So What's Life Like in the Land Down Under?

Ok, so I know that's a pretty general question, but I've always wanted to know what life is like in your neck of the woods... I would imagine it's not that much different, but then again, I visited England and Lithuania a few years back, and although people in general are pretty much the same, many things remain a world apart.

So, although I'm not sure what exactly I'm looking for, maybe I'll throw up some personal observations of life here, and see if anyone can post up the Australian equivalent, or how it's different there?

Ok, so I'll just run with it, and please keep in mind, I'm not trying to put anything in a positive or negative light (although some items may come out that way), just the "way it is" sort of thing...!

Speed limits: here, it's 70mph, 112kph. Although rarely people actually drive those speeds, more like 75mph/120kmh.

No one really drives small cars. This is one of the things I noticed about England and Lithuania that was very different. I've heard the world perceives the average American as driving a gas guzzling vehicle, well, that's pretty much true. Only recently have vehicles like the "Smart" car started to sell in the U.S.. The smallest most common cars are pretty much the Honda Civic. I would say, oh, roughly 6-7 out of every 10 people drive either SUV's, or big pick up trucks. In my case, I drive a hybrid, the Prius because I became sick of paying so much for gas (known as "Petrol" in Australia right?).

Speaking of gas, 1 U.S. gallon (3.79 liters), on average (assuming 87 octane), costs $3.70 USD. What's it like in Australia? My car takes approximately 11.9 gallons (45 liters), costs about $40 USD to fill up, and I get about 525 miles (845 km) out of the tank, but then again, with a hybrid, I'm an exception. Most cars have slightly bigger gas tanks, and get far less mileage. People here are all up in arms with gas prices, as those who own trucks and SUV's have begun to pay about $100 USD to fill up their tanks! Glad that's NOT me!

Too many 16-18 year olds buy 1,000 cc bikes. I've heard over in England they have a tiered licensing concept, is it the same in Australia? Unfortunately, or fortunately, there are several ways to look at this, the second someone gets their license at 16, even if they don't know how to ride a bike, they can walk into the Kawi dealership and buy a ZX14 and try to ride off... lololol

My current State, Florida, is pretty liberal when it comes to vehicles. For motorcycles, no insurance, no inspection is required. With cages, you need insurance, but there's no cage inspection either. As long as it has 4 wheels and a VIN, you can drive it! Again, this State is liberal in that respect, many States require annual inspections on cages and bikes.

We have two general forms of police: State and local. The State cops pretty much all drive Ford Crown Victoria's, as do the local "County" cops. Although the State cops (also known as "Highway Patrol"), also now drive Dodge Chargers, and Ford Expedition SUV's.

Most people pay Federal and State taxes on their income. Again, Florida is an exception in this case, no State tax on income, just Federal. Most items to have a sales tax, which varies by State.

I would say the average price of home here in FL is about $200,000. As for annual income, I don't know if I even want to venture a guess, but pretty much anyone who owns a home probably makes about $40,000 annually.

Florida, in particular, people drive like crap. Lots of bike wrecks down here, too many old people driving (Florida is a popular destination for retired folk), and too many people speed as the roads are generally wide and flat.

So let me stop right there for the moment, as the post is getting rather lengthy... lol Please feel free to hit me up with questions about life on this side, maybe I can confirm whether it's rumor or not!

Oh, I did want to throw in: I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but really, the only pespectives we seem to have for Australia were brought to us by such movies as Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, and the musical group Men at Work! I truly hope I haven't insulted someone by mentioning Crocodile Dundee I suppose, in many ways, this is why this post came about: if you want to know how Australians really live, or what life is like over there, go ask one!

Well in Victoria you would get fined 3kph above speed limit. Speed zones varies from 40kph to 100kph, 110 if you're lucky. One needs to travel far to get away from it all

Gasoline reaches A$1.50 so I don't know what the USian complaining about but normally A$1.30 ish.

Plenty of small cars but aussies loves their v6 and v8 and trucks.

Being a migrant I found the concept of "big land - no people" really appealing. Come and have a look

Yeah you're right, you shouldn't of added that last paragraph.

I can handle the Crocodile Dundee reference but the "men at Work" comparison is a bit hard to cop

Thanks for the post mate, its an interesting read!

Our starting price for houses in brisbane (outer suburbs) would be about 300k (much more in inner city), I guess average income would be around 40-50K? Our different states all have different licencing rules. They are bringing back the 250cc for a year rule in QLD very soon.

