20 match here. Look like fun? Then when you are in one of the capital cities in Australia, visit a cricket ground, and see Mitchell Johnson claim a hat-trick, or Glenn Maxwell send six consecutive balls into the stands. Or if you’re not that lucky, you’ll see a streaker run across the ground, or a wash out game. Let’s hope and pray you see the first two things and not the last two!

Surf or swim at Bondi Beach. I personally haven’t been to Bondi Beach that often, but I have been to Maroubra and Coogee, which are both similar. There’s plenty of things to do at the beach, including build sandcastles, fish, swim, surf, sunbake…I know there are probably beaches in every country, but Bondi Beach is the most famous in Australia, that you have to go there, even if it’s a bad experience, at least you can say that you experienced it!

Have a party with friends in the backyard, with a barbie, and backyard cricket– It’s not a real party here in Australia unless the whole extended family is here, with plenty of dishes for the barbecue, and everyone playing backyard cricket while the food is cooking as well (something that I myself haven’t experienced, but have seen on TV shows like Packed to the Rafters). There are people talking over the top of one another, friendly jesting, and highly competitive spirits when family members are pitted against each other in sport. All in all, a great day of fun, and making great memories.

Binge-watch TV shows and movies (such as Frontline or Round The Twist, as well as the iconic movie The Castle and the trilogy of Crocodile Dundee). Round the Twist used to be one of my favourite children’s television shows about a family moving to a tight knit community and living in a haunted lighthouse, and the satire sitcom set in a TV station, Frontline made me laugh and crack up during my time watching it. There’s nothing more Australian than watching Michael Caton protect his home in The Castle, or Paul Hogan live in the bush on Crocodile Dundee; so these shows are a must. If you can watch them all in one or two days, then afterwards you be as Australian as you can get, maybe even more so than me!

Visit Darling Harbour for a day, and see attractions like the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Sydney Aquarium, and IMAX– I am sure you know the iconic Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from the TV coverage of the New Years Eve fireworks celebrations. And the Aquarium has all the fish, and IMAx has these nature films on very large screens. Well now is the time to visit these places in person. It’s pretty awesome seeing these captivating landmarks up close, so come and visit Sydney around New Years Eve time; and that way you can see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge for around 12 hours straight while you are waiting for the fireworks!

Taronga Zoo– the most famous zoo in Sydney, you could choose to visit the animals there, or in any other capital city in Australia if you want to. But the main point is to get down to a zoo pronto. There will probably be only one chance to see pandas, gorillas, giraffes, racoons, elephants, seals, flamingos, leopards, and much more all in the same place (not in the same enclosure though!); and people do have a connection with animals, no matter what nationality they are. It’s always interesting visiting a zoo in another country, so why not visit one here in the land down under when you visit?

Eating kangaroo, rabbit, venison, and other unusual meat– Though this may be common in the U.S and other countries, it’s ironic that especially kangaroo is being served in the very country where the animal is part of the national emblem. Kangaroo is very delicious and succulent, and better than beef in my opinion, so if you can’t buy any game meat elsewhere, the long trip to Australia is more than worth the wait!

Visit a Hillsong Church service– the popular mega church and worship movement originated right here in Australia, and as their songs like “Oceans” and “Alive” are hits in the U.S., and some readers here are believers in Christ, it makes sense for you to make a stop to the many Hillsong worship churches around Australia, just so that you can experience worship Aussie style, and understand why the team endeavour to create multiple albums per year.

Travel and see the sights (such as Uluru, The Great Barrier Reef, and The Great Ocean Road)- There are plenty of famous natural landmarks here in Australia, so why not take the plunge and see just how awesome and beautiful the sights are. Uluru (Northern Territory), The Great Barrier Reef (Queensland) and The Great Ocean Road (NSW/Victoria) are three of the places I would like to visit in the near future; I think these would be very cool. So gather everyone up when you reach Australia and then say two words- Road Trip! Oh, and don’t forget to pack some summer pop tunes for the car for everyone to sing along at the top of their lungs!

So there is my top ten activities to do in Australia, what are yours? Let me know so that we can compare and have a healthy discussion…