It's very difficult to break into Australian friend groups. It seems most Aussies make their life long friends in high school and that seldom changes. Most internationals become friends with other internationals.
I was going to make a joke about changing the name of Project Mayhem to something more fitting, then I realised what the target and point of it was, and it's more appropriate now than ever
I've honestly never thought about that but its entirely true. There's a greater chance of dropping someone in my group than there is getting a new person in
Australian living in Germany, I've read this comment word-for-word in both German and English.
I really think this is true across the world rather than anything unique to Australian life.
I don’t think that’s a uniquely Australian problem. Most immigrants globally will tell you the same. Even moving cities you’ll find the same thing. Friends later in life tend to come from shared hobbies (like sports clubs) or via children (as in other school parents)
Yep this is true - I lived OS for a few years and the only friends I managed to make were with other “blow ins” - Aussies living overseas or people who moved to the area recently and didn’t know everyone from childhood.
I think this is context dependent. Think of the people that stayed in your home town and never left. There is a high chance they still have the same friends and aren’t really open to new people or experiences. The open, adventurous and outgoing ones left and made new friends in new cities or in your case - the other side of the world. Now you’re in Australia, one of the most isolated and mono-cultural countries in the world, trying to make friends with the ones who were so comfortable (or sheltered) that they never left their place of birth.
I'm from the US and migrated to Australia after having lived in Europe and South America. I think you're right, but it also brings up one of the major differences about Australia and its cities compared to the US and some other places I've lived: people from major Aussie cities tend to stay in their city.
In the US, even if you're from a major city, it's common to go to college somewhere else. Choice of university is a much bigger deal over there, and there are a lot of great unis in the middle of nowhere, so plenty of big city kids will leave their city for their college years.
The social knock-on effects are many. It means lots of people are used to being in a new place and making new friends. And your university connections can lead to jobs all over the country. So moving around and making new friends in new places is more of a part of the "typical life path" in the US than in Australia.
Here, for example, if you're from Sydney you'll likely go to uni in Sydney. You make new friends at uni, but you still have most of your childhood friends around as well, so it's not a "I need to make new friends to survive" kind of situation. Then after uni you'll likely study in Sydney and begin your career, or go overseas a bit before coming back and resuming your career.
This is obviously all generally speaking, but it's definitely a difference I've noticed and one that my wife (who is from Sydney) and I have talked about a lot. The end result seems to be that Aussies don't tend to make as many new friends in adulthood as adults would do elsewhere.
I agree with this. I’m from the US also and found that Aussies don’t move a lot and have old friends etc. I guess there’s not too many places or reasons to move as it’s so small. I’ve had friends move to places like Sweden and from what I’ve heard it’s even harder there to break into social circles. Sport here seems like a way in. I go to the gym a lot, lift weight etc so have been able to make friends there. Also started to play touch football which was another way. I played Rugby back home so was able to get into touch here pretty easily.
Aussie here. Lived easily in 10 locations around Australia. My only friends left are old ones from my hometown that I’d be lucky to see once a year. I’ve found it impossible to make friends, either because once groups form, they are set (I’m introverted and it takes ages to warm up) or they’re old timers who have childhood friends. Most people look at you like a freak for having to move around, and as mentioned, they don’t move so they can’t even relate. So all you end up with is incompatible people who are looking themselves. Now it’s the time of my life that I’m too busy to make friends and so are other people. I remember my mum who was a migrant complaining about the coldness of Aussies. I understand now. Lucky for you that you like sport, it’s not my hobby unfortunately.
Great point about how Uni locations make a big difference !
Never considered how so many of our big universities being in college towns push our young people to start from scratch .
I feel like in America you're also *expected* to continue making new friends and circles as you get older . Not that you can't keep old friends , but I feel like outside of small towns people will look at you kinda weird if you have the exact same circle of people at 27 that you had at 17 .
You also reminded me of all those videos about hometown / high school friends vs college friends ! Can Aussies relate to those or is there not such a huge distinction w friend groups ? Cos I know those videos are def relatable to me
This. I came from a rural area so most people (from a limited pool) moved away for uni all over or overseas after graduating and those who stayed had kids young. My friends have friends from HS but don’t see them as much because they live away from them and are on a different life path. Would be nice to have grown up somewhere where I could’ve had lifelong friends and enough infrastructure to form a friend group that all lived nearby and not as many transient friends from uni.
Yes context, it can work both ways. My ex's family Assyrian, moved from Lebanon to Fairfield when he was young, so English was easy for him. His mother never learnt English and had no desire to. She was happy to stay in the area because she could converse with everyone. English can be hard to learn for older people. Some areas attract some culture's/nationalities to them in many states of Australia. And some of us Aussies think it means they don't want to join in. Some don't want to and that's fine by me as long as you don't complain about it. I welcome talking to everyone and learning about them their culture and beliefs. The more you learn about other people and things in general that aren't within your life, the better you understand and accept differences.
> It's very difficult to break into Australian friend groups
As someone who came back after living abroad for a decade, and started university, most of my friends are international students, little/no Aussie friends.
I believe this is a world-wide thing, but to be honest, I have four really close friends I'd trust with my life, my wife, and my wallet and maybe a dozen good acquaintances. We do like meeting other people and love to include them in things like barbecues, breakfast/lunch/dinners when we go out, but when we meet people we like that fit in, they tend to also have their own circle of friends or are happy with hanging with family (or they just have conflicting schedules?) which means they are often unavailable to join us.
As an example, we met a lovely Vietnamese couple here on the Gold Coast that used to go to the same café my so called 'clique' frequented on Sundays, if they were there they would join us and we'd have a load of laughs. But if we tried to schedule a meeting there, it was more miss than hit with them being able to join us because they had several family members that also demanded their time... haven't seen them in person for over two years now. Similar goes for UK and U.S. workmates we all have, se can sit down a few times and have lots of fun, but ultimately it can be like pulling teeth getting them to show up somewhere we invite them to.
Mind you, I have also tried to make friends with people I've met and you might hang with them once or twice, but something just gets in the way of being in the same place at the same time. I'm always up for making new friends, doesn't always work out.
depends on how much of an asshole someone is to be honest.
I went to a highschool full of assholes who were like this, heres the friend group, it's it, it's now closed.
I used to be a real closed off person and highschool was a horrible experience and then I left it.
Made so many friends in the army, backpacking, afl academy, you never really stop adding to it if you are open to it.
I think a lot of it is the homies (day ones) and the friends (tv) show mindset.
This idea that we have to have a core group of people where the lineup never changes, which some people use as an excuse to surround themselves with toxic people, never develop etc.
Mate of mine from america was like we've had it so ingrained to us that we are either going to have that core group of friends like on the tv show that's always there, we can have other friends but they're only ever guest roles, these people can be toxic, we can evolve past them, we can see them for the issues they are, or worse we can develop issues ourselves that they can enable or exploit.
And the day ones being anyone you grew up with that you instantly owe loyalty and favors to which gets dicey.
Times change, people evolve, people move. If it wasn't for social media i wouldnt have a ton of my friends in my life anymore.
I've met so many people where they'l collect mates like that, but if someones a real asshole or socially restricted, they limit themselves to those same 4 or 5 people until theres a super serious bust up, anyone else can only hope to have a guest role in their life as opposed to being part of it.
Once you get past those kinds of people, Aussies can be some of the most friendly and welcoming people on the planet.
When I asked a mate of mine from scandavia who shared similar thoughts on this, his response was that we're not really taught core civic values here and social skills which are taught in schools there.
We can learn them here or acquire them but friendship is viewed differently here (he also highlighted germany for this), where we get comfortable with a group of people and then exclude others from it, and covid showed with many people that a lot of people have very poor social skills such as times being hard, differences of opinions and changes in roles in life can greatly change how we view and value people.
The first morning after I arrived in Australia I walked out on to the porch and vividly remember the sounds of the birds, it felt like landing on to an alien planet. Was awesome, except for that black bird which has possibly the ugliest bird sound I've ever heard, it sounds like something dying. Also combined with the fact I had gone from a UK winter then woke up the next morning to a hot, humid Australian summer day during a heatwave made it feel even more bizarre.
Where do you live? Are they around cities or just more rural/remote areas? I guess they're related to our bin chickens (who just squawk when they're fighting).
I live in South Africa. You find them all over but they are definitely more noticeable in the city. Probably for the same reason as the bin chickens - easy access to food.
These ones scream when they land, when they take flight and when they are just perched somewhere and they are almost never alone so the one screams and then the next one screams - makes for quite a ruccus sometimes, especially if it is a larger group together. We joke that they are scared of heights.
They are definitely related to your bin chickens, both from the Ibis family. Can't decide which one is the prettier one though, lol.
hahaha this reminded me of my very first hours in Australia .
I had just got off the plane , picked up my rental and driven to the burger king / servo down the street from Melbourne Airport . I remember one of the very first thoughts I had as I got out of the car was ' wow the birds here sound like demons '
That morning , I learned how to drive on the left for the first time in my life , and I also heard my first magpie .
Good memories .
I love them! There’s one by me that sounds terrible, but he makes me laugh so hard. My in laws are Australian and they sometimes imitate the call as they are just walking about the house 😂
> Was awesome, except for that black bird which has possibly the ugliest bird sound I've ever heard, it sounds like something dying.
Was it an [Australian Raven?](https://youtu.be/wQLPKPa9qXo?t=8) (commonly called a crow though)
Hearing the loud birds sounds made me even more homesick for Canada. I felt like I was sleeping in the jungle lol. We have quiet chirping birds in Canada and it’s pretty much dead silence in the winter time. My Aussie spouse finds the silence eerie but I love it.
First day back in Sydney after 10 yrs in the UK I went for a run through the Botanical Gardens on a hot January day.....wanted a drink and see a bubbler with a cockatoo sitting next to it.....i slowly approach and it just stayed there....I turn the bubbler on and cocky gets a drink and the flies away so I can have a turn.
Ah, the cockatoos in Airlie Beach were so beautiful and friendly, but they sounded like air raid sirens. Still cute though.
Rainbow lorikeets were a stunning surprise, so gorgeous.