How seperately are your states run over there? We have different governments for ours but there is really bugger all difference between them. All taxes are the same.

I can't see a problem with the last paragraph.

(Florida is a popular destination for retired folk)

Yes, we've seen Golden Girls.

Have you got a helmet law in Florida, as in there not required??
With US/AU dollar very close on the exchange rate the price comparo is almost 1:1 now.
Average income here is around $54,000-56,000 (government figures), although a lot of people don't even make that much.
Motorcyclists are always a target for law enforcement in one way or another-minority ruin it for the majority as usual.
Each state has their own licensing scheme- we have 3 levels of government (too many), local (like your county), state and federal.
We have income tax-Goods and Services Tax (GST) and many other types of taxes.
As Matt said to get a half decent house in the suburbs-look above $250,000 easily in any state/city, usually more.
Lot's of good riding roads.
No annual inspections on cars/bikes in Quennsland where i live, but if your buying/selling you have to have a safety certificate to sell it if it's going to be registered on the road.
Compulsory Third party Insurance is part of your registration, it covers injury only to riders/drivers/passengers- any other insurance is your choice eg. theft or fire and you get various levels of cover.
Plenty of other info on the interweb-don't believe everything you read though.

We tend to be a bit more laid back.
Shrinks not quite so popular,
Drugs for pre-teens not as freely given,
People getting shot not a nightly event.
Having a cop pull a gun on you not a almost 100% guaranteed event when you get pulled over.
The level of paranoia not as great.
The though that our country can fix the worlds wrongs, not as uppermost in our minds.
Free medical aid in hospitals taken for granted.
Smaltz on tv not quite as prevalent.

Apart from that to be honest not much is that different when you get it down to the person to person level

Just bear in mind the crocodile hunter was hyped up on adrenalin and was a bit of a tool really, but he did marry a yank so...
Australia has a ton of great rock bands not just Men @ Work but then again that depends on if you actually LIKE rock
INXS, ( brilliant) ACDC (ho-hum, Yawn), The BeeGees (Barf...) (Powderfinger, Silverchair, Greenday(pretty bloody good)
Nick Cave and the Badseeds (Pass me that knife will you old chap my wrists need slashing) Etc Etc.
Ozzie's are kicking ass on the underground dance front (my kind of tunes)
The list is endless there

So there ya go, just bear in mind we have a population of 20 million to your 275 million so we are not quite as developed in the nuttiness stakes heheh

Attachments

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its simple
my son-in-law is a yank (boy from MI)
and
there is NO way he wants to go back
(even though his whole family is still there)


end of story
sez lots 'bout Oz



cheers

The reason it is " a big country with no people " is because the local wildlife keeps the population in check! All of it is deadly.
Crocodiles, Spiders, Koalas, Snakes, Emu, Jelly fish, Wallabies, Octopus, Sharks, Wombats etc etc.
It is bloody frightening down here after dark!

The reason it is " a big country with no people " is because the local wildlife keeps the population in check! All of it is deadly.
Crocodiles, Spiders, Koalas, Snakes, Emu, Jelly fish, Wallabies, Octopus, Sharks, Wombats etc etc.
It is bloody frightening down here after dark!

Yeah Ive lost 3 relo's to Koala's... Bloody drop bears!

The reason it is " a big country with no people " is because the local wildlife keeps the population in check! All of it is deadly.
Crocodiles, Spiders, Koalas, Snakes, Emu, Jelly fish, Wallabies, Octopus, Sharks, Wombats etc etc.
It is bloody frightening down here after dark!

Yeah Ive lost 3 relo's to Koala's... Bloody drop bears!

well you need to become a sticker.........

Crocodiles, Spiders, Koalas, Snakes, Emu, Jelly fish, Wallabies, Octopus, Sharks, Wombats etc etc.
It is bloody frightening down here after dark!

That's just some of the names we give our politicians

greenday arent aussie

aus is THE best country in the world...

we drive on the right (left) side of the road...

beer is better here

fuel cheaper and chicks are nicer

Ok, so I know that's a pretty general question, but I've always wanted to know what life is like in your neck of the woods...

Its fuckin' great mate !! No guns for starters..... that makes a big difference for the high school kids.

....Speed limits: here, it's 70mph, 112kph. Although rarely people actually drive those speeds, more like 75mph/120kmh.....

National speed limit is 110kmh. In Victoria, people drive at 109 and are scared shitless about speedo error. In the other, more civilised (and non-police) states, most people drive on the highway at 120-130 and life is just fine. On the 'highways' (read secondary roads) in the *outback*, most Aussie V8 ute drivers sit on the ton (100mph). Especially on the way to the closest B&S (Bachelors and Spinsters) balls..

