Jacqui

Came across this website yesterday www.ozinengland.com and it had me laughing. It's good to see things the other way round, I thought it might help me understand some of the things they do (or don't do) over there.
Some examples: washing-up bowls are unheard of, they use the sink; don't expect to find a washing-machine in the kitchen, they think that's a gross idea, very unhygienic; all taps are mixers, unlike our separate ones, why on earth scald yourself using the hot tap or get frostbite using the cold, when you could mix the two together?! I'm sure there's some things the Brits could learn here.
Also on the website, some of the lingo you will need to learn before going there, eg. men you will see a lot of ladies wearing rubber thongs, but don't get too excited, that's what they call flip-flops! Foodwise, you won't find Scotch Eggs, Yorkshire Puddings or Toad-in-the-Hole, amongst others.

Gareth W

Being a Rugby League nut, Aussies coming over to the North of England to play in our RL competition has been a familiar feature for donkey's years. Whilst Aussies are great travellers and many players have been keen to come over to England, there's always been a pretty sizable minority who have gone back pretty sharpish, usually saying that their family "couldn't settle". It wasn't until I actually visited Aus (last year) and had the experience of coming back to England (in November) that I began to understand their point of view !

It must be a real culture shock swapping a four bedroom house in Cairns for a terraced house in Wakefield !

Gareth

"Largely disgruntled with the lack of RL talk on this site"

WhiteRose

Gareth,

Feel free to chat about RL - from another RL fan.

Steve

PS. Where are you from and who do you support?

yvsie

Hi,
Ive looked at the oz in england and poms in oz sites...haha very funny....

Gareth W

White Rose,

I'm from Wakefield and I support Wakefield Trinity through thick & thin (well, mainly thin actually - there's been precious little thick lately !).

Fool that I am, I'm emigrating to Perth and they don't have an NRL Team anymore. However, I know that there are country league teams in the area so I'll probably end up following one of them.

Who do you support over here and who do you plan to follow over there ?

Cheers
GW

WhiteRose

Gareth,

I am from Hull, so I support the black and whites of Hull FC, but I've actually lived in Leeds for the last 4 years. However, I try to get back as often as possible to see them play.

We plan to move to Sydney, so I'll be following the Parramatta Eels. Was look enough to see them versus the Bulldogs at Sydney Showground when we were out there last August.

Were you at the Boulevard on Sunday?

How far along the application process are you?

Cheers,

Steve

him

you can thank Rupert Murdoch for the death of the Reds Gareth, they were doing quite well for a startup club until the Super League vision was implemented.
In the West (like most of australia) you will need to PayTV to see much Rugby League on TV.
Even in the Eastern states, it is often just 2 games a weekend on free-to-air.

You are probably already aware of it , but www.rleague.com is an australian based site which gives a lot of exposure to the game around the world.

Gareth W

Steve & him,

I've actually got a PR visa already (my wife is Australian and we've got a son who is a dual-national). We are planning to go over Sept/Oct this year and we'll be settling in Perth. My wife has got family over there and they're all Aussie Rules fans (Fremantle Dockers). I've watched it on TV but I just don't get it I'm afraid...

Anyway, I can look forward to such showdowns as Rockingham Raiders v Joondalup Giants though ! I'm sure I'll get to an NRL game eventually, even if I do have to cross the continent to do it.

I didn't get to the Hull v Wakey game. From the match report, it sounded like the same old story - Wakey playing well in twenty minute bursts but coming away with nothing. Saints at home this week so things aren't getting any easier.

Have to say, Wakey Trinity is one of the things I'm really going to miss about the UK !

etlniwd

Jumping back to the original point of the thread for a minute ...

... it works both ways. For those of you heading down under from the UK - expect some subtle differences.

- Australian washing machines take some getting used to. Most of them are the old fashioned top-loader type (like we used to use in the 1960s). They also think it's clever to wash their clothes in cold water so everything comes out almost as dirty as it went in.

- Despite what you read, I think that Australian drivers are more polite than the British. It doesn't seem to be a problem to cut across lanes in the big cities if you've got in the wrong one. Try that in London and you're in for a stream of abuse.

- In pubs beer is often served in the tiniest measures imaginable. A pot is a small glass that you'll finish before you've even collected your change. Ask for a pint if you don't want to spend all night going back to the bar for a refill.

- Other than ABC, Australian terrestrial TV is awful. I once timed the adverts at every 7 minutes on one channel in Airlie Beach. What made it worse was that nearly every ad was for 'the Mackay Sheepskin Sale' (it was 34 degrees at the time).

- Try paying for something in an Australian shop with a non-Australian credit card throws everyone into confusion. You're asked to punch a pin number into a contraption on a wire that they pass to you over the counter. When you say that you don't have a pin number they often don't know what to do. Once you've finally got over that hurdle they then ask you whether you want your money deducted from you savings account, current account, or credit account which creates even more confusion. Just pay in cash, it's easier !

- Unlike many of the British, the Australians know the difference between 'service' and 'servitude'. Expect to be served with a smile that's genuine from someone who's proud to be serving you.

- Oh yes, when you arrive at customs in Australia you get all your shoes washed for free !

Before I get flamed, I'm just having some fun.