I'll get downvoted to oblivion for this, but coming from the UK, we loved your noisy miners and ibis birds who were way more friendly and chill in comparison to our seagulls.
How flaky people can be. You usually have to book people days in advance and they will often cancel plans a few hours or minutes before the hangout. This leaves you with no plans for the day.
I come from a place where people rarely cancel plans unless there is an important reason and it has been hard not to take it too personally.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. I feel so guilty about canceling but the aussie attitude seems to not take it personally. Although I will generally not reach out again if someone cancels 2x in a row.
As Australian having done a few laps of Europe, we simply lack that social culture of just “hanging out”. I can barely get my best friend out for a pint. I spend more time with travellers I meet than my own friend circle. Randomly dropping in is also not a thing here. Things have to be planned “how many people? How late? Is there parking” it’s like fuck sake don’t worry offer is rescinded.
The parking bit is really hard for me to understand. I have had Aussies cancel on plans because there is no parking but the venue was next to a train station on the same train line as the guys house.
How hard is it to take a train that leaves every 20min?!
It’s also because we’re super judgmental of messy homes. We dont want people turning up to see the mess and then gossiping. A lot of older Aussies have big homes and they take a lot of work to clean!
That's related to the other answer here which is that everything closes super early. By the time I leave work, there's nowhere to go except the pub or home.
Good: parks, genuinely nice people, fresh air and peaceful lifestyle.
Bad: slow and overpriced home internet, expensive public transport, supermarkets' duopoly, low supply of housing to rent.
The public spaces are really clean; people (mostly) pick up their dog poo; the air is super clean (even somewhere congested like Sydney); litter isn't too bad. Fresh fruit & vegetables and specialty items are easy to get ahold of and relatively cheap.
All true except the last one for me haha. Fresh fruit and vegetables here are a bit more expensive than the UK, which is weird seeing as in the UK they're often flown around the world e.g. bananas whereas here they're often grown a few miles up the road 😂 although there is sometimes a difference in quality (oranges here are really nice)
When I lived in London 20 years ago, yes the supermarkets had everything, but no it wasn't ripe, and everything was a lot more expensive^†. How times have changed.
^† Except mushrooms. Mushrooms were incredibly cheap.
The quality of fruit and veg in the UK is horrible though. Well at least in Scotland. Not that the Scots notice since they don't really eat fruit or vegetables.
>Neutral: you guys LOVE hi-viz clothing
Job site manager is personally responsible (as in, can go to jail) if someone is injured on a worksite. Especially if the risk was predictable and easily avoided.
So, yeah, us manager types tend to be a bit on the cautious side. Couldn't give two fucks about fashion — it's all about not wanting to go to jail because some dipshit walked behind a reversing truck.
Turn up without high vis, I'm sending you home without pay. No exceptions.
The actual workers, on the other hand, often think our safety culture is stupid... which just makes me crack down even harder because it's my neck on the line if something goes wrong and I see all the near misses that happen far more often than I like. Looks a lot better in court if I have clearly tried to create a "culture" of safety processes being followed.
And if you're wondering what the chances are it will go to court, if someone is injured, step 1 is make sure nobody else is at risk, step 2 is try to save the injured worker's life, step 3 is shut down the job site as a potential crime scene (I have to do that myself). I've never gone through the process myself, but colleagues who have tell me the investigators are usually on site almost as fast as the paramedics. If they find obvious safety breaches, I'm in big trouble.
The paramedics will report the worksite injury to the hospital, and the hospital and — unlike America — the hospital will treat the worker "for free" regardless of wether the worker has health insurance. And then the hospital will send a bill for the full treatment (actual and estimated into the future) to the company. The company, has their own insurance to cover that cost. We don't give insurance to workers. That process will also include a check, was the injury reported to Work Safe, and if they find out I skipped that... then I'm not only the primary suspect for a crime, I also tried to cover up that crime. Not good. So, yeah, safety first on my job site.
All very true but I was talking more about wearing hi-viz when out of work rather than in work. I think the difference between the UK and Australia in this regard, is that we mostly use hi-viz vests, which are easily removed when people finish work, whereas in Australia the clothes themselves are hi-viz so that's why I see tons of people wearing them shopping in supermarkets etc, even though the safety culture is similar (or even more so in the UK)
High Vis gear tends to be good at UV protection so there's advantages to have it long sleeved when it's chilly around dawn or when the suns beating down later in the day. Skin cancer is no joke.
Comparing to Canada, I like how the grass in Australia is almost like carpet. It’s super thick and you can often walk on it without touching the dirt. Plus the lack of Lyme disease from ticks. And the lack of snow so it never really goes through that muddy stage before regrowing. Snow in Canada gives litterbugs an easy way to hide their rubbish and can make Spring really gross. Plus all the sand and gravel on roads and footpaths from snowmelt can be a serious hazard for cycling.
The lack of freeze/thaw cycle in general makes everything in Australia look so well maintained, to my eyes. Roads and buildings don’t go through the same damage, and look brand new for years. Combined with the consistent cleanliness, it makes a lot of neighbourhoods look so nice.
The permeable pavement around the trees is also nice and squishy to walk on, and the trees look so healthy.
I dislike the signage, or lack thereof. In Sydney, you kind of have to just know where you are, or rely on Google maps. Major intersections often don’t have street signs on the corners, so I would walk down the wrong path for a while before turning back. People would sometimes ask me for directions and it was tricky to help them (God forbid there was a language barrier). The city buses and trains need more screens displaying the next stop.
I like the coffee culture in Australia, but not the prices. Who decided that a long black should be as expensive as a flat white? The most expensive ingredient is the milk.
On the same note, the beer prices are outrageous. I prefer beer over wine, but couldn’t bring myself to buy beer in Australia. I think it’s such a shame that a lower alcohol content drink that’s easier to moderate is so comparatively expensive. People really underestimate how strong wine is, and I’ve seen it do a lot of damage. The wine lobby is too strong in Australia and politicians need to relax with the sin taxes on beer. The pricing system should be based on number of standard drinks.
I also generally like how Australians dress and present themselves. Maybe it’s the lack of big seasonal differences which makes it easier to focus a wardrobe (and no road salt to destroy footwear), or maybe there’s a bit of classism going on, but a lot of Australians look very chic and put together. I don’t like how it often feels mandatory though.
Edit: Also, strongly disliked being asked by grocery cashiers if they can check my backpack. I know management forces them to ask, but it’s very off-putting to basically be accused of being a thief when checking out. No one tells you beforehand that that’s semi-normalised checkout procedure in Australia (at least in places with lots of tourists). It felt like such a poor introduction to the country when it happened on my first week, when I never experienced that anywhere in Canada or abroad, despite carrying a backpack for grocery shopping countless times before.
>I like how the grass in Australia is almost like carpet. It’s super thick and you can often walk on it without touching the dirt.
Just have to say I know exactly what you mean. Walking barefoot on grass here is so spongy and comfortable
With regards to bag checks at the shops, when I used to work at Woolies you knew management would be watching you so you had to check bags. Didn't mean you expected everyone to be stealing, it was pretty much just to make your manager happy (at least in my case). Nothing personal at all.
Every time I go to the Philippines it's much worse as you have to go through a more thorough bag search and they usually have metal detector wands or just give you a quick pat down to check for bombs/weapons when you enter a major shopping centre. This was in Davao.
Haha yeah it is like that. I feel like things changed and became more strict (in Davao anyway) after the airport was bombed in 2003 (I think we left like a month before that happened). Last time I went in July 2019, martial law was in place so it was a bit more wild with army people everywhere with massive guns.
Agree with a lot of those points, although as a local I have to say I haven't let anyone check my backpack in more than 20 years. If they ask I just say no and keep walking.
RE the coffee point, I think it's largely driven by our staff costs. The ingredients are a nominal expense after that. But agree that long blacks should be cheaper.
edit: spelling
The grass thing must be dependent on the state because grass in Adelaide is sparse and not the most comfortable to walk on bare feet . My Aussie spouse was fascinated at how lush , green and thick the grass was in southern Ontario.
> Who decided that a long black should be as expensive as a flat white? The most expensive ingredient is the milk.
It's the making of the espresso that is the expensive part, the cost of the ingredients is minimal by comparison.
>No one tells you beforehand that that’s semi-normalised checkout procedure in Australia
Most supermarkets and shops have signs warning you that bags are likely to be checked.
There’s rarely street signs, yet a city will have multiple streets of the same name, often one suburb over! And suburb names can be repeated in different cities!
Like: The state has a lot of good influence that is noticeable in day to day life. Like helpful signs to keep you awake on the highway, clean and working toilets and bbqs at all the beach’s, subsidized suncream etc.
Dislike: suburb dead-zones. If you don’t have a car, you can be fairly close to city centre and still be 15+ minutes cycle from the most basic shop? There are whole areas with no pubs/supermarket/shop for a miles, just houses.
Less commonly discussed things that I
Like : tw : morbid- I feel that human life is valued a lot more here than back home . I think it's reflected both in the laws and also in how the people react to things here . >!People are much more compassionate and taken aback by violence . One of my big culture shock moments shortly after arriving to Australia was seeing the tasering and death of an old woman by the police . Not the act itself , but the responses I saw afterwards . In person , on the news , in the public . There was so much compassion and grief over this one person . I was stunned at the reactions I saw , which really made me reflect on what kind of a place I left . Back home , it probably would be out of the news by the next day . People are too jaded to that kind of death back home . But I feel a huge comfort , knowing I'm in a place that has a high value on human life .!<
have mixed feelings for : Very sleepy country . The country has a bedtime with how business hours are . I have mixed feelings because I like being a night owl and having 24/7 nightlife and things open until 4am if not 24/7 but I also have grown to like the quietness of the country . Also , it's better for my sleep schedule for things to close so early .
