There's no denying that New Yorkers have quite the reputation for being no-nonsense, tough cookies — and to be fair, that's not too far off the personality of Australians...if you took it down, like, 50 notches.
I mean, the fundamental traits are mostly the same, save for the rise and grind, knock people out of your way on the footpath energy.
But to be safe, Reddit user u/Disastrous-Passion59 posed this question to Australians on the site: "I'm a New Yorker that's gonna be living here for a while. Does anyone have any advice/suggestions/unwritten rules that I should know?"
Here are the most helpful (and hilarious) responses:
1. "The price of items in shops, supermarkets, restaurants etc. already have tax included. There's no need to add tax on top of the price."
2. "Don’t ride your bike on wet tram tracks."
—u/Purpington67
"Dont ride on tram tracks period, that gap between rail and cement will eat your bike tyre and it’s a pretty scary fall. Done it multiple times."
3. "Keep left when you walk."
—u/gilded-earth
4. "Because summer is just around the corner: If you are not a strong swimmer, or used to swimming in the ocean, always swim at a patrolled beach and swim between the flags. We lose too many overseas visitors to drowning."
5. "Melb-en. Not Mel-born."
6. "I presume you already know this but our national emergency number for police fire and ambulance is 000. We also have something called the SES [State Emergency Service]. They help with stuff like if your house is flooding or about to flood, there's a tree in the road or your driveway, etc. Their number is 132500. The police also have a non emergency number which is 131444, which can be used to report non-urgent crime."
—u/IAmABakuAMA
7. "Arugula is called rocket, cilantro is called coriander and garbanzo beans are called chickpeas."
8. "Shit, has anyone mentioned magpies? Our spring is 'delayed', so they'll be booming with their babies soon and they will go for you. So, enjoy your first swoop (it can hurt, keep your sunnies handy), but respect them in your local hood and they tend to learn to leave you alone. They have excellent memories and will remember if you fuck with them."
—u/I-Socelese
9. "Just don’t be a wanker. All good, welcome."
10. "When getting food [at a restaurant] it’s called 'takeaway', not 'to go'."
11. "Make friends by praising Australia and Australians, and asking questions that don't imply any negativity. Be quick with a laugh, be good natured, trust that the odds are a person is being nice, but we do it by joking. If you are working, it is often a rite of passage to be teased to see if you're an alright bloke and to see if you can take it. Australians don't like people who take themselves too seriously."
—u/FeeBeeFeeBee
12. "Avoid the urge to tip is a huge one. It's creeping in more and more."
—u/BodgieAF
13. "Sunscreen, bro — wear it."
14. "If you are driving and you give way in a tight two-way street, some may not give a courtesy wave and some will wave back. If you are given way, it's nice to give a wave back."
—u/ventti_slim
15. "The context of 'cunt' is usually found by the preceding word. 'Shit cunt' and 'good cunt' are pretty self explanatory."
"This rule is reversed when answering in the positive or negative. Yeah nah = no, nah yeah = yes."
—u/froo
16. "Remember, a tram can weigh as much as 17 rhinos."
17. "When you want a coffee, go to the local cafe — not Macca's [McDonald’s], Starbucks or any big chain as they’re rubbish. Macca's is ok if you want a late night coffee, but the local cafes are better."
—u/z8chh
18. "Lower the volume of your voice by about 75% and don’t treat public transport like you’re the only person on it."
19. "A lot of Melbourne's coffee shops don’t have displayed menus if you are ordering a take away coffee, so know what you want before you go to order."
20. "If you're talking to an Aussie on the phone, we like to wrap up the conversation and end with a goodbye. For example: 'Great...well thanks for the chat and we'll catch up soon! Okay, take care, bye!'. It really threw me when I first met a New Yorker who would just terminate the conversation by hanging up. Aussies appreciate a little social foreplay and aftercare."
21. "Like the use of "cunt", "mate" is also contextualised...But this time by tone. Mate can be friendly, loving even, but with a different tone it can be threatening and abusive. You will work it out."
22. "Use a kettle to boil water not the microwave."
23. "Look right then left when crossing the street."
24. "With Americans generally I find they offer a lot of information about themselves voluntarily — Australians don't. So if you want to know more about someone you might just have to ask personal questions. It's not that we're not talkative, but are fairly private."
25. "If you want to make instant friends with Australians tell them our hot chips and meat pies are better than New Zealand’s — even if you have never had hot chips or meat pies from there. They’ll be eating out of your fucking hand."
26. "Don’t eat a kebab on a tram."
27. "Just remember that Australians have a self-deprecating sense of humour, which often offends Americans who are ‘stereotypically’ quite easily triggered. When someone teases or trolls you, it is often done with affection. We generally love seppos [American people]."
—u/Fleshpuppet_
28. "People more commonly say please and thank you when ordering rather than just thank you at the end. Often when ordering we frame it more as a request than a statement. 'Can I have two lattes please?' Or 'two lattes please' is fine, but 'I’ll take two lattes' or 'two lattes' followed by a thank you will come across as rude."
—u/lyndal197
29. And finally, "Don't feed the seagulls."
Do you have any advice for travellers from the USA bracing Aussie shores? Let them know in the comments!
Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.