Non-Aussies Are Sharing What Shocked Them Most About Australia And Locals Are Responding Hilariously

    "There actually isn't a massive fucking spider around every corner."

    Nick Arnold
    by Nick Arnold

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    When you're not from Australia, there's a certain idea of what it's actually like here — that it's sunny all year round, that the sharks are waiting to get you the minute you step in the ocean, or that if a shark doesn't sort you out, then any number of other terrifying creatures will.

    Mashed / Via giphy.com

    When I first left the UK, I remember telling my mum that I would never swim in the ocean, because I was afraid I'd get eaten by a shark. 

    To anyone who's actually spent much time here, this oft-told rumour is obviously ridiculous. And after five years living in Sydney, it's ridiculous to me now too. But there are some things you just don't know until you know, you know?

    Saturday Night Live / Via giphy.com

    Now, non-Aussies are taking to Reddit to share their most shocking observations about Australia, and Aussies have a lot to say back about it all. Buckle up, because there are some goodies.

    Adweek / Via giphy.com

    1. How big Australia is

    The True Size of Australia!

    Source https://t.co/RTYzFzmw7g pic.twitter.com/DMbm9KjVQA

    — Space Explorer Mike 🇺🇦 (@MichaelGalanin) April 18, 2020
    "When I flew there, a movie finished, I checked the flight tracker map thing — saw we were just about approaching Australia. Thought to myself, not long until we land, I won’t watch another film," commented u/amfra. "Turns out, I could have watched another two films as there was over five hours left of the flight."

    This is one observation that Aussies don't seem to dispute — and I mean, how could they?!

    "I'll always overhear somebody talking about how they'll drive from up and down the coast in a few hours and have to politely disabuse them of this notion" says u/Dramandus.

    2. How bad the internet is in Australia

    my australian internet downloading 120gb of jedi survivor pic.twitter.com/aP7DD7xpSB

    — maus (@indeimaus) April 28, 2023
    "I moved to Koh Tao, a tiny island in the Southern Gulf of Thailand," wrote u/Melodic-Change-6388. "I’d have Zoom meetings with clients in Australia. Whenever the connection was shit, I’d be like, 'There’s something wrong with your internet'."

    Again, seemingly not one that Aussies disagree with.

    "I’m literally using mobile data in my own house bc my internets carked it for the 10th time in three days," commented u/Melodic-Change-6388.

    3. How cute Australian animals are

    NowThis / Via giphy.com

    "The wildlife is unlike anything I've ever seen before!" says one Redditor, while another wrote that they thought "the birdlife is unbelievable".

    User u/i__love__myself was shocked then they "found out that the Tasmanian devil is a real thing".

    "We have so much unique wildlife you can’t find anywhere else," explains u/TheSaltyTrash, who we're guessing is probably Aussie. "Sure we have some nasty looking creepy crawlies, but we have mother fucking koalas and possums too."

    4. And that they're not trying to kill you all the time

    Saturday Night Live / Via giphy.com

    "There actually isn't a massive fucking spider around every corner," chipped in u/ReignofHorror678.

    "It cracks me up how many people think spiders are everywhere, all the time. It's not like that at all," piped up one Aussie, while u/closetmangafan swooped in with a curveball:

    "We've trained them to stay away from tourists unless we don't like them," they wrote.

    5. How poorly built Aussie houses are

    Australian Construction Industry: pic.twitter.com/4mtf86NJ1I

    — BjonRo (@BJonRo) April 8, 2023
    "The poorly constructed homes," says u/only1der. "Drafty, mold, collapsing."

    And this one seemed to resonate with the Aussies. 

    "All for the price of $1 million," says Australian user, u/jonesday5. 

    "There are so many god damn fucking shortcuts in this house," said u/Spagman_Aus, who bought a house five years ago. "Even the roof on an extension wasn't at the correct amount of degrees for rain flow to be dispersed properly. Clearly everything in this house was built...as quickly and cheaply as possible."

    6. And that none of them are built with insulation

    Outlander / Via giphy.com

    "European living in Victoria," explains one user. "Still can't believe how cold winter gets, and how badly insulated houses are."

    "That's so true! As an expat living in the Australian Alps, there is ZERO insulation and it's just plain stupidity at this point," agrees u/Amarminalie, while u/Glum_Ad452 added that Australian houses are basically "glorified tents".

    "That’s the great Australian myth: That the weather is always hot," says u/rrfe. "It means that houses aren’t designed for cold weather. Even Brisbane gets quite nippy in midwinter."

    7. Oh, also, that Australia actually gets snow

    Outside Watch / Via giphy.com

    "How there's actually snow there," says u/ALazy_Cat. "A lot of Europeans see Australia as the country where all animals are trying to kill you and the weather tries to melt you 24/7."

