8 Things you should know before visiting Australia

It is not until you travel that you realise that your own country is not the worldwide norm. Some things I think we do better than anywhere in the world. Some things we definitely do worse. We may speak the same language and look similar but we can have a very different way of doing things.

And of course, if we look and speak differently that’s just a whole different kettle of fish.

That’s the nature of culture, and to me, that’s the appeal of travelling: learning and experiencing other cultures.

If you’re planning a trip to Australia soon, here are a handful of things you should know about our country.

Australia is so much more than Sydney, Cairns and the Uluru

Yes, Sydney is a beautiful, coastal metropolis; Cairns is home to the Great Barrier Reef, and Uluru is simply unique, but take the time to see more.

If you want more city experiences, Melbourne is Australia’s artistic and sports capital, famous for hidden laneway cafes and prolific street art.

If you love the coast, spend a few days in Jervis Bay’s perfectly white beaches on the south coast, Newcastle’s surf culture, or experience Byron Bay’s laid back lifestyle.

And if you love nature and epic rock formations you absolutely must see Darwin and surrounding Kakadu National Park. See this post here for 3 weeks exploring Australia’s National Parks.

These are just a few examples of Australia’s diversity and I could have included many more.

Australia can still get cold in Winter

Most photos of Australia are of people sweating it out on the beach or in the red desert under a blistering sun. And while tropical states like north Queensland, Northern Territory and northern Western Australia certainly do get that tropical, year-round heat, down south in Tasmania, Victoria and parts of NSW, it can get damn cold in winter. Especially once you go inland a little.

Even where I live, in Newcastle on the mid-north NSW coast, it can be in the single digits on a cold day (Celcius) and go inland 30 mins and it is under 5 degrees most days through winter.

Did you know Australia even has its own ski slopes? Yep, we have a couple of resorts a few hours from Canberra and a few more not far from Melbourne. They are definitely not world class like Mont Blanc or Whistler Blackcomb, but in a good season, we do get good snowfalls, making the 7-hour drive from Newcastle worth it.

Australia can be expensive

While it can be done cheaply, it’s not easy. In terms of food and drink, expect to pay $13-20 for a pub meal, $25+ for a nice restaurant meal, $5 for a crap beer, $8+ for a good craft beer, and $17+ for a cocktail.

For accommodation in the cities, hostels are probably no less than $35 a night and hotels may be around $170 for something very basic.  This might not be so bad for hostels, but as someone who has backpacked in Europe, this seems very expensive to me. But that said, they are generally high quality.

Forget everything you know about tipping

Below is a list of the types of places and people you should tip in Australia:

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I hope I didn’t miss any. Australians in the service industry (and as a whole) are paid absurdly well by world standards, so your average waiter does not need to rely on tips like in most countries because they are being paid over $20 an hour.

In a sense, this is actually a shame because without the need to work for tips, the level of service you might expect in, say the US, is rarely seen in most ordinary restaurants.

In fact, it’s one of the things I most look forward when I go to the States: really good table service everywhere. Oh and be prepared that unless you are at a pretty fancy restaurant, you’ll most likely order and pay at the counter, not at your table. It’s weird I know.

Restaurants hate splitting bills

Yep, another thing the rest of the world seems to just get, but Australian restaurants rarely allow you to split bills. In the US, they’ll bring you an itemised receipt for each seat if you ask. But since we most likely pay at the counter, it’s all just a bit much for them to separate it out (*rolls eyes*).

As you can see, our service industry leaves a lot to be desired. Moving on.

“How ya goin’?” is just another way of saying “G’day”

We’re a casual bunch but we’re also friendly, and this is usually less of a question than a statement. Appropriate responses to “How ya going?” include:

“Hey mate”

“G’Day.” Or even simply

“How ya goin’?” straight back at them. They won’t even blink. This could be the entire length of, or the beginning of the conversation.

No one actually drinks Fosters

I actually saw Fosters in a liquor store for the time in Australia a few months ago. It’s not owned by an Australian company. It’s not even brewed here so I’m not quite sure makes it so Australian.

In fact, the most I’ve ever drunk Fosters was in England, where it was on tap everywhere and was always £1.50 at my local. So yeah, I’ve drunk a lot of Fosters, but never in Australia.

But never fear, Australia has a growing craft beer scene so you can generally get something good at an increasing number of places.

No one throws shrimp on any barbies

First of all, no one calls it shrimp. That is very much an American term. We do barbecue prawns, however, and when we do we smother them in garlic butter and they are delicious. This is often a Christmas treat.

Crocodile Dundee did Australia no favours with “sharing” (read: butchering) our culture in the ’80s. If that’s your expectation you’re going in for a huge shock.

So there you have it, a few things that will help you settle into Australian culture quickly. Have you been to Australia? Was there anything I missed? Let me know in the comments below.

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