[mustntmumble]

I agree, until the early 80s, while most computer owners I knew in NZ had a ZX81, Spectrum, Vic20 or C64, but there were a few people I knew who had an Australian made TRS80 clone called the Dick Smith System 80 - https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/system-80/

[jussij]

In the early 80's Australia also had the Microbee: https://physicsmuseum.uq.edu.au/microbee-computer

[yesenadam]

Ah the memories. I loved them. My NSW high school used them (early to late 80s at least) and my friend's dad had one and we got into programming on them. When I wanted my own computer about 1986 that was the obvious and only choice. Experts could do amazing things with BASIC by embedding machine code routines into REM comment lines with POKE statements. I wrote mainly in BASIC, Turbo Pascal, Z80 assembler. I remember trying out Lisp and drawing a Mandelbrot set image on it. They were CP/M. I remember it said "Gary Kildall" on screen as it started up. I was programming on it until 2000! - I never had a computer with a mouse until then.

It was so different pre-internet - I never laid eyes on a book or manual on Turbo Pascal or Z80 assembler. I think I picked up crumbs from computer magazines in libraries.

[keithnz]

in my friend group it was Atari, Spectrum Vic20 / C64, or apple mostly, I started on ZX81, then we got an Atari 800XL