Here are some musings on difference between Down Under and the UK.
Blackout blinds are standard everywhere in Oz at least. For someone who likes to sleep in total darkness and wake up from my own alarm it was a blessing in disguise. The worst place for blackout blinds I have ever come across in Norway – I guess it’s got something to do with the lack of daylight in the winter…
Public toilets are everywhere in Oz – amazing never having to worry about where to go next! Bins on the other hand are far and few between. Recycling is big business and you are encouraged to take your rubbish home with you – what if you don’t have a home as you’re travelling around???
It’s not cool to have a tan…coming from a culture which values a tan it’s strange to be in Western countries where being being pale is good. Sun cream only comes in factor 50+ and everyone wears hats all the time even when the sun isn’t out.
Petrol prices in Oz were a pleasant surprise. When I arrived they were AU$1.60/litre and when I left AU$1.24/litre. I’m not sure whether this was because the oil price dropped quite a lot or if a price war broke out on Sunday 18th November? In NZ prices were a lot higher at NZ$2.30/litre in Auckland vs NZ$2 in the country side. It was still cheaper than in the UK.
You would have thought that OZ and NZ invented coffee from the way they go on about it. It doesn’t actually grow in either country…Anyway you can get a decent coffee anywhere – even at motorway service stations! Mine is a flat white in a Keep Cup.
Anna's Travels 