Every Monday, iPhoneography Oz invites a blogger to cover a topic about Australian society. Today, meet Audrey from France who lives in Sydney. She created and manages the useful website Maman a Sydney, an online interactive community for all French speaking mums (and dads) who live in Sydney and wider Australia.

This is a guest post by Audrey of Maman a Sydney.

According to an article in The Economist Intelligence Unit, Australia is the second best country (after Switzerland), for where a baby might be luckiest to be born in 2013… But becoming a mum on the other side of the world, 17,000 kilometres away from our family and values, from what we know and what we believe in, is not as dreamlike as one may imagine. From understanding how the Aussie Medicare system works, to finding a day-care, or even when giving vegemite to our little ones, being a maman a Sydney (mum in Sydney) is surely a fascinating journey! Adam (photo) loves the Lane Cove National Park, where he picks up sticks to show me cockatoos and lorikeets hiding in the gum trees. He can spend hours on Balmoral Beach in Sydney North, collecting shells and little stones…

• Hometown: Valdeblore, France.
• Most awkward Australian moment: The first time I got to work and said (absolutely naturally): "G'day mate!" to my manager...
• Favourite Australian place: Lane Cove National Park where I live, running on the Harbour Bridge at the earliest hours of the morning for the Sydney Marathon, that incredible walk to Barrenjoey Lighthouse just north of Palm Beach in Sydney North, Jervis Bay on the South Coast for a sunset walk, skiing in the Snowy Mountains, those contrasts of blue and orange in Australia's North West, meditation in Cape Tribulation...
• Worst Australian place: Canberra... no comment!
• Vegemite or Nutella: a bit of both under whipped cream on salty crackers, yummy!

What do you think? Did you become a mum or a dad in a foreign country? As a foreigner how do you raise your children in Australia? What tips would you give to someone who is raising a kid in Australia? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo captured by @barucchi. If you would like to guest post for iPhoneography Oz, send us a message and we will give you the details about how YOU can allow the iOz community to experience a preview of Australian society.

Every Monday, iPhoneography Oz invites a blogger to cover a topic about Australian society. Today, meet Kristina from Germany who has recently moved to Melbourne. She writes the blog Le fabuleux destin which tells her adventures in Australia and around the world. She loves to capture the hidden laneways of Melbourne, she enjoys drinking a flat white in the sunshine and has recently started to learn surfing.

This is a guest post by Kristina of Le fabuleux destin.

Melbourne is famous for its laneways, great coffee and its colourful street art. One of my favourite pastimes is to explore not only Melbourne's CBD, but also the numerous suburbs which all feature great street art – sometimes in prominent places, sometimes down small alleys or in hidden courtyards. Start your quest in the city centre in Hosier Lane opposite Federation Square – the most famous street art lane of Melbourne. Don't miss the cool picture in Chinatown at the back wall of a car park (photo) - it is one of my favourites. Take your time to venture out to Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick, Richmond, Northcote or Footscray and keep your eyes open for some real gems. When your legs get tired of too much exploring, settle down in one of the many cafes along the way, sip a flat white and recover from the urban adventures.

• Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany.
• Most awkward Australian moment: Numerous misunderstandings of the Aussie accent which did lead to very awkward conversations and questions!
• Favourite Australian place: Mornington Peninsula, Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, Margaret River region.
• Worst Australian place: Chinese restaurant in Hobart - just awful!
• Vegemite or Nutella: Nutella, no question.

What do you think? Have you been to Melbourne? What are the best things to do in Melbourne? Could you give us a reason why Melbourne is the world's most livable city? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo captured by @lefabuleuxdestin. If you would like to guest post for iPhoneography Oz, send us a message and we will give you the details about how YOU can allow the iOz community to experience a preview of Australian society.

Every Monday, iPhoneography Oz invites a blogger to cover a topic about Australian society. Today, meet Béatrice from Montreal, Canada. She writes the blog Eille la cheap !, a lifestyle blog for women who have too many interests and who wish to live a perfect life without breaking the bank. Just like us, she has enjoyed spending time in Sydney, particularly at Sydney Festival 2013.

This is a guest post by Béatrice Bernard-Poulin of Eille la cheap !

Some of you may have seen this photo circulate on the web, after all, it is quite amusing! As part of the Sydney Festival, which lasts for three weeks every January, many activities took place all over the city of Sydney. From music to art and participative activities, there was something for everyone. I totally fell in love with this installation in Darling Harbour, that simply represents... a rubber duck, a ducky you bring into the tub. But in a gigantic version... the world's largest Rubber Duck! The artist who created this installation is Florentijn Hofman from the Netherlands. The inflatable duck is five storeys high and has been travelling the world since 2007.

• Hometown: Montréal, Québec, Canada.
• Most awkward Australian moment: Spraining my ankle really, really bad after 9 days in Sydney, in 2010. Not necessarily awkward, but I got made fun of a LOT after this one.
• Favourite Australian place: I can't decide between Hobart and Sydney...
• Worst Australian place: Adelaide. Nothing to do or see there.
• Vegemite or Nutella: Nutella! Not even a question. Vegemite is the absolute worst thing.

What do you think? Have you been to Sydney Festival? What are the best Sydney events? In summer, what are the things to do in Sydney that you would recommend? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo captured by @beatricebp (Android). If you would like to guest post for iPhoneography Oz, send us a message and we will give you the details about how YOU can allow the iOz community to experience a preview of Australian society.

iPhoneography Oz gives a try to Guest Blogging! We are going to regularly invite a blogger to cover a topic about Australian society. Today, Sarah gets the ball rolling. Just like us, she is about to run the Sydney Marathon (Blackmores Sydney Running Festival) on September 16. Except that she is going to run in a dress!

This is a guest post by Sarah Forsterling of Social 4 Social

Lots of my friends are freaked out about turning 30. That it means they should be well on their way to wherever they had decided they wanted to get to when they were 21. But for some reason that is not me. Not sure if it is because I look young, have ringlets and don't wear much makeup or just because I see 30 as an opportunity to mark where you want to go. You are old enough to have an idea of the sort of person you want to be and the sort of attitude and energy you want to encourage in those around you. So I am pumped about turning 30 in two weeks time.

I love to do lots of things. I love reading, writing and running. I love spending time with my family and friends. And I love being empowered to make the decisions that affect my life. So I thought why not mark my 30 milestone by doing something that encourages all of these things - health, fitness, appreciation for the outdoors and education.

For my birthday I am not asking for presents or champagne. Instead, I am running the Sydney Marathon in a school dress, asking my family to join me and asking my mates to donate $10 to help send girls to school in Sierra Leone.

Not your typical 30th birthday celebration, but one which I will remember and one which I hope encourages me, and those around me, to continue to be positive, motivated and realise you can always have an impact.

I am going to turn 30, being hot, sweaty and healthy. Surrounded by motivated people, taking in some of Australia's best sites and being proud of helping share the joy of education with deserving girls. Hard to beat that.

If you feel like supporting Sarah you can do that over here, she would love it. Or you can find her on twitter or pop over to see her blog.

Photo captured by @sarfos. If you would like to guest post for iPhoneography Oz, send us a message and we will give you the details about how YOU can allow the iOz community to experience a preview of Australian society.