In Australia, An 18th birthday is a special one, because it is the coming of age day when you're legally an adult. Turning 21 is the day you get the symbolic key to the door, when you are trusted as a responsible member of the family. In our family, they were a great excuse for a huge piss up. The celebrations were chaos, with kegs of beer andtestosterone cocktails. Whichusually ended in punch-ups… ,police intervention, and brutal tests of loyalty.