12 Things After 5 Months in Australia

After my first two months in Australia I made a post about the differences I had noticed between Australia and California. My Australia trip has come to an end, and upon request of some silly Australian friends, this is a final list of differences I have found between the two countries. Making these posts is fun because they’re all silly little things that don’t make a big difference. That being said, it can be the little differences that make things exciting, and even though Australia and California are very similar, there are many things I will miss.

So without further ado I would like to introduce 12 more differences I have found after 5 months of travel in Australia. If you want read about more differences between the two countries check out my 1st month and 2nd month.

Lines and Personal Space

Californian’s take standing in line and waiting your turn very seriously. People won’t push past you in Australia, but you better not step 1 foot out of line. During my first week in Australia I was waiting in line to purchase a smoothie. I side-stepped towards the snack display to see if there was anything else I wanted. 20 seconds later I turned back and someone had stepped into my spot. I was so obviously still in line, but they didn’t care. I tried to make eye contact but they ignored me, so I just went to the back of the line again.

This would never fly in California. If someone steps out of line, unless they are very obviously leaving, that space belongs to them. Whether it’s to check out the display case, explore ice cream flavors, grab a menu, or whatever you need to do, your space will still be available when you come back. I found that stepping out of line for any reason immediately meant giving up your space. This is a strange concept for me but one I found common in Australia.

Standing in a line in California can be fairly close-proximity, but when you’re at the register it’s your space. Everyone else must wait approximately 5 feet away. It has to do with privacy. Even at Starbucks I don’t particularly desire people to know my order and I especially don’t want people close enough to see my credit card.

While it wasn’t every time someone invaded my personal space in Australia, it happened to me quite often. At one point I was ordering a coffee and some lady came and stood right next to me. Close enough that I thought she needed the bathroom key or maybe the wifi password. No, she was simply standing ridiculously close to me. Excuse me, but can I have some space while I order please? She just stood directly next to me until I was done. This happened several times and it’s very awkward.

Pedestrians

In the US pedestrians always have right-away. You must let them pass at any 4-way intersection and especially at a crosswalk or light. If a pedestrian is waiting to cross the street, often times a car will stop to let that person safely pass. It’s very common.

In Australia cars have right-away unless there is a very identifiable zebra-crossing or traffic light. This means there is a lot of J-Walking. It is rare to find a designated zebra crossing and cars will not stop, so it’s easier to J-Walk. The large amount of round-abouts also makes a difference because there are no designated crosswalks and people won’t stop for you. It turns into a game of round-about Frogger.

Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about this. As a driver it’s more useful not to stop but as a pedestrian it can be a nuisance to find a safe place to cross. Can we try and find a happy medium between the two?

ATM’s

When I take money out of an ATM I try to get as much cash as possible because I have to pay an ATM fee. Typically the max is $200. The problem is that Australian ATMs only give $50’s (in the US we get 20’s), which is a pain in the ass to be honest. If I’m at a farmer’s market and need cash, I go to the ATM and wind up with 50’s. I get a lot of glares when I give someone $50 for $2.00 worth of carrots. I’ve tried requesting an exact amount of cash from the ATM (ex $180), so I could at least get some 20’s. This worked once, but every other time the ATM denied my request and gave me the option between $150 or $200. What a nuisance!

Smoothies and Juice

Australians love their freshly-squeezed juices and smoothies. I’ve always been a smoothie fan so I enjoy having smoothie shops on every corner. Fresh juices are also popular in California but people seem to get them more on a regular basis in Australia. There are more flavor varieties and you get a choice of different kinds of smoothies too. There are “smoothies” which typically use vanilla ice cream. If you ask for a smoothie you will get what Americans consider a milkshake, just not as sweet and with more fruit. If you ask for a “crush” this is the standard American smoothie with sorbet.

Santa Cruz

This one cracks me up. In California we all know the Santa Cruz logo. People commonly wear a T-shirt with the yellow “Santa Cruz” inside of a red circle. We wear these shirts because at one point we spent a weekend in Santa Cruz cruising the boardwalk, smoking weed, and exploring the hippy shops. So it makes sense.

In Australia the Santa Cruz logo is everywhere. More so even than in California. I’ve seen shirts, socks, hats, bags, and towels. I’ve asked locals about it and the answer usually is “I dunno it’s just beach culture.” Nobody knows what it means or where it comes from. Hilarious!

Sharing

This is more an international thing than Australia thing. Before I left for my trip one of my big questions I had was “do people share food and drinks like we do in California.” If I’m eating with a group of friends and a dish looks good I won’t hesitate to try some. Is this common in other parts of the world too?

The answer is yes. All of the people I’ve met, international or local, are always willing to share. Alcohol is a big one and it’s not uncommon for many people to try your beverage before you do. When I was on the Gibb River Road people mockingly called my Chardonnay ‘Passe’ but asked to try it.  I kid you not 7 people tried my wine before I did. But I love it because it’s a fun way to bond and try new things.