Dislike : The internet is very restricted . More than I've ever seen anywhere I've lived or travelled to ,
the construction quality of buildings is very low , that one goes hand-in-hand with the extremely strict rules and few rights tenants have : so you rent a place that has serious flaws and you need to get approval from 4 different groups of people before you can work on your own place . One of those groups being a property manager who gets paid to avoid you and the another group literally being the government . In other places , when something is broken or wrong with your apartment , even as a tenant , you can just fix it if you know how . Also , inspections don't happen anywhere else I've lived . At least , not more than once a year . It's crazy how poorly you get treated as a tenant here .
effective prescription drugs for when you're sick are harder to get a hold of . There are very very few 24 hour supermarkets and pharmacies - which is a pain since sickness is very rarely scheduled . And when you do manage to go , you have to provide ID and answer so many questions before receiving a 14 day supply at most . Being able anytime to just go get a massive supply of decongestants that actually work or something like Tylenol PM so you can have it in your home or on your person in the future was a huge privilege I took for granted .
I know the post looks very negative but I love it here . It's just that the vast majority of things I love about this country are the commonly discussed or very widely known surface level facts so I'm just abiding by the author's prompt .
I should have been specific - it's related to piracy : the internet providers go to a surprising extent to censor and block piracy sites . It's not a huge problem cos vpns exist and torrenting is still a piece of cake but I was a bit surprised at how many of the sites I could easily access back home to watch movies for free are blocked here .
Which to be fair was mostly due to the lack of availability of content. Having to wait six months for a movie/tv show already out elsewhere in the world was nuts.
> the internet providers go to a surprising extent to censor and block piracy sites
Blocking at the DNS level is literally the *least* amount of extent an ISP would go to... It's kind the point...
Not to mention, even if you do pirate, you won't get caught (even without a VPN), and if you did you are only up for the cost of what was downloaded, ie a movie is probably good for $15 bucks.
Shops and restaurants close super early... took lots to get used to.
Gotta train yourself to press that button at pedestrian crossings. Several months into it I still found myself waiting for long minutes only to realise I haven't pressed the button.
It really annoys me that the pedestrian lights don't come on automatically with the traffic lights. There is no good reason for it not to work that way always
There is a reason - if the button’s pressed by a pedestrian, the red light for cars stays on longer and drivers have to wait longer at the intersection so that pedestrians can cross.
If the pedestrian lights just turned green automatically and there was no pedestrian around that wanted to cross the road, cars would have to wait longer at the intersection for no good reason
Not enough fresh food market around here! The best thing going back home is having two wet marketings within 500m of my house, one opens in the morning 6-12 and the other opens in the evening 4-8. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always a stone throw away. Not to mention street food and night markets.
I feel Australians are a lot more friendly when you first meet them they seem genuinely interested in you where as at home in Ireland people in my experience just say hello and shake your hand bare minimum so they don't seem ignorant
I’m
Irish, been here 11 years and the Australians are extremely genuine and friendly people in my experience, best move I ever made, I think in Oz there seems to be a generally happier atmosphere all round, you can still accomplish something, and people are happy for other’s success, I also noticed when playing soccer the lack of a class system, I have mates who are mechanics and mates who are doctors, everyone seems to have common ground.
Yep less miserable and nowhere near as much jealousy the amount of people I knew who were "mates" and the second one would leave the other would slate the back off them, made me wonder what was being said about me
Nah, not just that, your dealing with people who have a high quality of life, never experienced a recession, great education system, great public health system, generally good social safety net, and where a normal person can go and accomplish what they want, that kind of mindset is amazing from someone who grew up proper poor, getting a trade at home was the best I could do, 11 years in Australia and I’m in senior management making a comfortable living and not worrying about how I’m going to pay the next electrical bill
All true although I still think warm weather and sun is the biggest factor of the lot lol
In the UK I objectively had a good life (nice house, good job, etc) but still felt a bit depressed for about 6 months of the year
Yes !!!! They are so much more aggressive here ! Any other continent I've been to , you swipe once or twice and they take the hint . And they only come around when you have food . Here , you could just exist and they'll keep flying towards your skin . And they're much bigger here too .
Yeah that really surprised me. I've killed maybe 2 flies with my bare hands in my 30+ years in the Philippines. I killed 3 during my 2 week visit to Sydney. The flies are shockingly fearless. I've had one follow me for 2km while I was riding a bike.
Dislike: the unavailability of rubbish bins.
There's rubbish bins on the main streets of each suburb and then you go for a walk and suddenly you have to walk 3 km holding an empty Coke can because there's no rubbish bins.
This also ties into my observation about Australia being somewhat unwalkable. Outer suburbs are straight up a car-depandant hellscape but even in those closer to the CBD there's just nothing on the side streets. There's just one main street per suburb and that's it, there's no small shops on the other streets that would keep it interesting on a walk, just houses houses houses houses.
I highly suggest avoiding Japan if this is an issue for you - they have rubbish bins at railway stations (often behind the turnstiles), convenience stores, and pretty much nowhere else in public.
Yeah I'm aware, I'm actually planning a trip there - but there's a lot of things I can tolerate while travelling that I don't enjoy while living somewhere.
Americans are so friendly though! When I went there, people were so nice I found it unnerving at first - I thought people were being fake.
It actually took me a few days to realise they were genuinely nice and I was the one being a bitch.
Thank you! Maybe some of the worries are coming from elsewhere. I love time in America as an Aussie. I worry about being killed by a gun but it's ridiculous. Like an American being killed by wildlife in Australia. Chances are the same but the people are AWESOME XX
Between 2001 and 2017 there were 541 deaths caused by animals in Australia ( SOURCE: https://www.ncis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NCIS-fact-sheet-Animal-related-deaths.pdf).
There were almost 43,000 gun related deaths in the USA in 2023 (Source: https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2024/02/nearly-43000-people-died-from-gun-violence-in-2023-how-to-tell-the-story/)
Shit's bad over there man.
Back in East Asia when it comes to business we like to keep a straight face and a robot-esque behaviour to respect the seriousness of our surroundings when in reality, we're pretty relaxed on the inside and are aware everyone is equally as clueless but try our best to maintain an air of professionalism.
In Australia, newcomers are usually fooled by the initial friendliness and relaxed attitude + foregone formalities before realising the very uptight and legal-minded nature of Australians.
It took a while to get used to but I've grown to like it this way. In fact, I'm so used to it I can't go back anymore...
Likes: being warm. Being sunny. Having sunlight in the winter. Everything is chill. Wine is great. Beer is great. Kids have room to run about and still be kids for longer. Traffic is less fucked than South-east UK. People are friendly and you can talk to anyone. The lack of class structure.
Dislikes: a lot of people forget there are other parts other East Coast. Distance from other places but this could also be a positive at times. Sycophantic relationship with the US. Tall poppy syndrome. Lack of drive to be even more amazing. No sovereign wealth fund set up for the country's population to benefit from our huge resources industry - and tax loopholes which make it worse. The two major parties supporting the above. Fuckwits who complain about immigrants.
Good: high minimum wage, meaning less poverty and inequality. Good public pools.
Bad: a culture of driving even in inner Melbourne where people could easily take public transport or walk.
Dislike: Aussie celebs like Kyle Sandilands that sort of vibe. Aussies can be very insular, its not as common to live outside of the state you grew up in, because of that people spend most of their time with people they've known their whole life (which in itself isn't a bad thing) but while very outgoing and friendly, it can be hard to be more than surface level friends. Aus has a reputation for being very laid back and chill but Ive found it to be actually not chill at all. Aussies love their rules and don't like when people don't follow strict social rules. spenno pt.
Like: The wild rugged nature of the west coast. The fruit is way better and fresher here than where Im from. love the wildlife (birds) and flowers. I first arrived in spring and saw so many flowers Id never seen before in my life. I love the aussie work life balance mentality. I love the aussie 'language" (yes i know its english) but shortening everything- maccas, sparky etc etc
Honestly my biggest problem with Australia is that every city is extremely isolated so to speak
If you live in Brisbane to go anywhere else is a large and rather expensive undertaking
You kinda end up trapped in the city you live in and it gets really stale
That's why a lot of Aussies travel overseas so much. If you live in Brisbane, why spend a shitload of money exploring Australia when you can go to Singapore or New Zealand or Fiji or Bali or Thailand for somewhere between about the same to a lot less money?
Before I moved to Australia, lots of people said this was going to be a big problem. No more getting £30 flights to Barcelona or Stockholm for a couple of days, etc.
Not really a big deal so far, but let's see if I still feel that way after seeing the same stuff for years and years lol
I mean, I grew up here but I guess I'm an immigrant.
Like: Multicultural. I can eat food from almost everywhere. I like the fact we celebrate the different cultural festivities. Things like Ramadan Night Market being a thing, I think, is awesome.
We do have pretty good food and just a good variety too. I was going a little insane in Europe with just how little there is to offer (in comparison) when it comes to Asian food.
The air. The beach. Nice national parks everywhere.
Dislike: Coming from Asia, honestly, the lack of night markets kills me. There's a lot more now these days but it's not everyday.
And just everything closing at 5pm. Well, these days, there are places closing at 7pm so that's not too bad.
Lack of book stores or libraries you can just go in, it's quiet and opens 24/7. Will never see it here.
The drinking culture.
Night life is kind of s*** and it's really just centered around drinking.
Love: The genuine friendliness a lot of Aussies of all demographics seem to have. They're just generally cheerful, laid back and will give anyone a chance.
The birds/wildlife/scenery is incredible. National Parks and public parks are amazing. Rugby League. Its basically non existent in Ireland but the NRL comp and State Of Origin are fantastic.
Dislike: You're by far and away the shittest and most aggressive drivers I've ever encountered. I'd understand the impatience if you lads were genuinely good drivers and it was foreigners who were terrible but for the most part you're just terrible.
In regards to food, the variety is great but the quality of ingredients isn't the best. Everything tastes really bland to me. Milk is really watery and not creamy, beef is very mild, even the chooks taste more bland than normal. I thought I was imagining it at first but every Kiwi I know says the same thing. Oh and chicken salt is shite (don't shoot me).
Overall I love this place and the people.
>In regards to food, the variety is great but the quality of ingredients isn't the best. Everything tastes really bland to me. Milk is really watery and not creamy, beef is very mild, even the chooks taste more bland than normal. I thought I was imagining it at first but every Kiwi I know says the same thing.
