Part of travelling, aside from seeing new sights and making new friends is definitely experiencing a new culture. Realising differences in culture is quite a unique and enjoyable experience, given that: you are not easily shocked, it is in the spirit of fun, and you are open to new things (may it be strange or not). Culture always compliments the journey especially if you have a great sense of humour! On your next trip to Australia, you may notice one or two of these weird cultural practices that can be a tad baffling or entertaining. All in all these make Australia a great and interesting destination for travel!
BYO
It is unusual to be allowed the privilege of bringing your own bottle of wine to a restaurant, but in Australia, it is strangely possible! Of course, it comes with a small corkage fee to be paid.
BRING A PLATE
Invited to your first dinner in Australia? No, ‘bring a plate’ doesn’t mean bring an actual empty plate (which does happen quite often), it means bring something for everyone to enjoy, such as actual food.
THONGS AND WALKING WITHOUT SHOES
No shoes? No problem! Sometimes Australians can’t be bothered with footwear, especially on lazy days going to shops. This may be baffling to some, but it probably is a rare case. What is, however, common is sporting thongs (not the underwear), otherwise known as flip-flops.
EQUALITY
Australia is highly egalitarian and the country takes pride in its multi-cultural society. Which is precisely why everyone feels welcome here. The ‘mate’ culture means that people do not necessarily care about your background, university, and profession, everyone will chat you up. A tip for tourists: sit in front when hopping on a cab when you are travelling alone and strike a conversation with the driver. He most like is really interested about you.
DRINKING CULTURE
Drinking is ingrained in Australian culture and it is integral to social interactions. But Australians don’t normally drink to get extremely pissed (drunk), they drink for the enjoyment that comes with it. Next time you visit, drink up!
HOW ARE YOU GOING, MATE?
This can be a baffling statement. To a tourist this question may translate to: ‘what kind of transport are you taking?’ On the contrary it means, ‘how are you doing?’ and merits an ‘I am good’ response, occasionally.
SHORTENING WORDS
Because where is the fun in saying the whole word? Some examples are: Macca’s (McDonald’s), arvo (afternoon), Straya (Australia), choccy (chocolate), lappy (laptop), and cuppa (cup of tea). Australians find 3 syllable words too long, 2 syllable words are often preferred. What other Australian customs do you find strange? Comment below and share on social media! Interested to know more about Australian culture? Our tour guides are well-versed with all things Australian. Book one of our tours now!
