Australian humour has a long history that can be traced back to
our origins as convict colonies. It is therefore no surprise
that a national sense of humour quickly developed that responded
to those conditions. This unique sense of humour is recognised
(although maybe not always understood) the world over as being
distinctly Australian. Our humour is dry, full of extremes,
anti-authoritarian, self-mocking and ironic. The country itself
is the ultimate joke; the wave you body-surf into shore after a
day at the beach could contain a shark or a rip-tide and, when
you get back, your house could have been burnt to the ground in
a bush fire. That's where the whole 'no worries' thing comes
from. Humour is seen in the Australian use of slang, and across
media from cartoons in print, as sketches on radio, as comedy
series on television, in films and with witty observations of
life in Australian literature. A screen shot from one of
Australia's most enduring sources of humour – Dad and Dave.
Image courtesy of Classic A