Apparently the disdain extends to Yanks too
In 2006, I visited Brisbane. As a Yank abroad for the first time, I was a bit bewildered, and keen to talk to just about anyone. I knew nothing about sports like rugby, but knew how much the Aussies liked it.

On a train, I spotted a fellow and his girlfriend in yellow-and-green rugby jackets. I knew there had been a big game that evening and wondered who had won.

I approached and asked "did Great Britain or Brisbane win today's game?" The girl friend corrected: "Australia defeated Great Britain". The fellow, somewhat sarcastically, asked "do you know where you are?" I cheerily answered "Barely!" He asked, concealing disappointment, "you're an American, aren't you?" I answered yes. Girl friend said, "oh, we've seen many international folks today - Germans, Czechs, etc." I continued, "you see, when I flew into Brisbane on Wednesday, I flew in with the Great Britain rugby team." Rugby guy answered, "then you must have felt right at home." I said, "no, rather...."

He interrupted: "Listen! I hate Pommes and I hate Yanks, the two most loser nations in the world!" Girl friend said "hush, don't be rude." At that point I broke off the conversation He then began muttering all kinds of venomous anti-American things to the girl friend, amongst which I heard the name George Bush mentioned several times.

Thankfully, however, I did not have to go to school with the lout.
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Thu 1 Apr 2010, 21:27, 1 reply)

It's quite odd.
Sure, over here, we joke about Yanks, Germans etc... but there's not one I've met of either country that I wouldn't buy a beer for - I think that's true of most Brits, yet when in Australia - I've been back a few times since school days to visit family - they actually spit venom when certain (if not all) nations are mentioned.

I'm pretty sure it's jealousy. I've wracked my brain to think of what Australia has contributed to the world and can only come up with the rotary-clothes line. A space saving device for a land with more space than most others.
(dchurch bah, Thu 1 Apr 2010, 22:19, closed)

Philo-Americans Too
I also met a girl eager to shed her Aussie identity so she could slip unnoticed into LA. That was strange too. But, 99% of the folks seemed happy the way they were.

There were a few water-saving innovations in AU I liked quite a bit:

The toilet option of a half-flush;
Tanks to collect rainwater from the roof; and,
Automatic carwash using almost no (recycled) water.

And the best advertising slogan in the world, for a discount brand of dog food. Chum (with chicken): 'So chumpy you can carve it!'
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Thu 1 Apr 2010, 22:44, closed)

I'm
pretty sure the roof-rain-water tank originated in Berlin.
(dchurch bah, Thu 1 Apr 2010, 23:04, closed)

And that paragon of tolerance
HRH Prince Phillip invented the half flush so that wee got only a bit bit a huge brown log poking out the top of the water could get a bit more to get rid.
(Wagane, Sun 4 Apr 2010, 16:17, closed)