: Re: How to depict Australian characters In my working novel, a character encounters an Aussie. Having nigh-zero knowledge of how to make dialogues in an Australian accent, I just opted to describe

@Vandalay250

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Australia is no different to other countries in that accents can be predicated by the person's origins such as whether they grew up in a city or a rural area. In general, most Aussies tend to shorten/contract words, use informal and colloquial terms, and drop parts of sentences as though implied.
Unfortunately (for some) many TV and movie characters depict Aussies that are stereotypically rural types, with a pronounced drawl. That said, rural Aussies have their own distinctive phrases depending on the region of Australia they come from. Some adopt variations of the rhyming slang that is also used in the UK. Others tend to end sentences as though they are questions by the "eh?" ending. This is common in northern parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
A more typical response for Wrangler might be: "Mate, the bloody eel slipped back to Windsor before I nail'd 'im."
By the way, fist bumping is viewed in Australia as more of an American act, although many Americanisms are adopted by Aussies, particularly younger generations. Back slapping is more Australian.
Edit: The heavier the use of slang, the more likely the person comes from a rural area and/or has limited education (a generalisation).
Here're some slang terms and their meanings used across the country:

Ambo : ambulance, ambulance driver.
Ankle biter : small child.
She'll be apples : It'll be all right.
Arvo : afternoon.
Back of Bourke : a very long way away.
Bastard : term of endearment.
Bathers : swimming costume.
Battler : someone working hard and only just making a living.
Beaut, beauty : great, fantastic.
Billy : teapot. Container for boiling water.
Bloke : man, guy.
Blokey-bloke : macho man.
Bloody : very (bloody hard yakka), to add emphasis.
Bloody oath! : that's certainly true.
Blow in the bag : perform a breathalyser test.
Bludger : lazy person, layabout, somebody who always relies on other people to do things or lend him things.
Blue : fight ("he was having a blue with his wife").
Blue, make a : make a mistake.
Youse : You (plural)

More slang can be found here: www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html As requested, some common contractions include:

th'sarvo meaning this afternoon: "I'll see ya th'sarvo"
g'day meaning 'good day': "G'day, mate"
hows't meaning 'how is it': "Hows't goin'?" (pronounced 'how-zit')
ava meaning 'have a' : "Ava good weekend."

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