Some travel experiences are so quintessentially Australian you’ll only find them here. How many have you had?
1. BYO restaurants
BYO is a time-honoured tradition in Australia, but the rest of the world has yet to catch on to our genius. Free BYO remains the holy grail, but we’re okay with ‘corkage’ fees – within reason!
2. Beetroot as a food group
In Australia, it’s best to assume beetroot will be on or in everything you order unless you ask otherwise. This usually comes as a shock to tourists, who see it as a fairly random salad choice to routinely add to burgers, sandwiches, and fancy-shmancy salads.
3. Bird alert, not alarmed
Whether it’s aggressive seagulls squawking at you, an ibis stealing your lunch in the park, or a bush turkey building a dirt mound outside your window, being on bird alert is part of the everyday Aussie experience. Let’s not scare the visitors with too much talk of magpie swooping season…
4. Good coffee on tap
Australians are obsessed with coffee (and brunch) and we do it well. And it’s not just the hipster grinds of Sydney and Melbourne – Australia is one of the few countries where you are almost guaranteed to get a decent coffee pretty much anywhere. Take that, world.
5. Lots of rules (but we’re used to it)
Don’t ride your pushbike without a helmet, or smoke too close to the pub entrance, or even THINK about using your phone at a petrol pump. And let it be known that we take the social contract of waiting for the green man at the traffic lights very seriously. Australia is a land of rules and we’re (mostly) fine with it.
6. Tip-free zone
Tipping is a tricky one in Australia. Not that long ago in our laidback land, it was considered borderline offensive to the tipee, but these days it’s becoming more common in some up-market establishments. You won’t get hassled to tip, but we all get to enjoy that Australian ‘public holiday surcharge’ of at least 10% on menu prices.
7. Nowhere is too far to drive
Australia is a BIG country and we’re used to driving long distances. We’ll drive somewhere for dinner that our European friends would probably fly to. Travelling in Oz means quickly learning our code words for distance. Something ‘just up the road’ could be a four-hour drive away, while, timewise, ‘a bit of a hike’ means you should look at your calendar, not your watch. And for a country where travellers don’t mind driving, we sure do love to talk about the price of petrol.
8. Crazy good food in the strangest of places
Food (and wine) is our secret weapon. Try traditional Australian bush tucker or enjoy all the flavours of a multicultural nation whose inhabitants brought all their tastiest cooking secrets with them. Even the smallest towns usually have at least one Chinese or Thai takeaway, and odds are it’ll be incredible.
9. Our love for Big Things
It’s the little things in life – or, in this case, the big. In Australia, we’ve got the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana, the Big Prawn, the Big Merino, the Big Melon (which Wotif gifted to the QLD town of Chinchilla in 2018) and loads more. Hey you’ve got to do something to stand out when you’re in a country this massive.
10. The bush is a daytrip away – even from the CBD
For a country where everything seems massively spread-out, there’s a good chance that no matter where you end up, you’re no more than a 10 to 15-minute drive from the bush or the beach. Holidaying in Australia, you don’t need to choose between having a city or a country experience, because there’s time to do both.
Heads up! Due to COVID-19, government restrictions are in constant review and travel guidelines may change between when you make your booking and when you travel. We strongly recommend that all travellers seek further information about destinations and attractions before visiting, take extra care and follow all rules to ensure their own health and safety.
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