If you've never visited Australia before, your perceptions of our wonderful, weird nation have probably been formed by outdated stereotypes and mainstream media — in other words, you know shit all.
But in a brave search for answers, one non-Aussie took it upon themselves to learn more about our great country — posting the question in Reddit: "As someone who has been curious about Australia, but who doesn't know the country very well, what should non-Australians know about Oz?"
1. We can come across as overly familiar and disconcertingly casual, even if we've only just met you.
"One of the things that I never noticed, but foreigners comment on, is that we give everybody nicknames — and a lot of people find this off-putting because it seems excessively familiar. I knew an American girl called Ebony and she knew some Australian guy for five seconds and he started calling her E-bones. If somebody gives you a nickname, it's a sign that they like you."
—u/ColdCamel7
"Literally all my husband's friends are ol' mate *insert description*."
"People are genuinely a lot more casual with each other. Nobody calls somebody Mr. Smith unless they're a teacher, surgeon or really, really old (and even then the oldies can be pretty chill)."
—u/Teapot-Rex
2. We aren't obsessed with celebrities, so don't come here seeking out the stars.
"Most of us don’t care about celebrities. It's not a place to come to and expect to be fawned over. I remember when a Kardashian came here in the early days of her ‘celebrity’ and flew home the next day because so few people turned up at her first public appearance."
—u/Kismetiann
"Quite a few years ago, my son worked at Dracula's (Gold Coast theatre restaurant) and Paris Hilton turned up. Her minders say 'Paris Hilton would like a table in the front'. The guy at the door says, 'What's her name?' 'Paris Hilton', came the reply. So, he looks at the bookings sheet and says 'Nope, she hasn't got a booking.' The minder says, 'Paris Hilton' again. The door guy says — deadpan, because he hasn't got a clue who Paris Hilton is — 'I don't care what her name is, if she's not on the list, she isn't getting in. Next!'"
3. Despite our smaller populations, our cities are actually much larger in size than other major cities around the world.
"Australia’s three largest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) would all fall in the top five largest cities if they were in the USA. Our cities are larger than you might think, it’s just there’s so few of them."
—u/is2o
4. Yes, we love to throw a "cunt" out in casual conversation, but we're a lot more conservative than you think.
"When I moved to London in my twenties, I realised how conservative Australia is. Which was very striking, because I thought England would be more like that."
—u/whooyeah
"Even though we don’t broadcast it as much as the Yanks, politically and morally, we can be a very conservative country. It’s hard to get abortions in some states. The only outspoken non-religious prime minister we’ve had was Julia Gillard. They still pray at the beginning of parliament!"
"We are absolutely more conservative than many European countries and also more than the UK."
—u/brezhnervous
5. Nobody gives a fuck about politics — in fact, one of our favourite pastimes is to take the piss out them.
"We don’t even make a big deal about our preferred politician. You’ll never see Aussies standing around at a press conference waving the flag about and cheering everything that’s said. We just want them to do their job."
—u/Lucifang
"We have only two political parties (realistically). And choosing between them is like asking whether you’d rather step in dog shit or cow shit."
"Most of us don't give a fuck about politics or politicians. We hate the majority of them, even if we did vote for them. We hate your politicians as well, probably more than ours."
—u/xordis
6. We value our personal space.
"One thing that doesn't get a regular mention is personal space/personal bubble. As a foreigner, if you find Australians backing away when you are talking to them, it isn't because you smell or something. We have a lot of room down here and it is weird to have someone that isn't close, come up close."
—u/grudthak
"This! I’m a Tasmanian, living in Sydney since 1989, and still can’t get used to how close Sydneysiders think is reasonable to approach. Man, two metres is fine thanks, any closer and I’m trying to make sure you’re not lubing up."
—u/scoffburn
7. We have a rich and diverse literary tradition.
"That we have a long and deep literary tradition too. We have bush poetry, war poetry, novels, movies and plays which are uniquely Australian. Oodgeroo Noonuccal is a well-known Aboriginal poet and artist. Banjo Patterson is famous for a lot of his poetry becoming big parts of our culture — he wrote Waltzing Matilda as well as The Man from Snowy River.