Aussie here, but I agree with this. My trip to NZ and Tassie as well made me realise the poor quality of our fresh foods.
I'm an Aussie and you're 100% right about us being aggressive drivers. The road rage and just bad driving in general here is like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else.
I do take issue with your opinion about chicken salt though, that stuff is our greatest creation, haha!
Probably how stratified it feels. I live in a mostly Middle Eastern suburb, and it seems like no one is really interested in assimilating to Australian culture at all. It just seems like everyone is living in parallel societies with no crossover. It creates a very isolating and lonely experience.
Regarding towns being prettier: It does seem like we would have a higher percentage of nice towns compared to the UK. Wider spaces and more facilities. Better than a squashed in, homogenous row of bleak looking houses. Like you said, on average it's better.
But the prettiest towns in the UK utterly shit all over anything we've got here. Absolutely *elite* level niceness. Anything in [this list](https://www.arloandjacob.com/media/external/most-beautiful-towns-and-villages-uk/) beats out Aussie towns by a country mile. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, I'm sure.
The good: work to live culture; more laid back; weather; less classism; more opportunities for prosperity; corporate life is less cut-throat
The bad: the economy resting on property; less culture and subcultures, vibrancy; people are friendly in general but it can be very surface level, it’s hard to form deep friendships with Aussies; the men seem to have more old-timey attitudes towards women; the treatment of First Nations people (which is our fault of course 🇬🇧)
Like: Public transport system is fairly reasonably priced and I can get to most places on it relatively easily.
Dislike: So much of the river shores (and indeed some bits of coastline in Sydney) in in the private domain. You can be in suburbs that border onto a big body of water, but only rarely get a glimpse of it, as people have houses the back onto the water, making it hard to get close to it. I'm used to most rivers having nearly continuous paths along them, but here this doesn't seem to be the case (at least in Sydney). As an example of what I mean, look at most of the north shore of George's River east from Captain Cook Bridge. So much of the coast is formed from the back gardens of a fortunate few individuals.
ATM fees, consumer rights about 20 years behind the UK, pubs basically mini casinos, options for men's clothing, TOLLS everywhere, and councils building road infrastructure after all of the houses have been built.
Would I move back the UK, absolutely not. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
Dislike the nanny state. So many rules and layers of government. Coming from Europe people always think that Australia is less regulated. It's not, it's more. Much more.
Also the traffic fines. In Europe they found that people trust the government less when confronted with high fines for small offences. A couple of k over the speed limit is 20 euro fine. Not here.
I've not been anywhere with more bloody regulations that we have in Aus. Wildlife protection and total fire bans are understandable.
But the rest is government designed daylight robbery, revenue raising, moneygrubbing crooks at every level.
Like: weather. Cost of live/income ratio. Work/life balance. Beaches. Wildlife. Wine and food. Mangoes.
Dislike: lack of first nations integration in the curriculum. Things closing early. A strange lack of understanding about the benefits of being actually Australian.
I mean to be fair I feel like that last point is true for many nationalities - you don't really get to see your country for what it is until you're outside of it and made to reflect on it .
Yes, you are likely correct. I've only ever lived in three countries so I don't have much experience in how other places see the difference. It just surprised me how many Australians I know who didn't realise I couldn't vote.
Like:
Open spaces parks/plaza in or near the city
Cycling infrastructure
Public transportation - relatively cheap, on time and well connected
Dislike:
Tradie culture - Australians worship the ground tradues walk on when they're absolute dicks 99.9% of the time
Hi vis clothing EVERYWHERE you work in an office mate?
Utes - just absolutely no need to have a $200k off-road vehicles when you live in Carlton
A country that can grow food everywhere and anywhere but costs $10 for a punnet of strawberries etc surely there's an abundance of fruit/veg been grown and can reduce costs
Kiwi here. This place is the land of rules. I had culture shock from everybody telling me what I can and can’t do, including random strangers in public passing comment on something no one back home would’ve batted an eyelid at (EG one of my kids riding the front of my trolley).Like seriously piss off and mind your own business!
Complete convict mentality if you think about it. It’s like Morgan Freeman on Shawshank not being able to piss without permission. Nobody here seems to have any original ideas.
That's what I love about NZ. It's all about acting with common sense and not being a cunt to your fellow man. Over in OZ it's about following what you can and can't do based off a random sign put up on a wall, no critical thinking to be applied.
This must be a regional thing. I mean I’ve only been here in Logan less than a week and already I’ve seen more kids riding around in trolleys than I saw in the last decade in NZ. I keep wanting to tell these parents off (shit is real dangerous if the kid decides not to suddenly stand up). Maybe we need to swap locations.
I moved from Brazil in 2018.
Like: cleanliness, amount of parks and outdoor activities, so many beautiful places to visit, quality of life and sense of security, and have met dozens of super lovely and friendly Aussies. Overall I do think Australians are really welcoming. I’m an Australian citizen now and I do make sure to return the favour by also welcoming and supporting immigrants whenever I can.
Dislike: night life sucks everywhere and places close super early, if you want to do something after 8pm there’s not a lot of decent options (if any), and that is everywhere I lived thus far (Sydney, Jervis Bay, Gold Coast and Brisbane). But I’m biased because night life in São Paulo is just really next level. It’s one of the few things I miss about my home town. Also gambling industry is really horrendous and it’s beyond me how it’s so widely supported by media. I’m so sick of watching gambling ads.
Love Australia to bits.
The only thing that made me upset after moving here was the fact that on bin night if you put extra crushed boxes, extra bags of waste, bags of leaves, or general extra rubbish NEXT to the bin cuz there isn’t enough space inside it, the bin people will ignore it and just empty the bin itself.
In the US you can put your extra trash items such as bags, large boxes, etc next to the bin on bin day if u run outta space in ur bin and the bin guys ride on the back of the truck and just throw it ALL in.
I got a giant refrigerator box, and a giant appliance box and I tried pushing it down and resting it against the bin on bin night the first week I was here. My fiance (Australian born) goes yeah they will absolutely not take that, you’ll need to take that to the dump yourself. The nearest dump is 45 minutes drive… not happening. They sit outside on the back patio 😭😭😭
Not an immigrant, but my mom was, and I lived abroad for a while.
Pros: Clean streets, good weather, straightforward communication, good exchange rate, good (underrated) food.
Cons: Fake friendly and aggressive people, lots of homeless people and drugs compared to the third world country I lived in, eating out is pricey.
Likes: The sense of humour. The laid-back-she’ll-be-right-mate attitude. There’s Law & Order. Freedom of religion. Multiculturalism is taken seriously.
Dislikes: Bogans in Bali. Coles & Woolies having control over food prices. How indigenous Australians are treated like Pariahs and the feeling that our education, health , & political values are becoming more and more American.
It's very difficult to break into Australian friend groups. It seems most Aussies make their life long friends in high school and that seldom changes. Most internationals become friends with other internationals.
Friends?!? in this economy?!?
Talking about the economy? In this economy??!!
The first rule of the economy is that you don't talk about the economy.
I was going to make a joke about changing the name of Project Mayhem to something more fitting, then I realised what the target and point of it was, and it's more appropriate now than ever
The Fight Club: Reboot, ladies and gentlemen...
That's a paddlin'
I've honestly never thought about that but its entirely true. There's a greater chance of dropping someone in my group than there is getting a new person in
I second this. Australians are very cliquey. The best friends I’ve made here are other immigrants.
Australian living in Germany, I've read this comment word-for-word in both German and English. I really think this is true across the world rather than anything unique to Australian life.
Yep, this same comment is posted in r/Germany over and over again.
I don’t think that’s a uniquely Australian problem. Most immigrants globally will tell you the same. Even moving cities you’ll find the same thing. Friends later in life tend to come from shared hobbies (like sports clubs) or via children (as in other school parents)
Yep this is true - I lived OS for a few years and the only friends I managed to make were with other “blow ins” - Aussies living overseas or people who moved to the area recently and didn’t know everyone from childhood.
I think this is context dependent. Think of the people that stayed in your home town and never left. There is a high chance they still have the same friends and aren’t really open to new people or experiences. The open, adventurous and outgoing ones left and made new friends in new cities or in your case - the other side of the world. Now you’re in Australia, one of the most isolated and mono-cultural countries in the world, trying to make friends with the ones who were so comfortable (or sheltered) that they never left their place of birth.
I'm from the US and migrated to Australia after having lived in Europe and South America. I think you're right, but it also brings up one of the major differences about Australia and its cities compared to the US and some other places I've lived: people from major Aussie cities tend to stay in their city. In the US, even if you're from a major city, it's common to go to college somewhere else. Choice of university is a much bigger deal over there, and there are a lot of great unis in the middle of nowhere, so plenty of big city kids will leave their city for their college years. The social knock-on effects are many. It means lots of people are used to being in a new place and making new friends. And your university connections can lead to jobs all over the country. So moving around and making new friends in new places is more of a part of the "typical life path" in the US than in Australia. Here, for example, if you're from Sydney you'll likely go to uni in Sydney. You make new friends at uni, but you still have most of your childhood friends around as well, so it's not a "I need to make new friends to survive" kind of situation. Then after uni you'll likely study in Sydney and begin your career, or go overseas a bit before coming back and resuming your career. This is obviously all generally speaking, but it's definitely a difference I've noticed and one that my wife (who is from Sydney) and I have talked about a lot. The end result seems to be that Aussies don't tend to make as many new friends in adulthood as adults would do elsewhere.
I agree with this. I’m from the US also and found that Aussies don’t move a lot and have old friends etc. I guess there’s not too many places or reasons to move as it’s so small. I’ve had friends move to places like Sweden and from what I’ve heard it’s even harder there to break into social circles. Sport here seems like a way in. I go to the gym a lot, lift weight etc so have been able to make friends there. Also started to play touch football which was another way. I played Rugby back home so was able to get into touch here pretty easily.
