30 Things Ive Learned About Australia

Going to Australia or thinking about it?  

Well, what can I say... The Land of Oz sure seems like a fucking strange place- in my opinion, anyways. I'm not in Kansas anymore! I cant say its one of my favourite places Ive traveled, but Ive definitely learned a lot and had some good times so I wouldnt take this experience back for anything!

Here are 30 good, bad, ugly, interesting, funny or just weird things Ive learned while Down Under!:

Blue-tongued lizard

Did you know.........?

1. Everything, everything is cheaper here on Tuesdays! Pizza, Cinema ticket, whatever. 
2. Australia is home to; parrots, penguins and cookaburras, platapus and yes, dingos- blue-tongue lizards, infamous poisonous red-backed and funnel web-spiders, and the eastern brown snake! Some famous last words said to us before we headed into the country..."Watch out for all the shit that wants to eat you." (Its really not that bad...)

Rail Barrel

3. When you see black cockatoos flying in flocks of 6 this means RAIN!
4. RAIN. This four-lettered word might as well be renamed LOVE in Australia. It doesnt come often and when it does people LOVE it! Almost everyone here has and uses rain barrels and theyre often used for drinking water. Water is a super sensitive resource here, really. I`ve woken up in Australia without any drinking or shower water before. (House-hold solar panels have also really caught on here.) 
5. Drive-through beer stores are everywhere! Enough said.

6. "Magpies"- the famous black and white Australian bird that hates bicycles! They are known for actually attacking bicyclers- swooping, pecking helmets! Australians use a stick through the top of their helmet to deter the birds. Yep, they just bike around with a stick poking out of the top of their helmet. I heard of one guy who actually got his eye pecked out by a magpie- Ill take the stick any day. 

7. There is an Australian Price is Right, (..but it sucks. Shhh...)
8. A "schooner" is less than a pint of beer. (In New South Wales anyways)

9. "Flake" on your menu is shark.
10. If you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on it!! And if you get bitten by a snake, lie down and keep calm while someone gets help. Not to panic, most snakes here have an anti-venom. 
11. "Tips" arent customary here 
12. Aussies love Jamie Oliver & Skrillex 
13. There is a marijuana festival in Nimbin, NSW, called Mardi-Grass and just around the corner, Byron Bay boasts one of the best surfing spots in the world!

Byron Bays Main Beach

14. This country has several multi-cultural cities packed full of Irish settlers, as well as large populations of Chinese, Indian, Italians, South Africans and Germans
15. Tasmania has the same latitude as Canada
16. NEVER underestimate the size of Australia. Always bring enough petrol/gas and when asking directions always ask how many kilometers something is from you, not "how long" it will take. "Not far" could be hours driving! 

Driving in a camper van: Aussie-style

Picking lemons 

17.Finding work as a backpacker is surprisingly really hard. (Competition is high as there are many foreigners in the country.) Don't depend on the Harvest Trail to find you a job- and try to arrange a job before youre in the country- this is an expensive country to choose to support yourself with no income! However when you do land a job and are working full-time, it is easy to make 1000$/week even on minimum wage! 
18. Dont carry a lighter on you at mid-day and definitely dont leave a lighter outside in the sunlight,  not even for a few minutes. It will explode  
19. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. This is due to the depleted ozone layer and lack of protection from the UV light. 

Wearing everything I own, Brr

20. Australia is the LAND OF THE LAWS. It is illegal to spit on an Australian sidewalk, illegal not to buckle up your pet, and for an adult to ride a bike without a helmet! Cops even have the right to pull people over to do a random drug swab from your mouth to detect any drugs, and if you get caught driving with people in your car who arent wearing seatbelts- you pay a fine, and theirs!   
21. It gets cold here! Yes, and even snows, despite popular belief that the continent is warm all the time.The desert regions are the coldest, with blazing hot afternoons.
22. Macadamia nuts, mmm..and tea trees are native to Australia! If youve never been to a tea tree lake before youve gotta try it!!
23. Always avoid tall grass! Respect the wild's habitat.

Light Green=Asian Camphor

 24. Didgery doos were invented by the aboriginals and were first used to open chakras during meditation or trance! (Did you know only 1% of Australias population remains aboriginal?)
25.Camels,  kangaroos, Asian Carp and Asian Camphor trees are all invasive species here. Camels were brought from the middle east to the desert here years ago. Before they became invasive they were used to carry supplies to build houses. Kangaroos here are farmed for meat, hunted in the wild without regulation and treated as a pest nuissance- they endure one of the most unethical slaughters in the world.
 

An abortion pro-hibition sign outside of a church

26. In some states of Australia gay-marriage and abortion are prohibited..WTF?  
27. Australian airport customs are STRICT. If you have a well-used tent or hiking shoes, good luck trying to get into the country with them. Australia has a very delicate eco-system and is virgin to problems like rabies.

28. Most working hostels are scams- dont trust them. And many steal/sell guests passports on the black market, so be very careful. 

29. NO Australians drink Fosters! They drink Coopers, Carlsberg Pure Blonde, VB, anything but Fosters.
30. "The Works" on a burger includes a fried egg! Just sayin...

   Well, there it is. I hope youve gained some inside perspective about the real Australia and whats going down, Down Under. Thanks for reading, Cheers!
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