"Our literary tradition is unique, fresh and challenges the constraints created in the US and Europe. Like our wines, we create from old tools in a new fashion. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Australian culture is uniquely Australian."
—u/NoahRedFox
8. Unlike the US, the majority of Australia is a whole lotta open space and zero amenities.
"Most of Australia is full of nothing. In terms of amenities anyway. Unless you're hanging around the cities, you really need to think about what you might need when you travel."
9. The beaches are beautiful...but they can also be dangerous.
"Beaches, they look calm and relaxing, but if it’s un-patrolled make sure that it is safe to swim. Make sure you know what a rip looks like, know the tide times. If it is patrolled make sure you are in view of lifeguards and in-between the flags, as basic as it sounds a lot of people forget this and end up at sea, tired and drowning."
10. It's expenny AF.
"The food is awesome, but can be expensive. The houses are too expensive. Cigarettes are literally $50–120 a pack. Booze is expensive. Except goon, which is cask wine."
"Everything is bloody expensive, especially housing."
—u/tresslessone
11. It's so much bigger than you think.
"It is much bigger than you imagine. Large areas have no housing. You go from semi-tropical to the cold and snow of south Tasmania. You could spend two weeks in one state and not see everything."
"One of the biggest shocks people from Europe seem to have is the size of Australia. The greater Brisbane region is 15,000 square kilometres — and Denmark is 45,000! Your whole country is only three times bigger than what most of us consider a single city area."
—u/Harlequin80
12. For the most part, it's a very safe place to travel.
"Australia is incredibly safe, crime is low, people generally live pretty good lives. I've lived in a few places internationally and travelled extensively and the decision to raise my kids in Australia was a simple one."
—u/Harlequin80
13. We love a bit of self-deprecating humour — but don't take it as a free pass to insult us.
"Another thing I have heard is that we are self-deprecating a lot over here. But just because somebody puts themselves down in front of you, doesn't mean it's cool for you to agree with whatever they said. That'll be considered rude."
—u/ColdCamel7
14. The wildlife isn't as dangerous as it's made out to be.
"The country is not trying to kill you. There are not snakes and spiders around every corner ready to murder you, as long and you don't run into the bush by yourself and be careful, you'll be 'right."
—u/Loch32
15. No need to tip — the price is the price.
"No need to tip anybody. Not in restaurants, not in taxis, not your hotel bell boy. The price is the price."
—u/karma3000
"Service (as in food service) can be pretty so-so, as we are a non-tipping culture — servers get paid a liveable wage here."
—u/Teapot-Rex
16. If you plan on road tripping great distances, you better be prepared.
"If you travel anywhere, make sure that you know where the petrol station is and rest stops. If you happen to be driving a long way, make sure to take a break and eat something, refreshing your mind can stop you from falling asleep on stretched out roads.
If you happen to drive far out in the middle of Australia, make sure you have MORE than enough fuel, water, food etc, as wind and weather conditions can change in an instant and you could be stuck for days or even weeks.
One left turn and you’re heading straight on into the wind and using 20L/100km more fuel than you were before. This is also where roadside assistance and a UHF radio come in handy. A must-have if you’re travelling far from the coast."
17. It's idyllic, yes, but Australia can also be wild and untamed.
"Australia is beautiful, but desolate. Some people like that, some find it depressing. There is no right opinion. I do a lot of camping and travel to remote areas and I have to say I don't really like many Australian beaches because of that.
I always rock up and think 'This is nice, now let's go find some shade', because the beach is too glarey and sand is blowing in your face because of the high wind caused by the difference in land and sea temp."
—u/whooyeah
18. We don't gas about at the petrol station.
"Petrol here is called petrol, not gas. And you pay for it after you have filled up, which is better and makes more sense."
—u/lozlozzaloz
19. And finally, chips are chips are chips.
"'Chips refers to both hot chips (fries) and potato chips (crisps). You kinda just have to work the context of the situation out in your head. But a chippy is more commonly used as nickname for a carpenter, not a place you buy your fish and chips."
—u/Teapot-Rex
"To differentiate the two, use chips (for crisps) and hot chips (for fries)."
—u/peepeetrain
"Chips are hot chips, crispy chips and French fry chips. She's versatile."
—u/hungryhip
Aussies, did they miss any crucial words of advice? Let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.