Australia: Tips for Tourists

The indigenous people of Australia, the Aborigines, have been here for over 40,000 years. White man came here in 1770, when an English sea captain named James Cook arrived on the Eastern coast. The English claimed the continent as their own and set it up as a penal colony to ease overcrowding in English prisons.

Free settlers gradually arrived, and most of the convicts were eventually freed after completing their sentences.

To this day, Australia is still part of the British Commonwealth, and technically Queen Elizabeth is our Head of State. But most of us don't take the monarchy very seriously.We are governed by a Prime Minister, currently Mr Kevin Rudd, and federal, state and local governments. A lot of us don't take them very seriously either.

Obviously, we're located in the Southern Hemisphere, so seasons are reversed from the Northen Hemisphere. That means that Christmas is actually in the middle of summer down here. We use the metric system, so distances are measured in kilometres and weight in kilograms. We also use Celsius temperature, so 30 degrees is actually a really warm day!

The capital city of Australia is Canberra. Like many other national capitals, Canberra is a planned city, and was designed because nobody could agree on whether Melbourne or Sydney should be the capital. Australia has a population of about 21 million people, and is an English speaking country. (Yes, you'd be surprised how many people don't realise that!)

If an Aussie friend told you they do, they're just testing your gullibility. We love doing that to tourists.

Koalas are an endangered species. They live in eucalyptus (or "gum") trees and their diet consists solely of eucalyptus leaves. Deforestation has threatened their habitat, so they are protected by law. Unless you live in bushland or country areas, you're not likely to ever see a koala in your own backyard. Finding one in the wild is also pretty difficult. Despite their cuddly appearances, koalas have sharp black claws and can be quite vicious if they feel threatened.

Kangaroos are the opposite of endangered. Like rabbits, farmers consider them to be pests. When driving country roads at night, keep a look out for them, because it's not uncommon for them to jump into the path of oncoming cars and cause accidents. If you do hit a kangaroo, chances are the animal will come off second best, but it will still damage your car pretty badly.

Do not approach a kangaroo in the wild. Red kangaroos, which are found in the outback, can be particularly dangerous. The term "boxing kangaroo" didn't come from nowhere. Stay well back and observe from a distance so you don't spook them. And no, you DEFINITELY can't have a ride in a kangaroos pouch!

I've also heard that a lot of Aussies like to warn tourists about drop bears. Apparentely, they live in the trees, and at night they'll drop out of them and land on your head. Don't worry - drop bears don't exist!

Actually, a lot of us have never even been there! I know I haven't. The "outback" is Central Australia, where you'll find Uluru and the Kakadu National Park. It's definitely worth a look if you're travelling to Australia, but just remember - Australia is a BIG country. You can't just venture out there on a day trip.

Despite how it may appear in the media, we also don't all live at the beach. And it's not always warm and sunny, despite how it might seem on "Neighbours" or "Home and Away." The northern part of the country has high temperatures most of the year, but down south it can get mighty cold! (Well, if you call 5 degrees celsius - that's 41 degrees Fahrenheit - cold. And I do!)

"Shrimp" is actually an American term - we say "prawn." Actually, many of us don't use most of the "Aussie slang" you see in movies and on TV.

"G'day", "cobber", "bonza" and "crikey!" are not nearly as common as you'd think. We don't all speak like Crocodile Dundee.

If you've noticed what you think are spelling mistakes on my lenses, it's actually because we Aussies spell things the English way, not the American way. Here's a few examples:

You say mom. We say mum.
You say color. We say colour.
You say glamorous. We say glamourous.
You say memorize. We say memorise.

The differences are small and subtle, but noticeable nonetheless.

If you visit Australia in warmer months, you'll no doubt hear people talking about thongs. Before you blush, I'm hear to tell you we're not talking about underwear!

What Americans call flip-flops, Australians call thongs. That's right, a thong is a shoe.
What Americans call a thong, we call a g-string. I don't know why we call it that, we just do.

Some other examples of this are:

You say cellular phone or cellphone, we say mobile phone or mobile.
You say "going on vacation", we say "going on holiday."
You say fries, we say chips.
We also call potato chips (or "crisps" as English tourists would say) chips, just to be difficult.
You say fanny pack, we say bum bag. But fanny actually has a different meaning down here - it's doesn't mean your bottom! It's something a bit more rude!

Tourists often comment on how our colourful currency looks a bit like Monopoly money. But you have to admit, it makes looking in your wallet a little more fun, doesn't it?

The smallest domination Australia uses is the 5 cent coin. When out shopping, if you pay by cash your total will always be rounded to the nearest five cents. You only pay the exact amount if paying by credit card or bank card.

Aussie currency consists of the following denominations:
COINS - 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2
NOTES - $5, $10, $20, $50, $100

If you happen to be a coin collector, then particular Aussie coins could actually make you a lot of money. Check out this ebook on coin collecting, and how to create a fortune from Aussie currency!

Unlike the USA, tipping is NOT customary in Australia. This because hospitality workers are paid quite well and don't need to survive off tip money. But that's not to say we don't do it. If service is good, most people will tip, but there is no set percentage that is expected of you.

When it comes to shopping, most items carry a Goods and Services tax, but this is always incorporated into the price. So the price you see on the price tag is the exact amount you will pay, not a cent more or less.

In major cities, their are plenty of taxis and public transport to help you get around. You don't have to be scared about choosing a "dodgy" taxi company - they are all safe to travel with.

If you hire a car, remember that we drive on the LEFT side of the road. The driver's seat is also on the opposite side of the car than in American vehicles.

There is a little bit of everything to see in Australia. We have golden beaches with excellent surfing, snowfields and alpine resorts, deserts, rainforests, mountain ranges, national parks, theme parks, major metropolitan cities and tiny towns in the middle of nowhere. You name it, we've got it, so why not books your next holiday!