Wade Forster knows a thing or two about surviving Australia. Australian country music artist Wade Forster recently stopped by the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast, and it was one heck of a ride.The Aussie talked to us about the first time he played in Nashville (thanks to winning an Australian talent competition), living a 22 hour drive from the nearest major city in Australia, being bullied for listening to country music when he was younger, and let us in on his theory as to why his thick, Aussie accent goes away when he sings. Forster even let us in on some things his home country does a bit differently. He personally thinks Australians and Texans get along quite well, though he pointed out that those from “Down Under” actually tailgate after events instead of before. Pretty brilliant, right? The “Cigarettes” singer also cut through the lies of Australian stereotypes, talked about his former life as a rodeo cowboy and rugby player, and gave his go-to advice for avoiding lethal creatures in his homeland. Hailing from Queensland, Australia, Forster grew up and lived in a remote location for most of his life. How remote, you might be asking? The closest city was barely a day trip in the car, and the biggest city nearest to Forster and his family was basically a full day away: “The closest city is probably 7 or 8 hours, but it’s not a big city. The (biggest) major city is two full days of driving. So probably about 22 or 23 hours. Australia is the size of America, it’s just a different shape.” That’s a whole lot of driving if you want to stay connected to the bigger cities. For Forster, he did want to… only so that he could make his music career work. The “Fighting Tears” singer told us that his interest in music was twofold. One, he really loved country music and the opportunity a career in songwriting could give him. Two… his body had become worn down by all of the other jobs he had done up until pivoting to country music: “I wanted it to work. I had lived a hell of a life before that. I was a rugby player and a rodeo cowboy, and a HVAC technician and a ranch hand. I had done it all, but I really wanted music to work.” And eventually it did. Forster’s career was jumpstarted after he won a Toyota Star Maker Quest at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2024. That led him to performing for the first time in Nashville, and getting well on his way to making a living by playing music. Now, he shares his country anthems all across the world… and uses his platform to inform others on how to survive Australia. The Australian artist said, from his experience, the only two things that you need to worry about when traveling “Down Under” are snakes and goannas (predatory lizards). And the sole thing you need to remember if you ever come across either is this: “You don’t look at them, they won’t look at you. They will kill you. But don’t look at them, and they won’t look at you. The only thing (to worry about) are snakes and goannas – which are like a big, big, big iguana. They’ll come find you. Snakes and spiders, they are fine. Kangaroos are d***s.” @whiskeyriff @Wade Forster @Shelby McCarthy #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff The more you know. To hear more from Wade Forster, make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Australian Country Artist Wade Forster On How To Avoid The Creatures That Can Kill You “Down Under” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.