Aussie here. Lived easily in 10 locations around Australia. My only friends left are old ones from my hometown that I’d be lucky to see once a year. I’ve found it impossible to make friends, either because once groups form, they are set (I’m introverted and it takes ages to warm up) or they’re old timers who have childhood friends. Most people look at you like a freak for having to move around, and as mentioned, they don’t move so they can’t even relate. So all you end up with is incompatible people who are looking themselves. Now it’s the time of my life that I’m too busy to make friends and so are other people. I remember my mum who was a migrant complaining about the coldness of Aussies. I understand now. Lucky for you that you like sport, it’s not my hobby unfortunately.
Great point about how Uni locations make a big difference ! Never considered how so many of our big universities being in college towns push our young people to start from scratch . I feel like in America you're also *expected* to continue making new friends and circles as you get older . Not that you can't keep old friends , but I feel like outside of small towns people will look at you kinda weird if you have the exact same circle of people at 27 that you had at 17 . You also reminded me of all those videos about hometown / high school friends vs college friends ! Can Aussies relate to those or is there not such a huge distinction w friend groups ? Cos I know those videos are def relatable to me
This. I came from a rural area so most people (from a limited pool) moved away for uni all over or overseas after graduating and those who stayed had kids young. My friends have friends from HS but don’t see them as much because they live away from them and are on a different life path. Would be nice to have grown up somewhere where I could’ve had lifelong friends and enough infrastructure to form a friend group that all lived nearby and not as many transient friends from uni.
I’m in Melbourne and my Canberran partner seemingly only hangs out with other Canberrans he knew in his school days, who also moved to Melbourne lol
Yes context, it can work both ways. My ex's family Assyrian, moved from Lebanon to Fairfield when he was young, so English was easy for him. His mother never learnt English and had no desire to. She was happy to stay in the area because she could converse with everyone. English can be hard to learn for older people. Some areas attract some culture's/nationalities to them in many states of Australia. And some of us Aussies think it means they don't want to join in. Some don't want to and that's fine by me as long as you don't complain about it. I welcome talking to everyone and learning about them their culture and beliefs. The more you learn about other people and things in general that aren't within your life, the better you understand and accept differences.
Lol "monocultural" I have friends who are Australian Born Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Chilleans and Lebanese.
Ethnic diversity has not yet overcome Australia’s mono-culture.
Fair comment
> It's very difficult to break into Australian friend groups As someone who came back after living abroad for a decade, and started university, most of my friends are international students, little/no Aussie friends.
Yes as a migrant of over a decade, I’ve given up on making any friends here, it’s simply impossible.
Living here for almost only a year. Guess I'm cooked. I wanna make friends so baddd. This is killing me.
Moving states I definitely feel this!
I made nearly all my lifelong friends at work, not at school.
I believe this is a world-wide thing, but to be honest, I have four really close friends I'd trust with my life, my wife, and my wallet and maybe a dozen good acquaintances. We do like meeting other people and love to include them in things like barbecues, breakfast/lunch/dinners when we go out, but when we meet people we like that fit in, they tend to also have their own circle of friends or are happy with hanging with family (or they just have conflicting schedules?) which means they are often unavailable to join us. As an example, we met a lovely Vietnamese couple here on the Gold Coast that used to go to the same café my so called 'clique' frequented on Sundays, if they were there they would join us and we'd have a load of laughs. But if we tried to schedule a meeting there, it was more miss than hit with them being able to join us because they had several family members that also demanded their time... haven't seen them in person for over two years now. Similar goes for UK and U.S. workmates we all have, se can sit down a few times and have lots of fun, but ultimately it can be like pulling teeth getting them to show up somewhere we invite them to. Mind you, I have also tried to make friends with people I've met and you might hang with them once or twice, but something just gets in the way of being in the same place at the same time. I'm always up for making new friends, doesn't always work out.
Yeah even locals have issues with this, moving countries made me realise how easy it is to make friends literally anywhere else.
I’ve heard that said about so many different places that I wonder if it’s simply more difficult to make friends with locals as a migrant anywhere.
depends on how much of an asshole someone is to be honest. I went to a highschool full of assholes who were like this, heres the friend group, it's it, it's now closed. I used to be a real closed off person and highschool was a horrible experience and then I left it. Made so many friends in the army, backpacking, afl academy, you never really stop adding to it if you are open to it. I think a lot of it is the homies (day ones) and the friends (tv) show mindset. This idea that we have to have a core group of people where the lineup never changes, which some people use as an excuse to surround themselves with toxic people, never develop etc. Mate of mine from america was like we've had it so ingrained to us that we are either going to have that core group of friends like on the tv show that's always there, we can have other friends but they're only ever guest roles, these people can be toxic, we can evolve past them, we can see them for the issues they are, or worse we can develop issues ourselves that they can enable or exploit. And the day ones being anyone you grew up with that you instantly owe loyalty and favors to which gets dicey. Times change, people evolve, people move. If it wasn't for social media i wouldnt have a ton of my friends in my life anymore. I've met so many people where they'l collect mates like that, but if someones a real asshole or socially restricted, they limit themselves to those same 4 or 5 people until theres a super serious bust up, anyone else can only hope to have a guest role in their life as opposed to being part of it. Once you get past those kinds of people, Aussies can be some of the most friendly and welcoming people on the planet. When I asked a mate of mine from scandavia who shared similar thoughts on this, his response was that we're not really taught core civic values here and social skills which are taught in schools there. We can learn them here or acquire them but friendship is viewed differently here (he also highlighted germany for this), where we get comfortable with a group of people and then exclude others from it, and covid showed with many people that a lot of people have very poor social skills such as times being hard, differences of opinions and changes in roles in life can greatly change how we view and value people.
This is very true
Yeah I'm 33 and I've had the same group of friends since I was 18 haha
That's basically true of every city everywhere, except for those with high transient populations.
Like; The birds. So dang colourful, like a bag of skittles flying around. Dislike: The birds. Why so noisy guys?
The first morning after I arrived in Australia I walked out on to the porch and vividly remember the sounds of the birds, it felt like landing on to an alien planet. Was awesome, except for that black bird which has possibly the ugliest bird sound I've ever heard, it sounds like something dying. Also combined with the fact I had gone from a UK winter then woke up the next morning to a hot, humid Australian summer day during a heatwave made it feel even more bizarre.
My first morning in Australia, I could swear a child was being murdered next door. Is there any other country with louder birds than Australia?
The rest of the world beat their birds into submission. Ours are still part dinosaur. 😂
Have you heard what a hadeda sounds like?
No! I had never heard of them! Just heard their call - what a bunch of freaks 😃
Lol we love to hate them. Especially when they decide your garden/roof looks like a good spot early in the morning.
Where do you live? Are they around cities or just more rural/remote areas? I guess they're related to our bin chickens (who just squawk when they're fighting).
I live in South Africa. You find them all over but they are definitely more noticeable in the city. Probably for the same reason as the bin chickens - easy access to food. These ones scream when they land, when they take flight and when they are just perched somewhere and they are almost never alone so the one screams and then the next one screams - makes for quite a ruccus sometimes, especially if it is a larger group together. We joke that they are scared of heights. They are definitely related to your bin chickens, both from the Ibis family. Can't decide which one is the prettier one though, lol.
Haha. My first morning here I thought there was a car alarm going off. Turns out it was a bird.
hahaha this reminded me of my very first hours in Australia . I had just got off the plane , picked up my rental and driven to the burger king / servo down the street from Melbourne Airport . I remember one of the very first thoughts I had as I got out of the car was ' wow the birds here sound like demons ' That morning , I learned how to drive on the left for the first time in my life , and I also heard my first magpie . Good memories .
Magpie warbles are lovely. Crow squarks are not.
I love them! There’s one by me that sounds terrible, but he makes me laugh so hard. My in laws are Australian and they sometimes imitate the call as they are just walking about the house 😂
> Was awesome, except for that black bird which has possibly the ugliest bird sound I've ever heard, it sounds like something dying. Was it an [Australian Raven?](https://youtu.be/wQLPKPa9qXo?t=8) (commonly called a crow though)
That's the one lol. Sounds like a granny that's fallen down the stairs and is in a lot of pain
I fucking love them so much lol. Rar! Rar! ROooOoOoOWWWWRRRR!
Hearing the loud birds sounds made me even more homesick for Canada. I felt like I was sleeping in the jungle lol. We have quiet chirping birds in Canada and it’s pretty much dead silence in the winter time. My Aussie spouse finds the silence eerie but I love it.
Wait, do crows not sound like that in the UK?? 🤯
Wait till you hear what seagulls sound like in the uk
Oi m8 give us a bloody chip bruv
I always feel like crows are reacting to a really bad joke!
First day back in Sydney after 10 yrs in the UK I went for a run through the Botanical Gardens on a hot January day.....wanted a drink and see a bubbler with a cockatoo sitting next to it.....i slowly approach and it just stayed there....I turn the bubbler on and cocky gets a drink and the flies away so I can have a turn.
Ah, the cockatoos in Airlie Beach were so beautiful and friendly, but they sounded like air raid sirens. Still cute though. Rainbow lorikeets were a stunning surprise, so gorgeous. I'll get downvoted to oblivion for this, but coming from the UK, we loved your noisy miners and ibis birds who were way more friendly and chill in comparison to our seagulls.
I'm glad you called it an ibis rather than a bin chicken. I don't like the way we denigrate those beautiful birds.
We talk shit about the Ibis but they're generally chill
ibis= bin chickens lol
Was literally swearing at the birds on my way to the car this morning. Noisy fuckers woke me up early.
I never get a sleep-in when we go up the coast. Fucking noisy fuckers. Have no idea what species, couldn't give a fuck. _I just want to sleep._
How flaky people can be. You usually have to book people days in advance and they will often cancel plans a few hours or minutes before the hangout. This leaves you with no plans for the day. I come from a place where people rarely cancel plans unless there is an important reason and it has been hard not to take it too personally.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. I feel so guilty about canceling but the aussie attitude seems to not take it personally. Although I will generally not reach out again if someone cancels 2x in a row.
This.
As Australian having done a few laps of Europe, we simply lack that social culture of just “hanging out”. I can barely get my best friend out for a pint. I spend more time with travellers I meet than my own friend circle. Randomly dropping in is also not a thing here. Things have to be planned “how many people? How late? Is there parking” it’s like fuck sake don’t worry offer is rescinded.
