For those who live in Oz - I would like to know
Jul 7th 2003, 10:45 am
#31
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 498
Originally posted by Rosy
However, as far as 99% of Brisbanites obeying the speed limits - LOL!!!
However, as far as 99% of Brisbanites obeying the speed limits - LOL!!!
You don't need to look out for the speed signs in Brisbane. All you need to do is watch the other drivers. I would estimate that 99.9999999% of drivers drive at EXACTLY the speed limit. It's bizarre. Let's say I'm on the motorway and the speed limit is 100 kmph. if I drive at 99 kmph then I will have a boatload of angry motorists swarming over my rear bumper. However, if I drive at 101 kmph I will leave them all behind and have the road to myself.
In the UK the police tend to act more on common sense. If you are breaking the speed limit by 10-15 mph but the conditions are good and the road is empty they will turn a blind eye. In Australia rules are very much rules (something that permeates through the whole of society by the way) so 100.000001 kmph in a 100 kmph zone is classed as a capital offence and you will be pulled over and executed.
Jul 7th 2003, 10:47 am
#32
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 392
The biggest culture shock for me was how conservative the Ozzies are.
Jul 7th 2003, 10:52 am
#33
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 72
Originally posted by etlniwd
you will be pulled over and executed.
you will be pulled over and executed.
Jul 7th 2003, 11:02 am
#34
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 457
Originally posted by etlniwd
Have to disagree with your disagreement.
You don't need to look out for the speed signs in Brisbane. All you need to do is watch the other drivers. I would estimate that 99.9999999% of drivers drive at EXACTLY the speed limit. It's bizarre. Let's say I'm on the motorway and the speed limit is 100 kmph. if I drive at 99 kmph then I will have a boatload of angry motorists swarming over my rear bumper. However, if I drive at 101 kmph I will leave them all behind and have the road to myself.
In the UK the police tend to act more on common sense. If you are breaking the speed limit by 10-15 mph but the conditions are good and the road is empty they will turn a blind eye. In Australia rules are very much rules (something that permeates through the whole of society by the way) so 100.000001 kmph in a 100 kmph zone is classed as a capital offence and you will be pulled over and executed.
Have to disagree with your disagreement.
You don't need to look out for the speed signs in Brisbane. All you need to do is watch the other drivers. I would estimate that 99.9999999% of drivers drive at EXACTLY the speed limit. It's bizarre. Let's say I'm on the motorway and the speed limit is 100 kmph. if I drive at 99 kmph then I will have a boatload of angry motorists swarming over my rear bumper. However, if I drive at 101 kmph I will leave them all behind and have the road to myself.
In the UK the police tend to act more on common sense. If you are breaking the speed limit by 10-15 mph but the conditions are good and the road is empty they will turn a blind eye. In Australia rules are very much rules (something that permeates through the whole of society by the way) so 100.000001 kmph in a 100 kmph zone is classed as a capital offence and you will be pulled over and executed.
Jul 7th 2003, 11:38 am
#35
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 336
No real culture shocks for me. Although I was amazed at how green it is around here when we first came out for a holiday in 2001! And I'm still in awe over the fantastic countryside, topped off with most days being gorgeous and sunny. I suppose it was a shock when the kids started school and settled down straight away and seemed unfazed by it all, even my 'difficult' son.
Mandy
Mandy
Jul 7th 2003, 3:22 pm
#36
Guest
Posts: n/a
Don't leave us dangling 'onlyme'....what do you mean by 'conservative'?
What's your idea of conservative...I thought the Brits had cornered the market on 'conservative'
Never met an Aussie yet that I'd consider 'conservative'...quite the contrary...
unless yer jist yankin' our chains.... nothing new here.
What's your idea of conservative...I thought the Brits had cornered the market on 'conservative'
Never met an Aussie yet that I'd consider 'conservative'...quite the contrary...
unless yer jist yankin' our chains.... nothing new here.
Originally posted by onlyme
The biggest culture shock for me was how conservative the Ozzies are.
The biggest culture shock for me was how conservative the Ozzies are.
Jul 7th 2003, 9:26 pm
#37
too busy to work members
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Tahmoor NSW - Southern Highlands
Posts: 1,385
Re: For those who live in Oz - I would like to know
Originally posted by dotty
They just put one of those flashing boards up here, last week it was reading "are you speeding" at the time 9 roadworks guys were directing 3 lanes of dole day traffic into one completely congested lane. Speedo at the time 5klm per hour.
They just put one of those flashing boards up here, last week it was reading "are you speeding" at the time 9 roadworks guys were directing 3 lanes of dole day traffic into one completely congested lane. Speedo at the time 5klm per hour.
