By 1980, there were official exchange programs between Canadian and Australian departments responsible for statistics, aboriginal people, labour, justice and defence. Australia's only complaint - a traditional one - was that far too few Canadian politicians visited Australia.

- from Wikipedia

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Australia didn't think he'd ever seen someone turn that red before. Or run that fast. He scratched his head underneath his hat, slouching back a little in the hospital waiting room. It was a little weird. Weren't there bears in Canada? And sunshine? How did his northern relative survive if he couldn't handle a little wildlife and a warm day?

Okay, so, maybe leaving him alone hadn't been the best idea. He didn't get as many visitors as he'd like – it was easy to forget that not everyone was like him and New Zealand.

You know. Competent.

Australia sighed and shook his head. No, no, no, he wasn't going to keep doing that anymore. They were all friends now. Again. For now. He'd told himself he wasn't going to fight with Canada, or call him 'America', (or tack on 'Lackey' or 'Stooge' to it afterwards) or accidentally knock him into any rivers which may or may not be populated with crocodiles. They were supposed to be turning over a new leaf, here. No more arguing and screwing one another over in trades and kicking each other underneath tables when no one was looking.

He should have probably included 'abandoning each other in the bush' on that list, but he honestly hadn't thought about it. Although now that he was here he guessed that he maybe should have. But Canada was so enthusiastic about nature! He thought he'd like having the chance to explore a little on his own.

They had wolves in Canada. Dingoes weren't that different.

It was common sense. 'Don't feed the dingoes!'. And it wasn't his fault that Canada apparently couldn't tell them apart from dogs, or that his skin burnt like paper, or that he'd lost his hat…

With a sigh he shifted slightly in his chair, and shook his head.

No, that wasn't right. He was being a bad host on purpose and he knew it. It was just that he'd been to Canada a bunch of times now (and he'd thought he'd learned to pack warm clothes, but every time he got there the climate proved him wrong again) but Canada hadn't been down here in… well, a very long time. He couldn't even remember his last visit. So he was doing what they always tended to do with one another, and getting back at him for it.

At this rate it probably wasn't any wonder that they always ended up bickering and then ignoring each other time and again.

Well, not any more! That was right. It was surprising, sometimes, how well they got along when they actually remembered to get along, and he wasn't going to let his temper get the better of him. No. No, when Canada got rehydrated and had all of his scrapes bandaged up, Australia'd make it up to him. He'd… take him for ice-cream. Or something.

It would be good.

Then maybe Canada would actually come back and visit again after he left this time.