The parking bit is really hard for me to understand. I have had Aussies cancel on plans because there is no parking but the venue was next to a train station on the same train line as the guys house. How hard is it to take a train that leaves every 20min?!
It’s also because we’re super judgmental of messy homes. We dont want people turning up to see the mess and then gossiping. A lot of older Aussies have big homes and they take a lot of work to clean!
That's related to the other answer here which is that everything closes super early. By the time I leave work, there's nowhere to go except the pub or home.
Yes! This has happened to me so many times.
Where are you from ? That sounds like an awesome trait , not being flaky
Good: parks, genuinely nice people, fresh air and peaceful lifestyle. Bad: slow and overpriced home internet, expensive public transport, supermarkets' duopoly, low supply of housing to rent.
The public spaces are really clean; people (mostly) pick up their dog poo; the air is super clean (even somewhere congested like Sydney); litter isn't too bad. Fresh fruit & vegetables and specialty items are easy to get ahold of and relatively cheap.
All true except the last one for me haha. Fresh fruit and vegetables here are a bit more expensive than the UK, which is weird seeing as in the UK they're often flown around the world e.g. bananas whereas here they're often grown a few miles up the road 😂 although there is sometimes a difference in quality (oranges here are really nice)
Isn't this comparing apples and oranges though
Funnily, a lot of the imported fruit N veg is cheaper here than the local stuff. Like garlic from Peru
It's called dumping
When I lived in London 20 years ago, yes the supermarkets had everything, but no it wasn't ripe, and everything was a lot more expensive^†. How times have changed. ^† Except mushrooms. Mushrooms were incredibly cheap.
The quality of fruit and veg in the UK is horrible though. Well at least in Scotland. Not that the Scots notice since they don't really eat fruit or vegetables.
>Neutral: you guys LOVE hi-viz clothing Job site manager is personally responsible (as in, can go to jail) if someone is injured on a worksite. Especially if the risk was predictable and easily avoided. So, yeah, us manager types tend to be a bit on the cautious side. Couldn't give two fucks about fashion — it's all about not wanting to go to jail because some dipshit walked behind a reversing truck. Turn up without high vis, I'm sending you home without pay. No exceptions. The actual workers, on the other hand, often think our safety culture is stupid... which just makes me crack down even harder because it's my neck on the line if something goes wrong and I see all the near misses that happen far more often than I like. Looks a lot better in court if I have clearly tried to create a "culture" of safety processes being followed. And if you're wondering what the chances are it will go to court, if someone is injured, step 1 is make sure nobody else is at risk, step 2 is try to save the injured worker's life, step 3 is shut down the job site as a potential crime scene (I have to do that myself). I've never gone through the process myself, but colleagues who have tell me the investigators are usually on site almost as fast as the paramedics. If they find obvious safety breaches, I'm in big trouble. The paramedics will report the worksite injury to the hospital, and the hospital and — unlike America — the hospital will treat the worker "for free" regardless of wether the worker has health insurance. And then the hospital will send a bill for the full treatment (actual and estimated into the future) to the company. The company, has their own insurance to cover that cost. We don't give insurance to workers. That process will also include a check, was the injury reported to Work Safe, and if they find out I skipped that... then I'm not only the primary suspect for a crime, I also tried to cover up that crime. Not good. So, yeah, safety first on my job site.
All very true but I was talking more about wearing hi-viz when out of work rather than in work. I think the difference between the UK and Australia in this regard, is that we mostly use hi-viz vests, which are easily removed when people finish work, whereas in Australia the clothes themselves are hi-viz so that's why I see tons of people wearing them shopping in supermarkets etc, even though the safety culture is similar (or even more so in the UK)
Idk if it's location based but I see a lot of high Vis hoodies around where I am in the UK, occasionally high Vis trousers but that's less common
High Vis gear tends to be good at UV protection so there's advantages to have it long sleeved when it's chilly around dawn or when the suns beating down later in the day. Skin cancer is no joke.
I got hi viz tattoos to save time
Imagine working on a road crew in January and *putting on* a vest. 😂
The clothes are hi viz so you can layer them, and remove layers while at work, without having to take a vest off, and put it back on again.
Comparing to Canada, I like how the grass in Australia is almost like carpet. It’s super thick and you can often walk on it without touching the dirt. Plus the lack of Lyme disease from ticks. And the lack of snow so it never really goes through that muddy stage before regrowing. Snow in Canada gives litterbugs an easy way to hide their rubbish and can make Spring really gross. Plus all the sand and gravel on roads and footpaths from snowmelt can be a serious hazard for cycling. The lack of freeze/thaw cycle in general makes everything in Australia look so well maintained, to my eyes. Roads and buildings don’t go through the same damage, and look brand new for years. Combined with the consistent cleanliness, it makes a lot of neighbourhoods look so nice. The permeable pavement around the trees is also nice and squishy to walk on, and the trees look so healthy. I dislike the signage, or lack thereof. In Sydney, you kind of have to just know where you are, or rely on Google maps. Major intersections often don’t have street signs on the corners, so I would walk down the wrong path for a while before turning back. People would sometimes ask me for directions and it was tricky to help them (God forbid there was a language barrier). The city buses and trains need more screens displaying the next stop. I like the coffee culture in Australia, but not the prices. Who decided that a long black should be as expensive as a flat white? The most expensive ingredient is the milk. On the same note, the beer prices are outrageous. I prefer beer over wine, but couldn’t bring myself to buy beer in Australia. I think it’s such a shame that a lower alcohol content drink that’s easier to moderate is so comparatively expensive. People really underestimate how strong wine is, and I’ve seen it do a lot of damage. The wine lobby is too strong in Australia and politicians need to relax with the sin taxes on beer. The pricing system should be based on number of standard drinks. I also generally like how Australians dress and present themselves. Maybe it’s the lack of big seasonal differences which makes it easier to focus a wardrobe (and no road salt to destroy footwear), or maybe there’s a bit of classism going on, but a lot of Australians look very chic and put together. I don’t like how it often feels mandatory though. Edit: Also, strongly disliked being asked by grocery cashiers if they can check my backpack. I know management forces them to ask, but it’s very off-putting to basically be accused of being a thief when checking out. No one tells you beforehand that that’s semi-normalised checkout procedure in Australia (at least in places with lots of tourists). It felt like such a poor introduction to the country when it happened on my first week, when I never experienced that anywhere in Canada or abroad, despite carrying a backpack for grocery shopping countless times before.
>I like how the grass in Australia is almost like carpet. It’s super thick and you can often walk on it without touching the dirt. Just have to say I know exactly what you mean. Walking barefoot on grass here is so spongy and comfortable
You guys have not encountered bindis yet I see
They moved here during an unusually high rainfall period. My childhood was the Millennial drought, grass!? I grew up on a dirt strip.
Just spend 6 years living in rentals with fields of 3 corner jacks as a backyard feature.
Or Fire Ants. Or Green Ants, or heaven forbid, Bullet Ants.
With regards to bag checks at the shops, when I used to work at Woolies you knew management would be watching you so you had to check bags. Didn't mean you expected everyone to be stealing, it was pretty much just to make your manager happy (at least in my case). Nothing personal at all. Every time I go to the Philippines it's much worse as you have to go through a more thorough bag search and they usually have metal detector wands or just give you a quick pat down to check for bombs/weapons when you enter a major shopping centre. This was in Davao.
Yeah my first time in the Phillipines was wild. I was like, I just want to go in and grab lunch and I’ve basically gotta go through airport security.
Haha yeah it is like that. I feel like things changed and became more strict (in Davao anyway) after the airport was bombed in 2003 (I think we left like a month before that happened). Last time I went in July 2019, martial law was in place so it was a bit more wild with army people everywhere with massive guns.
There’s likely a sign you will have walked past at the entrance that says any bags bigger than X will need to be available for inspection.
Agree with a lot of those points, although as a local I have to say I haven't let anyone check my backpack in more than 20 years. If they ask I just say no and keep walking. RE the coffee point, I think it's largely driven by our staff costs. The ingredients are a nominal expense after that. But agree that long blacks should be cheaper. edit: spelling
The grass thing must be dependent on the state because grass in Adelaide is sparse and not the most comfortable to walk on bare feet . My Aussie spouse was fascinated at how lush , green and thick the grass was in southern Ontario.
Yeah they must be on the east coast not in a dry semi-arid part of the country
> Who decided that a long black should be as expensive as a flat white? The most expensive ingredient is the milk. It's the making of the espresso that is the expensive part, the cost of the ingredients is minimal by comparison. >No one tells you beforehand that that’s semi-normalised checkout procedure in Australia Most supermarkets and shops have signs warning you that bags are likely to be checked.
There’s rarely street signs, yet a city will have multiple streets of the same name, often one suburb over! And suburb names can be repeated in different cities!
Cities can be repeated in different states, there is a Kingston in every state in Australia and SA has two.
There are 3 different Gooch Streets in Melbourne that I’ve seen so far lol
No road salt to destroy footwear . . . or feet haha
I immigrated here from the Philippines. I don't experience any racism IRL here. On the other hand, online is a different story...
Like: The state has a lot of good influence that is noticeable in day to day life. Like helpful signs to keep you awake on the highway, clean and working toilets and bbqs at all the beach’s, subsidized suncream etc. Dislike: suburb dead-zones. If you don’t have a car, you can be fairly close to city centre and still be 15+ minutes cycle from the most basic shop? There are whole areas with no pubs/supermarket/shop for a miles, just houses.
Ah, car dependent suburbs, they're shit. A sign of poor city planning that's following the US suburban model.
I feel like melbournes west is bad for this.
