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What is your country's "coals to Newcastle"? (feddit.uk)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I was talking with a friend who mentioned "taking tea to India". It made me wonder what the equivalents are around the world. "Taking coals to Newcastle" is the UK's.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Coals to Newcastle works well in Australia too. (I don't think I've ever actually heard that in practice though.)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Same, never heard it used here, and I can't think of any other Australian equivalents.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Bauxite is the obvious one. Bringing bauxite to Australia. How could you forget about bauxite?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Australia also has a Newcastle (in New South Wales, north of Sydney). Not sure if it has/had coal mines, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. Australians using the phrase may be referring to their Newcastle, and even unaware of the English one.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago

Australia also has a Newcastle (in New South Wales, north of Sydney)

Yes, that's why I mentioned it. When I said "works well in Australia", what I meant was "in theory, the same logic you used to apply it to Newcastle-upon-Tyne could be used to apply it to Newcastle, NSW", and not that it actually is used in Australia (I know I've never heard it).

Not sure if it has/had coal mines

Not just does it, but it is in fact home to Australia's largest coal-shipping port. In fact, Port of Newcastle is, according to Wikipedia, the world's largest coal terminal.