The signs I found amazing were 'sleeping while driving kills!'
Jul 7th 2003, 10:34 pm
#38
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 181
I feel like I'm butting in. I'm an Aussie and i just want to comment on some of the observations from both this forum and Poms I have talked to at work.
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
Jul 8th 2003, 3:50 am
#39
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: Dream life UK....
Posts: 2,912
Originally posted by kaleb777
I feel like I'm butting in. I'm an Aussie and i just want to comment on some of the observations from both this forum and Poms I have talked to at work.
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
I feel like I'm butting in. I'm an Aussie and i just want to comment on some of the observations from both this forum and Poms I have talked to at work.
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
I read your post and felt like I was reading my own mind. You speak the absolute butt honest truth about OZ.
Your comments about avoiding the sun and climate are spot on. However on this forum if an English person says it they are executed, by the English.
Brilliant post, Thank you for taking your time here.
Jul 8th 2003, 4:05 am
#40
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by kaleb777
I feel like I'm butting in. I'm an Aussie and i just want to comment on some of the observations from both this forum and Poms I have talked to at work.
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
I feel like I'm butting in. I'm an Aussie and i just want to comment on some of the observations from both this forum and Poms I have talked to at work.
Most states have daylight savings in summer except QLD which means QLD has it's own time in summer. The reason is because western QLD is right at the west of the time zone and in the referendum the country people voted DS down because they didn't like the idea of it still being 40 degrees C at 10pm. In the east (Brisbane etc) you don't mind the sun getting down around dinner time because that larks the end of work and the start of the evening cool. It would be terrible to have more sun in the afternoon when it's been stinking hot all day. Another development is that due to pressure from southern states on QLD to conform, QLDers have dug their heels in qand basically want no daylight savings because WE'RE QUEENSLANDERS and those southerers can go jump. In summer it gets light at about 4:30AM so you see a lot of people out walking and jogging before it gets hot.
Another thing I have observed is how Brits find it weird that many Aussies are white as sheets, there are no sun-roofs in cars, and people sit inside when it's hot. It's like a person from a hot country who is fascinated by snow finding it weird that people in Norway don't sit outside in it and enjoy it. In Australia, tans are not seen as an addition to beauty. In fact people who are darkly tanned or sun-burnt are seen as morons who failed to take precautions. There are no sun roofs because people in traffic don't like being cooked. They wind up the windows (which are usually darkly tinted) pull down the sun visors and turn up the air conditioning. The idea is to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can get severely burnt from a seat belt buckle left in the sun, and you will see many parked cars with towels over the steering wheel. If you don't cover the steering wheel you wil not be able to touch it - no shit! I have had a cassette melt in the car stereo. You will get a criminal charge for leaving a child in a car even if you just run in to a shop quickly. Passers by will smash your windows to get a dog out of a parked car.
Weather. Winters are wet in the south while summers are wet in the north (including Brisbane). This means summers in the south are hot (very) and dry with winters cold and damp. In Brisbane, winters are sunny and very dry while summers are stinking hot and very humid with afternoon storms almost every other day. Winter nights in Brisbane (especially the western suburbs) can be cold because there are absolutely no clouds (down to 5C or 0C in western subs). Days rarely fall below 20C and are always sunny. The tropics have 2 seasons, wet and dry, wet being "summer".
You're all correct. TV is crap. It took me 4 hours to watch the Green Mile recently because of the commercials. There are 3 free commercial stations, one public access channel, one channel for immigrants that don't speak English and the ABC which plays a lot of BBC stuff with no commercials. You will notice there are adds everywhere, not just on TV. Everything is "sponsored by" some company.
You pay no TV license but have to pay an Amulance subscription.
Traffic - Australia is supposed to have a road rage problem but it usually occurs due to people not keeping out of the fast lane on freeways. In heavy traffic you have to push in or you will be stuck. Start moving and people will let you in. Yes, people stick to the speed limit due to the heavy speeding fines. Happily the speed limits have been risen to 110km/h on good quality motorways with talk of higher.
Some Brits I talk to say the Aussies are wannabe Yanks. I guess we take on many US expressions quickly but it doesn't seem intentional. It just happens. US spellings are accepted along with British ones. Your kids might start spelling 'color', 'standardized' etc. interchangably with UK spellings.
Australians do work longer hours. It's a myth that Aussies are lazy.
Homes are not well heated. Most are set up for hot weather with roof vents, insulation to cut down on heat and air conditioning. New homes now offer tinted windows as standard.
