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Getting to Know Australia!
Australia Day in
Perth – a beautiful scene at the beach.
To prepare for the good times, here's
what to expect from the culture, the people, the bars and even the language
in Australia.
Myths and Legends of Australia
Yes, it is a former penal colony. But
contrary to popular belief, the Brits did not send the worst murderers
here (those, they executed). Instead, they a sent in a few boatloads
of petty thieves accompanied by soldiers and sailors, some of whom later
turned into rum runners, giving birth to the Australians' voracious
appetite for alcohol.
Other popular myths come with the language. Aussies do not greet people
with the phrase "good day, mate" and rarely put "shrimp
on the barbie." They do, however, live by the phrase "no worries,
mate!"
One true fact about Australia is that is located in the Southern Hemisphere,
and for those used to life north of the equator, the toliets do flush
in the opposite direction, the moon appears upside-down and summer is
in winter.
Arrival and Orientation
The most utilized arrival spot in the country is Sydney Airport, 10K
from the center of the city. Those looking to head to other parts of
the country must go to a separate domestic terminal. Some people do
arrive by boat. Access is from places like Bali, Singapore or New Zealand.
The government requires a visa for all visitors (except those from
New Zealand). Thankfully, this can be easily sidestepped by getting
a free Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa from a travel agency in
one's home country when purchasing airline tickets.
Australia is not only a country, it's an entire continent. It is comprised
of six states and two regions as follows:
STATES:
• New South Wales (Sydney)
• Victoria (Melbourne)
• Queensland (Brisbane, the Gold Coast)
• South Australia (Adelaide)
• Western Australia (Perth and large desert areas)
• Tasmania (a devil of an island)
TERRITORIES:
• Australian Capitol Territory
• The Northern Territory
Getting Around
Australia's major cities have excellent
public transportation systems, so it's not really necessary to have
a car.
In the outback or bush, it's an absolute must. The outback is a desert
while the bush means trees and wilderness. For example, people don't
go hiking in Australia; they go "bushwalking."
Driving is, as in England, on the left side of the road. Passing is
on the right side. If a trip to the outback or bush is on the itinerary,
take along plenty of water, food, a working spare tire and be sure and
fill up at every gas station you see. The next station could be a hundred
kilometers away.
Roads are generally in good shape throughout the country, although
the farther away one travels from civilization, the more hazards are
likely to be encountered. Among those hazards are what's known as road
trains, a series of trailers connected to a speeding truck. Be careful,
too, of the wombats, animals which only get annoyed when plowed by the
road trains and can cause a mere car or truck to flip if it hits one.
The speed limit – hardly observed by the road trains –
is 110k/h. In cities, it's often 60k/h or 40 k/h.
The People
All that beer makes
Aussies smile a lot. Photo:
ThirstySwagman.
Get them in a pub – instead
of, say midfield at an Australian Rules Football game – and
the countrymen here are pretty friendly. They are much more likely to
buy you a pint than throw one at you, so feeling at home is pretty easy.
Australians – both men and women – have a lot of national
pride and enjoy showing visitors a good time. The also love telling
or hearing a good story, especially from travelers about some crazy
experience in their country. Feel free to embellish. If your stories
are good enough, you may be "adopted" by a group of locals,
which means they will "school" you in the fine art of drinking
Aussie-style (see "school" in the Pubs and Clubs customs section
below).
While natives comprise most of the population, a large influx of immigrants
from Greece, the former Yugoslavia, Asia and other places have given
the country an international flair. This is especially true in Sydney.
Aborigines, the original settlers of Australia, still exist in the backcountry.
Like Americans, Australians tend to be a loud-speaking lot. Those who
have encountered Aussies while traveling in other parts of the world
can attest to this fact. Do not take this as a sign of rudeness, or
lack of manners. As they say, "Hey, we live in a big country; we
HAVE to be loud!"
Pubs and Clubs Customs
Pubs (here in Sydney)
are key fixtures in Aussie bar life.
Australians are a very hospitable sort of people and for that reason,
a traveler may find him/herself invited to join a group of Aussies at
a pub for a drink.
At this point our intrepid traveler is joining what is commonly referred
to in Australia as a "School" (3 or more persons). After one
has joined the School the appropriate etiquette is to shout in
turn. A shout means buying a round of drinks in turn until everyone
in the school has bought once. At this point, any member of the School
can depart. Should someone need to leave the school before the shout
is complete they are obligated to buy their round before leaving.
If this person were to depart before buying his/her round, cries of
"wouldn't shout if a shark bit him" may be heard echoing behind him/her
as the person departs the pub. Also one may be described as having "long
pockets and short arms."
PLEASE NOTE: Australia is a very "blokey" society and everyone
is a "mate." Chivalry is struggling a bit and women (unless married
and their husband is covering the shout – see later – or
she is in serious relationship & her boyfriend has it covered) are given
equal status within the school (i.e. expected to buy). Some men would
not entirely agree with this statement, but we will leave it at that.
Practically every pub, bar and club in Australia has a Pokey. This
is a simple gaming device, much like a video poker or electronic sports
game which are prevalent in bars in America.
Australians and Their Beer
Beer is the primary
drink of choice for Australians.
Australians consume four times as much
beer per year than any other nation. Alcohol content is high –
nearly 8 percent in some cases – and it is served in three sizes:
• 10 ounces, called
a "middie" in NSW or a "pot" in Queensland and Victoria.
• 15 ounces, called a "schooner."
