annqldau

Hi,

Have noticed that a lot of Australians go to bed at 8 pm... after this time it's like being in a Sci-Fi movie where everyone has been abducted.

We are having to do recci's to find places with night life for ourselves and our child as even the local children around 10yrs go in at 5 or 6 pm it's definetly not what we expected of Aussie night times.

Could understand it if the TV was worth watching but it's cr*p most of the time and not worth shutting up shop for.

Even some of the food joints shut at 9pm and the cinema starts at 3.40pm or 4pm, when kids just got out of school at 3pm.

Don't get me wrong I love Aus but finding the night times very strange and have heard the same of other people... .

A dogs life

Yeah, restaraunts shutting at 9pm is quite annoying, as is fast food joints closing a 7:30pm, and garages and corners shops closing around the same time.

I blame the lack of daylight saving in QLD, as soon as it gets dark, everyone just shuts up shop. I think there would be more incentive to stay open later if it was still light and there were lots of people wandering around.

It doesn't explain why the rest of Australia shuts up early as well though

Hels

Its all good here in Bendigo.

Plenty of stuff open most nights of the week until well after midnight. Have often decided on going out for a late night coffee and cake with the girls Night life here is pretty awesome too, considering its a town of only 100k people.

I am very rarely ever in bed before 11pm through the week, later on the weekends. But then I am in a State that is smart enough to have Daylight Savings

Hels

wmoore

I'd agree with that. It is totally weird watching everyone shut up shop so early.

Mind you, daylight savings is no excuse for shops shutting at 330-400pm on a Saturday

annqldau

I'd agree don't think the daylight savings comes into it... we have managed to track down a few places that do stay open late but they are the exception rather than the rule.

We are looking forward to mates coming over from UK even though it is suposed to be hell when it actually happens just so we can stay up and have a good chat and drink.

May have to come and have coffee with you and the girls but think it's a bit far for a goodnight out... .

Del Boy

or 12 noon in provincial centres.

NickyC

The rest of Australia doesn't all shut at 9pm!

Where I am you can get drinks and food at least till midnight. You can get petrol and do a supermarket shop 24 hours a day. All our local restaurant strips buzz till well past midnight (even in the dark!).

Most other normal shops are open 9am-6pm 7 days a week.

You can't expect suburban backwaters to have the same level of opening hours, but please don't tar the whole country with those strange Queensland habits!

Shellfish

Not in Melbourne, there are more nightclubs per head here than anywhere else in the world (or so I read once).

Bella Donna

I find it confusing that supermarkets within the same chain keep different opening hours. I realise that in the UK different stores shut at different times but they seemed consistent - mostly 10 pm unless 24 hour.

Within a 5km radius here, I have three branches of Dewsons. One shuts at 6pm, and is open Mon-Sat. One shuts at 7pm and is open 7 days a week. The other shuts at 9pm and is open Mon-Sat. It'd be less confusing if they *all* shut on Sundays, or *all* opened, and had roughly consistent closing times.

Equally, Bunnings seems to be open 7 days a week until 7pm, but some stores open on Sundays *where permitted*. What does this mean? Who permits it? We went down to Good Guys one Sunday, dh having been told they had Sunday opening - and it was obviously a *not permitted* day....

Sue

JackTheLad

I would love to participate on this poll but I can't "tick" any of the boxes...

I very often fall asleep before 8pm, especially if ADL makes dinner early.
I don't know if neighbours' doors are locked after 8pm, because I'm asleep.
I don't know if there's any night life after 8pm in our area, because, like I said, I'm asleep.
The kids are not out and about after 6pm, so I didn't vote on that one either.

Can you make your future poll a little easier?!

Mrs JTL

jad n rich

Bed at 8 its true tho many do. I love phoning people at 9pm, they usually think its an emergency because you are phoning so late


Thing is here its light at 4.30 now, we have people leave for work at 5.30 but still totally refuse to go to bed at 8, I'd rather be tired than give in to that. you cant sleep in even on weekends its seen as perfectly acceptable for people to start mowing at 6am Bad luck for those with a life.

Bordy

On a Saturday night my daughter & her friends rarely go out before midnight.

Oh to be young again.

Simone

Don't go to bed before 10.30

Fast food places open till 9pm sunday to wednesday, often 10 or 11pm thurs to saturday. And this is in our suburb(17km from cbd)

Shops open till 5 pm on Saturday, 6pm during the week.
Bunnings 7am - 7pm everyday
Dewsons/supa valu 8 to 8 I think.
Some random shops and car sales yards close at 12 pm on Saturday, but most are open till 5pm.

I'd call all my friends till 10pm, but then, most are either expats, or young people(as in: uni students). I've never heard of people going to bed at 8pm (expect one person, but he gets up at 2am, and just has a strange sleeping pattern )
I reckon most would go at about 10 pm, but I'm not sure of course. Mmmm, maybe I'll ask my colleagues during morning tea on Friday, ha ha!

Wave the Sails

It's funny you say that as hubby has been commenting for some time about how quiet it is here as soon as it gets dark. Apart from listening to the sound of the ocean and the odd far off hoon it's soooooooooooo peaceful, but like a ghost town. Can't complain though, it's as though we are back in our soundless Dorset village

Pomster

Mr P and I were in Moololaba Qld and went for dinner at 8pm...everywhere had closed its restaurants 'because it was so late' Here in Melb, 8pm is a farily normal time to eat in a restaurant.

We thought it was just Moololaba, now you confirm it is the whole of Qld....must be because everyone goes there to retire!!!