After a busy time meeting with thousands of geocachers at Mega and Giga-Events all over the world, Signal the Frog® is ready for a summer vacation. Yes, that’s right – he’s packing flip flops*, a snorkel, and many bottles of amphibian-proof sunscreen, because he is headed for Australia!

We’re excited to share Signal’s next destination with you as he continues to celebrate geocaching around the world. Visiting the Southern hemisphere for Australia Day 2018, our favorite frog is planning to join in on the festivities and barbecue like an Aussie would do!

You can take part in the celebration by hosting or attending an event on Friday, January 26 through Sunday, January 28, 2018 and earn the Australia Day 2018 souvenir.

If that is not enough to make you brave the cold by firing up a grill in the Northern hemisphere’s winter, we’ll give you some fun facts and clear up a common misconception about Australia.

1. There is rarely any shrimp on the barbie. “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you” was a marketing slogan from the Australian Tourism Commission in a TV ad in the 1980’s. Australians actually use the word prawn not shrimp, and you’re more likely to find sausages or hamburgers on the barbecue for Australia Day.
2. January is summer time in Australia. Living in the Southern hemisphere means that having a picnic, beach parties, barbecues, and fireworks are all common activities on Australia Day.
3. There is deeper relevance for the emu and the kangaroo on the Australian coat of arms. Not only are both animals indigenous to Australia, they also have one trait in common: none of them can walk backwards. This characteristic serves as a metaphor for Australians to always move forward.

Do you have any interesting facts about Australia? Share in the comments below!

*Flip flops are called ‘thongs’ in Australia, or ‘jandals’ in New Zealand.