It is considered impolite to ask a direct question about a person's salary or wealth. Inquiring about someone's weight or age is also highly inappropriate in many situations. Spitting in public is rude. If there is a line for something, always queue and wait for your turn.
Aussies pride themselves on being good friends and neighbours, and not just to people they know. They tend to greet everyone from the mail carrier to the cab driver with a “g'day” or “how ya going?”. For Australians, this emphasis on mateship creates a cheery, welcoming attitude, and one that says anyone can be a mate.
Australians respect people with strong opinions, even if they don't agree. Avoid discussions about the treatment of the aboriginal people. Don't comment on anyone's accent. Accents often distinguish social class.
Swearing: Swearing is more common in Australia than in many other cultures. Television programmes are less censored and mainstream society is largely desensitised to words that foreigners may find vulgar. It is normal to hear an Australian swear at some point during a conversation.
Humility and authenticity are strong values in Australian culture. As such, Australians are very down to earth and always mindful of not giving the impression that they think they are better than anyone else. They also tend to value sincerity, humour, informality, whilst loathing pretentiousness.
cocky. A small-scale farmer; (in later use often applied to) a substantial landowner or to the rural interest generally. In Australia there are a number of cockies including cow cockies, cane cockies and wheat cockies. Cocky arose in the 1870s and is an abbreviation of cockatoo farmer.
In a 1950 copy of Meanjin, Phillips used the term 'cultural cringe' to define the penchant for Australians to see their artists and writers' work as inferior to anything from overseas, Britain and the United States in particular. As a consequence, many Australians in the cultural field spent time or moved overseas.
Australia ranked near the top of the list in the 2022 World Happiness Report, with a happiness score of 7.162 (on the 0 to 10 scale), placing it as the 12th happiest country in the world out of 156 nations.
In this way, humility is essential to social interaction. Australians are often very modest about their accomplishments and commonly self-deprecate to avoid seeming pretentious. This can sometimes be taken to extreme lengths in social circles and workplaces.
Australia is home to a number of dangerous animal species. Crocodiles, jellyfish and sharks, venomous insects, spiders and snakes are found in many parts of the country.
Australia is a large country, which can lead to feeling isolated. This is because the country's major cities are spread far apart, making it difficult to leave your town for a day, or even a weekend trip. If you enjoy living abroad for the travel opportunities, Australia may not be right for you.
That's right – dating in Australia is about as casual as everything else. For the most part, everyone is going with the flow and hoping for the best. Dates are typically very informal. A date could be something as simple as getting a coffee or going to the pub together.
It is illegal to dress up as Batman and Robin in Australia. Dressing up as the dynamic duo is the same as dressing up as police officers', as the pair is integral to law enforcement.
Carrying too many potatoes in your car was illegal in Australia as recently as 2021. The law banning the carriage of more than 50kg of spuds could see motorists issued with a $2000 fine and remained in force by one Australian state up until last year. Who doesn't love an obscure road rule?
Let's face it, most of us are suckers for a sexy accent. According to a recent survey conducted by the popular dating website MissTravel.com, over 2000 American men and women regard Australian accents as one of the sexiest in the world.
Australia and its symbols
The Australian flag has the nation's vote for being the image or symbol about which we are most proud. 95% of Australians take pride in the national flag, which is enjoying increasing popularity, with half (50%) saying that they are extremely proud.
According to John Cullen and Praveen Parboteeah “The thumbs‐up gesture means everything is going well for North Americans and many Europeans, but is a rude gesture in Australia and West Africa” (Cullen and Parboteeah, 2005, p. 498).
Yet Australians may be paying for that luxury, not just with the ridiculous cost of living, but with our faces. Our sunburnt country, hot gold hush of noon and pitiless blue skies have little mercy on our pale skin, which is ageing by as much as two decades faster than our counterparts in Europe and America.
Australians are very friendly and easy-going people. In fact, Australians are renowned for their laid-back nature and unique sense of humour. Another thing Australians are known for is their love of sport, recreation and the great outdoors.
Restricted items include drugs, steroids, weapons/firearms, heritage items, food, plants and animals, and protected wildlife. It is important to note that while some items may be imported, their use may be prohibited under individual State laws.