My advice - get air conditioning, even if it's just a window-rattler in the bedroom. You will live in there on some of the hottest summer days. Ever seen crows panting? Whatever you do don't fall for the common trap many immigrants do by buying an "air cooler". These "coolers" are basically fans that are attached to a water reservoir that require regular water fill-ups. They DON'T WORK. They just add more humidity. You need an air-conditioner which takes humidity out of the air and drains it outside along with the heat. Fans are OK for most hot days but in mid-summer they simply blow hot air on you which feels like you are sitting in front of a fan-heater.
Wood heaters are widely used with wood being cheap (if you have a chainsaw you can often get free wood from people who have lost a tree in a storm). Most people put up with the cold nights by using a room heater or wearing a jumper before curling up under a "doona" - a down filled quilt which is an essential winter item.
Any questions? ;-)
Jul 8th 2003, 4:18 am
#41
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Like Kaleb777's comments, spot on depiction of Brissie. Having acclimatised to the weather rather quickly I also hide from the sun somewhat, even in winter. Was down South Bank the other week sitting in the shade from the winter sun, along with other pale skinned Aussies. Recent arrivals and tourists easy to spot as they tend to have the tans and sit out in the sun. Still, looking forward to warmer nights soon, especially as now have a/c.
Jul 8th 2003, 4:40 am
#42
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by kaleb777
thankyou for taking the time to write, i found your post extremely helpful as will be arriving in queensland/north nsw in october. we are in the "what to bring" stage and i keep quoting things that people on here have recommended, such as taking our heavier aswell as our lighter quilt and having my sister shout me down. (secretly i think shes looking forward to getting her hands on lots of goodies!) we will be in south goldcoast area, do we assume it will be similar to brisbane, or is it not so humid?
we witnessed the evening storms on our last visit, i was scared the first night as we were staying on the 12th floor in coolangatta and three sides of the apartment was glass! the lightening was amazing, illuminating mount warning and making the water shine out, the wind whipping up and tossing about anything left on a balcony! after the first it became a nightly treat to watch and amazing that it was all over within half an hour and soon dry. we realise this is why the area is so lush and green and look forward to growing giant vegetables!
these are the sort of posts that really give us immigrants to be a real sense of what it will be like so thanks.
karen
thankyou for taking the time to write, i found your post extremely helpful as will be arriving in queensland/north nsw in october. we are in the "what to bring" stage and i keep quoting things that people on here have recommended, such as taking our heavier aswell as our lighter quilt and having my sister shout me down. (secretly i think shes looking forward to getting her hands on lots of goodies!) we will be in south goldcoast area, do we assume it will be similar to brisbane, or is it not so humid?
we witnessed the evening storms on our last visit, i was scared the first night as we were staying on the 12th floor in coolangatta and three sides of the apartment was glass! the lightening was amazing, illuminating mount warning and making the water shine out, the wind whipping up and tossing about anything left on a balcony! after the first it became a nightly treat to watch and amazing that it was all over within half an hour and soon dry. we realise this is why the area is so lush and green and look forward to growing giant vegetables!
these are the sort of posts that really give us immigrants to be a real sense of what it will be like so thanks.
karen
Jul 8th 2003, 5:03 am
#43
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thankyou for taking the time to write, i found your post extremely helpful as will be arriving in queensland/north nsw in october. we are in the "what to bring" stage
KV - I haven't been thru an October yet but reckon its pretty hot by then, however do not do as I did and throw away all things long sleeved and warm and definitely bring the thick quilts and any blankets etc. saves on buying new when here. Also you should be in good position to buy up as much UK end-summer sale stuff as you an as you will be arriving as it starts to get hot again.
KV - I haven't been thru an October yet but reckon its pretty hot by then, however do not do as I did and throw away all things long sleeved and warm and definitely bring the thick quilts and any blankets etc. saves on buying new when here. Also you should be in good position to buy up as much UK end-summer sale stuff as you an as you will be arriving as it starts to get hot again.
Jul 8th 2003, 5:10 am
#44
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Joined: Sep 2002
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cheers jayr!
yes, i am aware that we need our long sleves and trousers especially since reading the "don't chuck yer woolly jumpers" post!
kar
yes, i am aware that we need our long sleves and trousers especially since reading the "don't chuck yer woolly jumpers" post!
kar
Jul 8th 2003, 5:17 am
#45
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Joined: Feb 2003
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Originally posted by karenvirginia
cheers jayr!
yes, i am aware that we need our long sleves and trousers especially since reading the "don't chuck yer woolly jumpers" post!
kar
cheers jayr!
yes, i am aware that we need our long sleves and trousers especially since reading the "don't chuck yer woolly jumpers" post!
kar
What's the weather like in Brum today? Lived there for ten years before coming here Dec 02. Have they finished that damn Bull Ring project yet?