A Belle's observations on Australia

Astute Aussie observations -- (there are so many I can’t even think of all of them -- I am “country come to town” remember that when reading below):

1. No one over here puts napkins/serviettes in their laps here when they eat.
2. They are footy crazy (football -- Aussie Rules and regular rugby)
3. No pay at the pump, what’s up with that?  I guess it’s good exercise as you have to walk in to pay, but don’t they have drive offs (refer to number 13, I guess that solves that problem).  
4. McDonald’s is called Maccas -- nicknames abound, refer to number 17 below. Burger King is known as Hungry Jacks.
5. Their thugs have names -- Hoons and drive pimped out cars.
6. No one wears baggy britches here (that’s a relief -- in 30 + days I only saw two).  
7. They eat wedge fries with sour cream and sweet chili sauce (ok, but give me some chili and cheese anyday).
8. People don’t get knocked up or become pregnant -- they fall pregnant (I guess it’s just like falling down stairs? no effort involved?).
9. At restaurants, they give you tap water, normally in a chilled bottle every time you sit down to eat.  :)  And at bars, they have an area where you can get a glass of water.  (Someone explained to me that this was because people go out “drinking” and get dehydrated.)
10. Capsicum? what is that? It’s a bell pepper -- how many different English words are there.  Indicator/blinker (which is on the wrong side of the steering column in left driving cars), lift/elevator, 
11. The Aussie attitude -- Pleasure before business -- the new Passat ad here.
12. They don’t have billboards here (but when I got to Port Stephens beach area they did, but they were low to the ground and not “full on” signs like ours).
13. This place is a nanny state -- lots of government regulation.
14. They have GM but it’s called Holden.   And they have a very interesting vehicle -- a  “Ute” (hum, it’s an El Camino remade and they are plentiful - at first I thought it was so they could hold their surfboards -- nope, never saw a surfboard in a one, but I did see quite a few in quite a few different eye scarring colours).   They also had Ford ones called “Falcon Utes”.  FYI Ute is short for utility.  No big SUV’s here - lots of Honda CRV’s and other smaller SUV’s.  Didn’t see many big Ford or Chevy trucks but did see a few.  Their semis are more like American ones and not European ones. 
15. Their log trucks had guards on the back of them to keep the logs from falling off the back, refer back to the regulation issue.
16. They don’t have ketchup but do have tomato sauce (it’s not as thick and I am sure doesn’t have as much sugar -- gotta love me some Heinz).  Also they had folding packs -- you fold it like a card and the tomato sauce (or mayonnaise or salad dressing) comes out.  It was kind of cool.   They don’t have “our” mustard (even at Subway).  I think I was offered it or saw it twice in 30 days.   But they did have Tabasco everywhere. 
17. Aussies shorten many words -- Bikers are “bikies” (who could be intimidated by a “bikie” sounds too much like a “binkie” (pacifier to me), Fremantle (the town) is Freo.
18. Most vehicles have different names than ours -- Ford Fairlane or Ford Falcon, except Hondas and Toyotas.  
19. They pronounce Hyundai, Nikon, and Mazda differently here, among many many other words.  I guess there really are American and Australian languages.
20. Restaurants in Hunter Valley don’t open for dinner until at least 6:00 or later.
21. Instead of asking “How are you doing?” they ask “How are you going?”
22. Cereal bowls are flat like soup bowls not deep for cereal.  You can’t really dig in.  And I saw a box of Fruit Loops for $15 (needless to say it stayed on the shelf).
23. They don’t eat chips with their sandwiches, even Subway doesn’t sell chips in their stores.  (Also unlike the UK -- where potato chips are crisps, they call potato chips, chips.)
24. Watermelon is a big fruit in Australia and if there are floods in Queensland -- don't look for a cheap banana -- you won't find one :)  $12.99 a kilo.  
25. Books cost a fortune here ($45 for a new hardback or $25 for a softback).  I found many a used book store and no I didn’t buy a lot to bring home -- I bought three (and two were signed to me) books :) and was very proud of myself for my self control. 
26. Clothes and everything else cost a lot here too -- went to the mall and they had a cheapie twin sheet set for $47?  I don’t think so. Never found the TJ Maxx.
27. Visited a few post offices and toward the end of the trip finally figured it out/was schooled on it by a few Aussies -- they are not owned entirely by the government -- Kind of odd for a nanny state to have franchised like post offices.  When you go to a post office you can buy music CD’s, or movies or books or cards or toys or just any type of junk, almost like a dollar store.  I even saw one with food in it.  They are licensed post offices but actually stores -- so it’s like a fast food franchise -- but I guess they still get the mail out.  So I wonder, are postal delivery carriers privately paid or paid by the government?  The “prettiest” post office I saw was in Dunalley, Tasmania - they had the most beautiful flowers in front.  And the one in Mole Creek had the most beautiful wood on the walls. 
28. Speed cameras abound here -- I wonder how many tickets I will have when I get home, my foot is kind of heavy and I had no cruise control on the rent cars (aka hire cars). 
29. They don’t have regular toll booths, you have to have an account set up online or call in and pay.  That’s bogus -- if you want my freaking money, pay a person to sit there and collect it, even the Italians have sense enough to do that?
30. They don’t say Good bye but instead See ya later.   You won’t see them ever again, but I guess in France you say “au revoir”.  See you later Australia -- I will come back -- I met some amazing people who were friendly and helpful to this little Southern Belle/Country Girl.