Drying Clothes

While there are of course dryers here, Australians seem to rarely use them. It makes sense in the hot weather to hang your clothes on the line instead of wasting energy with a dryer. Why don’t we do this in California? It’s so easy and the clothes can be dry in a couple of hours, especially on a hot day. This is something I hope to bring back home with me because it saves energy and takes only a small bit of effort. I have even stayed at airbnb’s where the resident didn’t have a dryer period. I’m not sure what this means when it rains, but perhaps rainy days just aren’t laundry days.

Meals and Sides

I’ve touched on this previously when discussing price differences but this deserves its own category. Restaurant food is on average $5 more expensive than in the US. A big difference in dishes is you don’t get any of the add-on’s that you would in the States. For example, if I order bacon and eggs in Australia I will only get bacon and eggs. No toast, no hashbrowns, nothing.

What I find strange, and I’ve discovered this many times, is it’s usually cheaper to build your meal instead of ordering off the menu. Here’s what I mean.

Bacon and eggs – $15

OR

Side bacon $4, side eggs $4, side toast $2, side hashbrowns $4 = $14

How does that make sense?!

Burgers

Australians like to royally screw up burgers and some of the things they put on them is simply sacrilege! The first few times I thought I was playing it safe ordering a “Classic Burger.” In the US this means a plain burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion. In Australia it means a burger with pineapple, beets, and an egg. What?! Beets? What is your obsession with beets, Australians? They’re on everything! And sure, pineapple or egg on a burger can work but not together. AHHH!!! (runs away screaming).

Not only that (yes, it gets worse) but Australians like to put crap IN their burger patties. I’ve experienced this a few times in the states but not to the extent as here. When I get a burger I expect either 100% beef, or 99.9% beef with maybe some spices or onion in the patty. Australians put so much onion and unidentifiable weirdness in it that the aftertaste in my mouth isn’t burger it’s…well unidentifiable weirdness.

Public Restrooms

They are incredibly easy to find. As someone who is traveling and often on road trips I really appreciate this. Trying to persuade a server at the local diner to let you use the restroom is never fun. In Australia I can simply drive down the main drag of any city and see a public restroom sign. Frequently the bathrooms are nice, and have running water and toilet paper. This is great if I’m camping or sleeping in my car and need to brush my teeth.

In California it’s difficult to find a public restroom, let alone one that’s not a total mess. This is likely due to the homeless using public restrooms and leaving them dirty, so I understand why cities are wary of having to maintain them. However, this is avoiding the problem and is yet another reason why something needs to be done about the homeless population in California. It’s rare to see someone begging in Australia.

Movie Theaters

Thankfully I found some fellow nerds in Melbourne who wanted to see Dr. Strange. We met up one evening and headed to the movie theater. I was shocked to discover a ticket was $16 usd! Movie prices are rising in California, and I remember when tickets were $5 (I’m starting to sound old!), but tickets prices haven’t hit $16 yet. $11 is the average these days.

Whatever… the movie prices I can deal with. What I couldn’t deal with was the lack of salt and butter for your popcorn. At first I thought I didn’t see it, or maybe the specific movie theater I went to didn’t have any. A few days later I mentioned it to one of my local friends.

“Where was the butter for the popcorn?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “Butter?”

“Yeah! You know… there is usually a counter with a butter sprayer and different types of seasoning salts.”

He was baffled and amused. I was not amused at all. How can you have popcorn without butter or salt?

Passion Fruit,  Mango, and Macadamias

I’ve always liked passion fruit because of the balance between tart and sweet. Australians use it in smoothies, juices, ice creams, gelato, and pretty much everything else you can imagine a citrus flavor in. I particularly like it as a gelato flavor because lemon is too sour but passion fruit is the perfect in between for me.

Mango is also a very common flavor in Australia although it’s more common in California than passion fruit. I love the thick, smooth texture of mango. When I spent time in Brisbane I found a smoothie shop with a Mango Passion Fruit smoothie. It was the best of both worlds and I may or may not have gotten one three days in a row.

Macadamia Nuts are extremely common in Hawaii and I had no idea they were also common in Australia. Not only are they often found in grocery stores but many bakeries have Macadamia nut goodies. When I was visiting the Glass House Mountains I splurged and got a slice of Macadamia Cheesecake. It was one of the best slices of cheesecake I’ve ever had.

I can’t believe my 5 month trip to Australia is already over. I met so many amazing Australians who made me feel very welcome in their beautiful country. Overall, Australia is a fantastic place with lots to offer in nature, wildlife, and history.  I enjoyed all of the little cultural differences, and parting ways with the Aussies is bittersweet.