• In Victoria they don't sell schooners, but do sell pints
(20 oz). Some beers are in draught form (on tap) and others can be purchased
only as a stubbie (bottle) or tinnie (can). (Aussies shorten a lot of
words eg BBQ is a Barbie). It is called a tinnie because it used to
be made from tin, but today has followed the trend in being made from
aluminum.
Don't ever insult an Australian beer unless comparing it to another
Australian beer.
Ccontrary to popular belief Foster's is NOT consumed in Australia
(at least by Australians). Instead, they prefer one of the many beers
brewed and served regionally; each territory specializes in its own
brand.
Victoria Bitter, better known as VB and Crown Lager
("King Brown"), only available in stubbie form were born in Melbourne,
but have since found there way all over the country.
Tasmania has done the same, launching its two state beers onto the
national scene. Both Cascade and Boags are hip beers to
have when out on the town.
Tooheys New and Tooheys Old are the state beers in NSW.
Tooheys New is a regular beer and the other one is a black beer and
both can be found in every pub around Sydney.
South Australia has Coopers and West End. Coopers has
spread to the East Coast and is known for its yeasty sediment in the
bottom of the stubbie. Western Australia has beers called Swan Lager
and Emu Bitter, but neither has made the national scene as of yet.
Northern Territory has a beer called NT Lager and it generally
only comes in a 2-liter stubby (A Darwin Stubbie) served in an ice bucket.
Queensland is the most parochial and sticks to their state beer which
is called XXXX (pronounced as 4 X) and it is very tough to find
outside of their State borders.
This list is not exhaustive and there are many other great beers that
play a prominent role on the beer-drinking circuit.
For those that are interested in spirits, we also recommend Australia's
own dark rum called Bundaberg, also known as Bundy. Pick up a
bottle in the duty free shop at the airport (or other favorite alcohol
beverage) which will save you a few bucks and make you a few friends
down the road at the hostel. Cigarettes are also cheap at Duty Free.
For those female travelers (and yes, some males) who are watching their
waistlines, it is a tough one to do on the beer circuit in Australia.
Light beer, which is known to mean having less calories in many countries,
really means it has less alcohol in Australia. So don't be fooled on
this one!
Also, don't attempt to drink and drive. Drink driving is handled harshly
by the police. Aussies usually elect a designated driver before heading
out to the bars. Other than that, take taxis or public transportation.
Tipping
Tipping is NOT a common practice in
Australia. Pubs don't expect tips and locals don't like tourists who
come in and throw down a few extra bucks for the cool factor. (It ruins
a good thing!)
The hospitality industry pays its staff extremely well so that tips
aren't an expectation Keep your money for another shout!
Restaurants are a bit of a different story and to encourage good service
patrons can be generous and leave 10 percent – but no more!
Service in Australia is not always up to the standards of many tourists.
Just be patient and focus on what is brought to your table, not how
long it took to get it there.
Dress Code
For the most part, dress according to
where one is located in the country (upscale casual for the cities,
beachwear for the beach, etc.) Just don't wear a Hawaiian shirt. When
in Sydney, the more black one wears, the better.
The Language
Here is the PubClub handbook on Aussie-speak:
• Bloke. A male person, friend or dude.
• Bottle-o. Liquor store.
• Bush tucker. Native foods of Australia such as fruits,
nuts, reptiles, birds and seeds that the Aborigines have been enjoying
for centuries. Some of this exotic fare is just making its way into
recipes and restaurants. Some, like goanna or ants, remain the domain
of the bushwhackers.
• Cozzie. A swimsuit.
• Dag. A geek.
• Dunny. An outdoor toilet.
• Hoon. A loud, obnoxious person.
• Flaffel. To take a lot of time doing something without
really accomplishing anything.
• Kip. A nap.
• Mate. A friend, a stranger, a greeting, a way to end
a sentence.
• Middie. A 10-ounce (4285ml) glass of beer in NSW. Known
as a "pot" in Queensland and Victoria).
• Pissed. Intoxicated.
• Root. To have sex.
• Schooner. a 15-ounce glass of beer.
• Shout. To buy a round of drinks.
• Strine. What the Aussies speak. It comes from the
word "Australian" pronounced with a very thick Down Under
accent.
• Stubbie. Beer served in a bottle
Currency
The Australian monetary unit is the dollar which is made of plastic,
not paper. Notes come in $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 denominations. Coins
are 5, 20 and 50 cents plus $1 and $2.
Credit cards are widely accepted and ATM machines are commonplace in
the cities and resort areas. Have adequate cash on hand for traveling
the wilderness. There aren't a lot of bank machines in the Longreach.
Time Zones
Australia is divided into three time zones:
• Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST, NSW, Australian Capital
Territory Queensland, Tasmania)
• Central Standard Time (South Australia and the Northern Territory)
• Western Standard Time (Western Australia)
CST is 30 minutes behind EST and WST is two hours behind EST. Daylight
savings time is in effect from the end of October to the end of March
in NSW, ACT, Victoria and South Australia, and in Tasmania from early
October through March. The Northern Territory, Western Australia and
Queensland do not observe daylight savings time.
When To Go
Hot as asphalt,
Miss
Indy Lynne Kushnirenko gets down at the CART Champ Car race
in Surfer's Paradise, one of the best times to visit the Gold Coast.
(Photo: Dan Boyd, LAT)
The summer is the best time to visit all
Australia. November thru February are the peak months for weather and
outdoor activities; the beaches are especially lively during these months.
January is the Sydney Festival (which includes male and female
nude surfing at Bondi Beach) and there are other festivals and events
throughout the year.
And, for those who just can't pull away after the Olympics, the
Indy 300 automobile race is in October in Surfer's Paradise.
 Next
stop on the Party Bus: PubGrub
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