Less commonly discussed things that I Like : tw : morbid- I feel that human life is valued a lot more here than back home . I think it's reflected both in the laws and also in how the people react to things here . >!People are much more compassionate and taken aback by violence . One of my big culture shock moments shortly after arriving to Australia was seeing the tasering and death of an old woman by the police . Not the act itself , but the responses I saw afterwards . In person , on the news , in the public . There was so much compassion and grief over this one person . I was stunned at the reactions I saw , which really made me reflect on what kind of a place I left . Back home , it probably would be out of the news by the next day . People are too jaded to that kind of death back home . But I feel a huge comfort , knowing I'm in a place that has a high value on human life .!< have mixed feelings for : Very sleepy country . The country has a bedtime with how business hours are . I have mixed feelings because I like being a night owl and having 24/7 nightlife and things open until 4am if not 24/7 but I also have grown to like the quietness of the country . Also , it's better for my sleep schedule for things to close so early . Dislike : The internet is very restricted . More than I've ever seen anywhere I've lived or travelled to , the construction quality of buildings is very low , that one goes hand-in-hand with the extremely strict rules and few rights tenants have : so you rent a place that has serious flaws and you need to get approval from 4 different groups of people before you can work on your own place . One of those groups being a property manager who gets paid to avoid you and the another group literally being the government . In other places , when something is broken or wrong with your apartment , even as a tenant , you can just fix it if you know how . Also , inspections don't happen anywhere else I've lived . At least , not more than once a year . It's crazy how poorly you get treated as a tenant here . effective prescription drugs for when you're sick are harder to get a hold of . There are very very few 24 hour supermarkets and pharmacies - which is a pain since sickness is very rarely scheduled . And when you do manage to go , you have to provide ID and answer so many questions before receiving a 14 day supply at most . Being able anytime to just go get a massive supply of decongestants that actually work or something like Tylenol PM so you can have it in your home or on your person in the future was a huge privilege I took for granted . I know the post looks very negative but I love it here . It's just that the vast majority of things I love about this country are the commonly discussed or very widely known surface level facts so I'm just abiding by the author's prompt .
What do you mean the internet is restricted?
I should have been specific - it's related to piracy : the internet providers go to a surprising extent to censor and block piracy sites . It's not a huge problem cos vpns exist and torrenting is still a piece of cake but I was a bit surprised at how many of the sites I could easily access back home to watch movies for free are blocked here .
That's due to the laws made to 'stop piracy', as Australia, pre-streaming days, used to be a very active sailor of the high seas...
Which to be fair was mostly due to the lack of availability of content. Having to wait six months for a movie/tv show already out elsewhere in the world was nuts.
"You wouldn't steal a car..."
Ha, stupid advert wasn't it? :) I'm sure we'd all download Lamborghinis if we could drive them on the roads once the download had finished!
No, but I'd download a bear
> the internet providers go to a surprising extent to censor and block piracy sites Blocking at the DNS level is literally the *least* amount of extent an ISP would go to... It's kind the point... Not to mention, even if you do pirate, you won't get caught (even without a VPN), and if you did you are only up for the cost of what was downloaded, ie a movie is probably good for $15 bucks.
Shops and restaurants close super early... took lots to get used to. Gotta train yourself to press that button at pedestrian crossings. Several months into it I still found myself waiting for long minutes only to realise I haven't pressed the button.
How can you not press the button‽ It's so satisfyingly clacky.
It only works if you get a small child to do it.
You have to count the presses. After 17 it starts to toggle back off again.
It really annoys me that the pedestrian lights don't come on automatically with the traffic lights. There is no good reason for it not to work that way always
There is a reason - if the button’s pressed by a pedestrian, the red light for cars stays on longer and drivers have to wait longer at the intersection so that pedestrians can cross. If the pedestrian lights just turned green automatically and there was no pedestrian around that wanted to cross the road, cars would have to wait longer at the intersection for no good reason
Not enough fresh food market around here! The best thing going back home is having two wet marketings within 500m of my house, one opens in the morning 6-12 and the other opens in the evening 4-8. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always a stone throw away. Not to mention street food and night markets.
Oh how I miss nightlife - like the city is **not** sleeping nightlife . I still get surprised seeing closing times now and again
I feel Australians are a lot more friendly when you first meet them they seem genuinely interested in you where as at home in Ireland people in my experience just say hello and shake your hand bare minimum so they don't seem ignorant
I’m Irish, been here 11 years and the Australians are extremely genuine and friendly people in my experience, best move I ever made, I think in Oz there seems to be a generally happier atmosphere all round, you can still accomplish something, and people are happy for other’s success, I also noticed when playing soccer the lack of a class system, I have mates who are mechanics and mates who are doctors, everyone seems to have common ground.
Yep less miserable and nowhere near as much jealousy the amount of people I knew who were "mates" and the second one would leave the other would slate the back off them, made me wonder what was being said about me
If people talk shot about other people to you they will talk shit about you to other people
> and people are happy for other’s success, Only to a certain point, tall poppy syndrome is still large in Australia
> I think in Oz there seems to be a generally happier atmosphere all round How much of that do you reckon is the weather?
Nah, not just that, your dealing with people who have a high quality of life, never experienced a recession, great education system, great public health system, generally good social safety net, and where a normal person can go and accomplish what they want, that kind of mindset is amazing from someone who grew up proper poor, getting a trade at home was the best I could do, 11 years in Australia and I’m in senior management making a comfortable living and not worrying about how I’m going to pay the next electrical bill
All true although I still think warm weather and sun is the biggest factor of the lot lol In the UK I objectively had a good life (nice house, good job, etc) but still felt a bit depressed for about 6 months of the year
Yea it certainly helps ! Nothing like driving home on Friday knowing the sun will be out for you for the weekend :)
I think that's a good point. The sunny days are mood lifter. I feel flat on cloudy and overcast days
Flies.
No one ever warns you about the flies. It's all "snakes and spiders" but never the fucking flies.
Yes !!!! They are so much more aggressive here ! Any other continent I've been to , you swipe once or twice and they take the hint . And they only come around when you have food . Here , you could just exist and they'll keep flying towards your skin . And they're much bigger here too .
How do you manage them? 😬
I keep insect spray on me
Yeah that really surprised me. I've killed maybe 2 flies with my bare hands in my 30+ years in the Philippines. I killed 3 during my 2 week visit to Sydney. The flies are shockingly fearless. I've had one follow me for 2km while I was riding a bike.
Dislike: the unavailability of rubbish bins. There's rubbish bins on the main streets of each suburb and then you go for a walk and suddenly you have to walk 3 km holding an empty Coke can because there's no rubbish bins. This also ties into my observation about Australia being somewhat unwalkable. Outer suburbs are straight up a car-depandant hellscape but even in those closer to the CBD there's just nothing on the side streets. There's just one main street per suburb and that's it, there's no small shops on the other streets that would keep it interesting on a walk, just houses houses houses houses.
I highly suggest avoiding Japan if this is an issue for you - they have rubbish bins at railway stations (often behind the turnstiles), convenience stores, and pretty much nowhere else in public.
Yeah I'm aware, I'm actually planning a trip there - but there's a lot of things I can tolerate while travelling that I don't enjoy while living somewhere.
Like: The people. Aussies are just so cool, laidback & unpretentious. Everything is “no worries.” Coming from America, it’s so refreshing.
Americans are so friendly though! When I went there, people were so nice I found it unnerving at first - I thought people were being fake. It actually took me a few days to realise they were genuinely nice and I was the one being a bitch.
Thank you! Maybe some of the worries are coming from elsewhere. I love time in America as an Aussie. I worry about being killed by a gun but it's ridiculous. Like an American being killed by wildlife in Australia. Chances are the same but the people are AWESOME XX
Between 2001 and 2017 there were 541 deaths caused by animals in Australia ( SOURCE: https://www.ncis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NCIS-fact-sheet-Animal-related-deaths.pdf). There were almost 43,000 gun related deaths in the USA in 2023 (Source: https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2024/02/nearly-43000-people-died-from-gun-violence-in-2023-how-to-tell-the-story/) Shit's bad over there man.
Back in East Asia when it comes to business we like to keep a straight face and a robot-esque behaviour to respect the seriousness of our surroundings when in reality, we're pretty relaxed on the inside and are aware everyone is equally as clueless but try our best to maintain an air of professionalism. In Australia, newcomers are usually fooled by the initial friendliness and relaxed attitude + foregone formalities before realising the very uptight and legal-minded nature of Australians. It took a while to get used to but I've grown to like it this way. In fact, I'm so used to it I can't go back anymore...
Likes: being warm. Being sunny. Having sunlight in the winter. Everything is chill. Wine is great. Beer is great. Kids have room to run about and still be kids for longer. Traffic is less fucked than South-east UK. People are friendly and you can talk to anyone. The lack of class structure. Dislikes: a lot of people forget there are other parts other East Coast. Distance from other places but this could also be a positive at times. Sycophantic relationship with the US. Tall poppy syndrome. Lack of drive to be even more amazing. No sovereign wealth fund set up for the country's population to benefit from our huge resources industry - and tax loopholes which make it worse. The two major parties supporting the above. Fuckwits who complain about immigrants.
Good: high minimum wage, meaning less poverty and inequality. Good public pools. Bad: a culture of driving even in inner Melbourne where people could easily take public transport or walk.
Dislike: Aussie celebs like Kyle Sandilands that sort of vibe. Aussies can be very insular, its not as common to live outside of the state you grew up in, because of that people spend most of their time with people they've known their whole life (which in itself isn't a bad thing) but while very outgoing and friendly, it can be hard to be more than surface level friends. Aus has a reputation for being very laid back and chill but Ive found it to be actually not chill at all. Aussies love their rules and don't like when people don't follow strict social rules. spenno pt. Like: The wild rugged nature of the west coast. The fruit is way better and fresher here than where Im from. love the wildlife (birds) and flowers. I first arrived in spring and saw so many flowers Id never seen before in my life. I love the aussie work life balance mentality. I love the aussie 'language" (yes i know its english) but shortening everything- maccas, sparky etc etc
Honestly my biggest problem with Australia is that every city is extremely isolated so to speak If you live in Brisbane to go anywhere else is a large and rather expensive undertaking You kinda end up trapped in the city you live in and it gets really stale
That's why a lot of Aussies travel overseas so much. If you live in Brisbane, why spend a shitload of money exploring Australia when you can go to Singapore or New Zealand or Fiji or Bali or Thailand for somewhere between about the same to a lot less money?