    One Australian even admitted this was news to them! "As a born and raised Australian, I didn't know this until I was 15 (no snow in Western Australia)," wrote u/SuperiorBecauseIRead.

    "Snow, desert, jungle — Australia is basically a '90s adventure game map," commented u/moyno85.

    8. Australians apparently see the moon upside down

    People in Australia see moon upside down pic.twitter.com/iF8GK0qNbH

    — Astrophotography (@astrophotosnap) March 29, 2021
    "My Hungarian friend had been living and working in Australia for two months. We were walking home late at night when she suddenly stopped dead [and said] 'The moon! It’s…wrong way up',” explains u/vagga2. "I couldn’t understand what she was on about and it took like 10 minutes of explaining, because I’ve never noticed the moon on my rare trips to Europe."

    This observation has proved so shocking that there are a number of subreddits dedicated just to discussing it, and a lot of Aussies think that it's, in fact, the rest of the world that sees the moon upside down.

    9. The Nutbush is a real thing

    when ur in a club and u hear the nutbush start playing pic.twitter.com/6SakMGEn7z

    — casper (@archistrateges) February 24, 2017
    "The Nutbush, 100%," wrote u/yourlavenderplug.

    "My Scottish family came down for my sisters wedding on the weekend and two things happened," says u/exobiologickitten. "The band played '500 Miles' by the Proclaimers, which sent the Scots into a highland dancing frenzy. They then played 'Nutbush', which sent the Aussies absolutely feral. And on both sides, the other family would look at the ones on the dance floor like 'what the actual F is going on??'"  

    Another user wrote, "They indoctrinate us early to go ballistic when 'Nutbush' is played. We’re like sleeper agents just for that bloody dance".

    10. The Liberal Party is called the Liberal Party

    T.Kyle / Via giphy.com

    "It surprised me when I found out that their term for the right leaning party is 'liberal' and once I figured it out, I suddenly understood a lot of the things I saw online that were confusing me," wrote one user.

    "Haha yeah, as an Aussie, I was so confused by American politics for years," replied u/EggCakes27. "Sometimes I forget when talking to non-Australian friends about politics."

    11. How Australians love to swear

    Googlebox Australia / Via giphy.com

    "How much Aussies drink alcohol and swear way more than us Americans," says u/Large-Lack-2933. "Living Down Under the past six years now has been eye opening."

    "As an Aussie, this is a very welcomed compliment. Thank you and good day," wrote u/KayJay_x.

    Others even pointed out how creative Aussies can get with their insults.

    "Face like a half-sucked mango," one user pitched in, while u/squags wrote they prefer "Head like the south end of a north bound camel".

    12. How well Aussies banter

    @charlotteniamh this is good quality australian banter😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/jOq4cFROY1

    — liss✨ (@lissmagee_) December 10, 2017
    "Aussies are surprisingly quick and have a great sense of humour," observed u/Depression_God. "Also they tend to have a darker, irreverent taste in jokes. Makes for good entertainment."

    "A lot of the best British comics (Gervais, Carr) just use the same humour as Australians, but make it more polite and accessible somehow," replied u/TheEarlySeller. "Ironically, Australian comedians are substantially less funny than people you’d meet on the street."

    13. And how Aussies will cut you down if you get too big for your boots

    Dark Side Of The Ring / Via giphy.com

    "Tall poppy syndrome: You’ve got to watch yourself," wrote u/rrfe. "If you come from a society that celebrates and flaunts success, you’ll tend to be disliked."

    "Aussie here. This is absolutely a thing. You can be successful but for fucks sake be humble about it. That's all we ask," explains u/BlackHoleMoth.

    "Nothing we hate more than some wanker who thinks they’re special because of who their family is or who they know," agreed u/Deusseven.

    14. How Aussies know how to make a good wine or two

    HBO / Via giphy.com

    "How AMAZING your wine is," says u/Ilovestraightpepper.

    "Tassie sparkling and Pinot noir is the best," replied u/Melodic-Change-6388. "All Tassie wines are bomb, they just don’t produce enough quantity to be as well known."

    But it was Reddit user u/ThorKruger117 who really nailed it. "Yeah, putting it in a bag so you can use it as a pillow was a great invention," they wrote. "Before you pass out you can even hang it from a clothesline, spin it around and play a game called goon of fortune."

    15. And finally, how Australians casually stroll around bare foot

    Kim's Convenience / Via giphy.com

    "As an exchange student from Hong Kong, the first cultural shock I experienced was how y’all don’t really wear shoes," wrote u/Jpnoth4. "I never expect to see so many toes on the streets."

    User u/Desperate_Collar_495 isn't so sure on this one. "Maybe at the beach, but normally most people wear shoes," they wrote.

    But u/sunnydarkgreen had a different suggestion. "Get into it mate, shoes in 40C suck arse". 

    Note: Some Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.