The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. This week’s issue is written by Michelle Elias, an intern with the Australia bureau.

When the Wowser Nation art collective put up a poster in 2017 that said “Bondi Joggers Must Wear a Helmet,” some Australians smiled at the joke, while others wondered if a new law had been passed.

The group confused a few more of us last month when they put up a large LED sign at Bondi Beach warning: “No alcohol, no smoking, no music, no dancing, random cavity searches — Happy Australia Day.”