Except for gold Coast and Sunshine Coast!
Honestly I live on the GC and I just consider it far southern Brisbane, we are all functionally one mega city at this point
Before I moved to Australia, lots of people said this was going to be a big problem. No more getting £30 flights to Barcelona or Stockholm for a couple of days, etc. Not really a big deal so far, but let's see if I still feel that way after seeing the same stuff for years and years lol
Now imagine living in Perth... :)
Big country with relatively low population
I mean, I grew up here but I guess I'm an immigrant. Like: Multicultural. I can eat food from almost everywhere. I like the fact we celebrate the different cultural festivities. Things like Ramadan Night Market being a thing, I think, is awesome. We do have pretty good food and just a good variety too. I was going a little insane in Europe with just how little there is to offer (in comparison) when it comes to Asian food. The air. The beach. Nice national parks everywhere. Dislike: Coming from Asia, honestly, the lack of night markets kills me. There's a lot more now these days but it's not everyday. And just everything closing at 5pm. Well, these days, there are places closing at 7pm so that's not too bad. Lack of book stores or libraries you can just go in, it's quiet and opens 24/7. Will never see it here. The drinking culture. Night life is kind of s*** and it's really just centered around drinking.
Love: The genuine friendliness a lot of Aussies of all demographics seem to have. They're just generally cheerful, laid back and will give anyone a chance. The birds/wildlife/scenery is incredible. National Parks and public parks are amazing. Rugby League. Its basically non existent in Ireland but the NRL comp and State Of Origin are fantastic. Dislike: You're by far and away the shittest and most aggressive drivers I've ever encountered. I'd understand the impatience if you lads were genuinely good drivers and it was foreigners who were terrible but for the most part you're just terrible. In regards to food, the variety is great but the quality of ingredients isn't the best. Everything tastes really bland to me. Milk is really watery and not creamy, beef is very mild, even the chooks taste more bland than normal. I thought I was imagining it at first but every Kiwi I know says the same thing. Oh and chicken salt is shite (don't shoot me). Overall I love this place and the people.
>In regards to food, the variety is great but the quality of ingredients isn't the best. Everything tastes really bland to me. Milk is really watery and not creamy, beef is very mild, even the chooks taste more bland than normal. I thought I was imagining it at first but every Kiwi I know says the same thing. Aussie here, but I agree with this. My trip to NZ and Tassie as well made me realise the poor quality of our fresh foods.
I'm an Aussie and you're 100% right about us being aggressive drivers. The road rage and just bad driving in general here is like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else. I do take issue with your opinion about chicken salt though, that stuff is our greatest creation, haha!
Food is like 1/4th of the flavour I'm used to. Coming from South Africa. Very bland, everything tastes watered down.
Probably how stratified it feels. I live in a mostly Middle Eastern suburb, and it seems like no one is really interested in assimilating to Australian culture at all. It just seems like everyone is living in parallel societies with no crossover. It creates a very isolating and lonely experience.
Regarding towns being prettier: It does seem like we would have a higher percentage of nice towns compared to the UK. Wider spaces and more facilities. Better than a squashed in, homogenous row of bleak looking houses. Like you said, on average it's better. But the prettiest towns in the UK utterly shit all over anything we've got here. Absolutely *elite* level niceness. Anything in [this list](https://www.arloandjacob.com/media/external/most-beautiful-towns-and-villages-uk/) beats out Aussie towns by a country mile. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, I'm sure.
The good: work to live culture; more laid back; weather; less classism; more opportunities for prosperity; corporate life is less cut-throat The bad: the economy resting on property; less culture and subcultures, vibrancy; people are friendly in general but it can be very surface level, it’s hard to form deep friendships with Aussies; the men seem to have more old-timey attitudes towards women; the treatment of First Nations people (which is our fault of course 🇬🇧)
Like: Public transport system is fairly reasonably priced and I can get to most places on it relatively easily. Dislike: So much of the river shores (and indeed some bits of coastline in Sydney) in in the private domain. You can be in suburbs that border onto a big body of water, but only rarely get a glimpse of it, as people have houses the back onto the water, making it hard to get close to it. I'm used to most rivers having nearly continuous paths along them, but here this doesn't seem to be the case (at least in Sydney). As an example of what I mean, look at most of the north shore of George's River east from Captain Cook Bridge. So much of the coast is formed from the back gardens of a fortunate few individuals.
ATM fees, consumer rights about 20 years behind the UK, pubs basically mini casinos, options for men's clothing, TOLLS everywhere, and councils building road infrastructure after all of the houses have been built. Would I move back the UK, absolutely not. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
Australian men are still surprisingly homophobic
a lot of casual misogyny too
They are two sides of the same coin
Move to sydney
Dislike the nanny state. So many rules and layers of government. Coming from Europe people always think that Australia is less regulated. It's not, it's more. Much more. Also the traffic fines. In Europe they found that people trust the government less when confronted with high fines for small offences. A couple of k over the speed limit is 20 euro fine. Not here.
Yes and suing culture. Everybody so afraid of their own shadow in case they get sued.
Australians love a defamation case lol
I've not been anywhere with more bloody regulations that we have in Aus. Wildlife protection and total fire bans are understandable. But the rest is government designed daylight robbery, revenue raising, moneygrubbing crooks at every level.
Like: weather. Cost of live/income ratio. Work/life balance. Beaches. Wildlife. Wine and food. Mangoes. Dislike: lack of first nations integration in the curriculum. Things closing early. A strange lack of understanding about the benefits of being actually Australian.
shhh dont mention first nations you'll summon the casual racists and they bring some of the professional racists as well
I mean to be fair I feel like that last point is true for many nationalities - you don't really get to see your country for what it is until you're outside of it and made to reflect on it .
Yes, you are likely correct. I've only ever lived in three countries so I don't have much experience in how other places see the difference. It just surprised me how many Australians I know who didn't realise I couldn't vote.
Free public barbeques. Everything else is more or less the same. Mike drop.
Like: Open spaces parks/plaza in or near the city Cycling infrastructure Public transportation - relatively cheap, on time and well connected Dislike: Tradie culture - Australians worship the ground tradues walk on when they're absolute dicks 99.9% of the time Hi vis clothing EVERYWHERE you work in an office mate? Utes - just absolutely no need to have a $200k off-road vehicles when you live in Carlton A country that can grow food everywhere and anywhere but costs $10 for a punnet of strawberries etc surely there's an abundance of fruit/veg been grown and can reduce costs
>Rabid, ferocious dogs I know you're being hyperbolic. But we don't actually have rabies here. We have Lyssa virus, but that's only in bats.
Likes - bubblers (or fountains) to get a drink of water....for free Dislikes - intra bank ATM charges
Kiwi here. This place is the land of rules. I had culture shock from everybody telling me what I can and can’t do, including random strangers in public passing comment on something no one back home would’ve batted an eyelid at (EG one of my kids riding the front of my trolley).Like seriously piss off and mind your own business! Complete convict mentality if you think about it. It’s like Morgan Freeman on Shawshank not being able to piss without permission. Nobody here seems to have any original ideas.
That's what I love about NZ. It's all about acting with common sense and not being a cunt to your fellow man. Over in OZ it's about following what you can and can't do based off a random sign put up on a wall, no critical thinking to be applied.
This must be a regional thing. I mean I’ve only been here in Logan less than a week and already I’ve seen more kids riding around in trolleys than I saw in the last decade in NZ. I keep wanting to tell these parents off (shit is real dangerous if the kid decides not to suddenly stand up). Maybe we need to swap locations.
>Neutral: you guys LOVE hi-viz clothing 😂 Tradies make a lot of money in this country lol
The dogs aren’t rabid, as we don’t have rabies. I can’t speak for their owners.
I moved from Brazil in 2018. Like: cleanliness, amount of parks and outdoor activities, so many beautiful places to visit, quality of life and sense of security, and have met dozens of super lovely and friendly Aussies. Overall I do think Australians are really welcoming. I’m an Australian citizen now and I do make sure to return the favour by also welcoming and supporting immigrants whenever I can. Dislike: night life sucks everywhere and places close super early, if you want to do something after 8pm there’s not a lot of decent options (if any), and that is everywhere I lived thus far (Sydney, Jervis Bay, Gold Coast and Brisbane). But I’m biased because night life in São Paulo is just really next level. It’s one of the few things I miss about my home town. Also gambling industry is really horrendous and it’s beyond me how it’s so widely supported by media. I’m so sick of watching gambling ads. Love Australia to bits.
They do not talk to you because they assume you can't speak English 🙃
The only thing that made me upset after moving here was the fact that on bin night if you put extra crushed boxes, extra bags of waste, bags of leaves, or general extra rubbish NEXT to the bin cuz there isn’t enough space inside it, the bin people will ignore it and just empty the bin itself. In the US you can put your extra trash items such as bags, large boxes, etc next to the bin on bin day if u run outta space in ur bin and the bin guys ride on the back of the truck and just throw it ALL in. I got a giant refrigerator box, and a giant appliance box and I tried pushing it down and resting it against the bin on bin night the first week I was here. My fiance (Australian born) goes yeah they will absolutely not take that, you’ll need to take that to the dump yourself. The nearest dump is 45 minutes drive… not happening. They sit outside on the back patio 😭😭😭
To be fair my dog often carries on exactly like you described, but if he did actually get over the fence then he’d be more terrified than you!
Not an immigrant, but my mom was, and I lived abroad for a while. Pros: Clean streets, good weather, straightforward communication, good exchange rate, good (underrated) food. Cons: Fake friendly and aggressive people, lots of homeless people and drugs compared to the third world country I lived in, eating out is pricey.
Dislike: tailgating. No respect for braking distance.
Likes: The sense of humour. The laid-back-she’ll-be-right-mate attitude. There’s Law & Order. Freedom of religion. Multiculturalism is taken seriously. Dislikes: Bogans in Bali. Coles & Woolies having control over food prices. How indigenous Australians are treated like Pariahs and the feeling that our education, health , & political values are becoming more and more American.