Yes Australia day is like your independence day. It commemorates our federation as a Nation .
Damper is a traditional campfire bread, usually cooked over coals in a camp oven , which is really a big cast iron pot with a lid and a handle. It is made from , flour , water ( sometimes milk if you have it or beer even ) and sometimes some baking powder or soda for leavening however this is not essential and traditionally served with golden syrup . My sister actually picked up some from the supermarket today so I didn't have to build a fire in the backyard. These days I cook it in a conventional oven and tart it up a bit some good cheese and chives.
It is usually a round rustic looking loaf.
Lamingtons , are a Queensland cake , they are made from sponge cake cut into squares , then dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut. They can have jam and cream in the middle but the purists will tell you that it is not a traditional lamington if you do that.
We have had so little rain lately that a few days ago , my front lawn was dry , brown and crispy. So the rain is welcome here, however further north they have had a couple of tornados, flash flooding with several towns having to be evacuated. . I however have two very unhappy corgis camped in my laundry refusing to go out at all.
My uncle has a cattle station out in the west of our state and he was about to put his cattle and station up for sale as they had no rain and couldn't keep buying water and feed. The rain has saved him from doing this and his creeks are running again.
