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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barassi_Line
I'm sure most know what the 'Barassi Line' is, the imaginary line dividing Rules from Rugby (I refer to both league and union, why are some rugby fans so adamant that it only seems to refer to union? getting off topic anyway lol).
There hasn't been a thread dedicated to it so I'll start one.
Like the wiki article says, there aren't many regional variations in Australian culture. Our accent is fairly similar throughout the states (I've noticed a few minor differences, mostly in the way certain words/vowels are pronounced, but they're diluted by migration), and nothing compared to what you get in the UK or US. Like in the UK one can travel about 30 km, which is the distance from the Melbourne CBD to Werribee or Ringwood, and the accent changes completely. I guess some might argue going from Keilor to Prahran the accent changes too, which speaks more of the fact the Australian accent varies more between urban/rural, certain ethnicities, age.etc, but I digress...but sports - namely our football code - is one thing that does.
I find it strange Aussie Rules is still sort of foreign in much of Australia. Like, I've been to NSW/QLD enough, and just the lack of footy goalposts/ovals (there are plenty of ovals for cricket, but most don't have goalposts for footy as well like many in WA/SA/VIC/TAS), and a lot of rugby feels instead, feels sort of different. Also the NRL footy show, or going to an NRL game here...cheerleaders, fireworks, cheesy voice-overs announcing 'try', it all felt very American, sort of weird haha...I don't mind rugby sometimes, but it can be frustrating to watch. In Sydney you can't really have a casual chat about footy like in Melbourne for the most part, or it's not an ice-breaker...sure a lot of people go for the Swans or are from Melbourne or something, and a lot of people here don't care about footy, but one of many reasons I prefer living in Melbourne is AFL.
I do wonder how 'sharp' the line is too. Like is one town AFL/rules dominant and the next rugby league? Or is it more a transitional zone? Like is AFL much bigger in Wodonga vs Albury because it's Victoria vs NSW?
I'm sure most know what the 'Barassi Line' is, the imaginary line dividing Rules from Rugby (I refer to both league and union, why are some rugby fans so adamant that it only seems to refer to union? getting off topic anyway lol).
There hasn't been a thread dedicated to it so I'll start one.
Like the wiki article says, there aren't many regional variations in Australian culture. Our accent is fairly similar throughout the states (I've noticed a few minor differences, mostly in the way certain words/vowels are pronounced, but they're diluted by migration), and nothing compared to what you get in the UK or US. Like in the UK one can travel about 30 km, which is the distance from the Melbourne CBD to Werribee or Ringwood, and the accent changes completely. I guess some might argue going from Keilor to Prahran the accent changes too, which speaks more of the fact the Australian accent varies more between urban/rural, certain ethnicities, age.etc, but I digress...but sports - namely our football code - is one thing that does.
I find it strange Aussie Rules is still sort of foreign in much of Australia. Like, I've been to NSW/QLD enough, and just the lack of footy goalposts/ovals (there are plenty of ovals for cricket, but most don't have goalposts for footy as well like many in WA/SA/VIC/TAS), and a lot of rugby feels instead, feels sort of different. Also the NRL footy show, or going to an NRL game here...cheerleaders, fireworks, cheesy voice-overs announcing 'try', it all felt very American, sort of weird haha...I don't mind rugby sometimes, but it can be frustrating to watch. In Sydney you can't really have a casual chat about footy like in Melbourne for the most part, or it's not an ice-breaker...sure a lot of people go for the Swans or are from Melbourne or something, and a lot of people here don't care about footy, but one of many reasons I prefer living in Melbourne is AFL.
I do wonder how 'sharp' the line is too. Like is one town AFL/rules dominant and the next rugby league? Or is it more a transitional zone? Like is AFL much bigger in Wodonga vs Albury because it's Victoria vs NSW?