.....No one really drives small cars. This is one of the things I noticed about England and Lithuania that was very different. I've heard the world perceives the average American as driving a gas guzzling vehicle, well, that's pretty much true. Only recently have vehicles like the "Smart" car started to sell in the U.S.. The smallest most common cars are pretty much the Honda Civic. I would say, oh, roughly 6-7 out of every 10 people drive either SUV's, or big pick up trucks. In my case, I drive a hybrid, the Prius because I became sick of paying so much for gas (known as "Petrol" in Australia right?).....

Yes, its 'petrol' over here, although some of us like filling our ZX12R's with a *big fat tank of gaaaaaaaaaasssssssss*... . Most aussies drive small cars, because fuel here has recently hit $1.50 per litre ( about $5.50 per US gallon - boy do you guys get your petrol cheap !!! ) - And anti-social soccer mums driving 4WD's (SUV's) are generally frowned upon, and the subject of much derision because they drive a car that the greenies hate....well I say fuck the greenies, I need an 8 seater !!

.....Speaking of gas, 1 U.S. gallon (3.79 liters), on average (assuming 87 octane), costs $3.70 USD. What's it like in Australia? My car takes approximately 11.9 gallons (45 liters), costs about $40 USD to fill up, and I get about 525 miles (845 km) out of the tank, but then again, with a hybrid, I'm an exception. Most cars have slightly bigger gas tanks, and get far less mileage. People here are all up in arms with gas prices, as those who own trucks and SUV's have begun to pay about $100 USD to fill up their tanks! Glad that's NOT me! ....

See above - you guys get cheaper petrol than the rest of the world, so enjoy it while it lasts. On a dollar-per-dollar basis, over here the signs would read $5.50 per gallon !!! does that hurt ?? Most normal Aussie sedans (V6 4-doors) now cost about $80-$90 to fill up .....makes your $40 look as cheap as buggery.......a lot of Aussies have converted to LPG.

.....My current State, Florida, is pretty liberal when it comes to vehicles. For motorcycles, no insurance, no inspection is required. With cages, you need insurance, but there's no cage inspection either. As long as it has 4 wheels and a VIN, you can drive it! Again, this State is liberal in that respect, many States require annual inspections on cages and bikes.....

What sheer bloody luxury !! We have annual inspections on brand-new cars in some states !! Plus annual charges, registration, insurance, and a host of other bullshit fees the local governments tack on. You guys have it easy ! No insurance and no inspections ?? If it wasn't for the obligatory gun-ownership required to visit the States, I would be there tomorrow.......

....We have two general forms of police: State and local. The State cops pretty much all drive Ford Crown Victoria's, as do the local "County" cops. Although the State cops (also known as "Highway Patrol"), also now drive Dodge Chargers, and Ford Expedition SUV's.....

We have humourless androids who are bred on farms - they become Highway Patrol officers ( well, all except for certain bike-coppers in SA..... ) - the other coppers are all state-based, and there is also a large plastic contingent of federal coppers.....

....Most people pay Federal and State taxes on their income. Again, Florida is an exception in this case, no State tax on income, just Federal. Most items to have a sales tax, which varies by State.....

A-HAH !! we only pay income tax to the Federal govt. No income tax payable to State governments from 'personal' income. There is a national GST of 10% on all goods and services ( a bit like VAT in the UK).

.....I would say the average price of home here in FL is about $200,000. As for annual income, I don't know if I even want to venture a guess, but pretty much anyone who owns a home probably makes about $40,000 annually....

jesus christ !! 200k ?? is that all - over here mate, the average price of a McMansion in Sydney is over half a fucking million dollars !! Yes , 1/2 a mill.......In ACT (Canberra) , average homes cost over $400k, not much different in Melbourne or Brisbane, Perth used to be cheap, but not any more.......in Adelaide you get a house given to you for free if you stay 10 days or more without dying of boredom.....

Annual average salary in Oz is about $60k per year, although a lot of people don't earn that much - we have a skewed average due to a small number of people earning a *shitload* of money....... But by and large, the average weekly earnings is now up around the $1100 per week mark.

.....Florida, in particular, people drive like crap. Lots of bike wrecks down here, too many old people driving (Florida is a popular destination for retired folk), and too many people speed as the roads are generally wide and flat.....

.

Cool, no difference there at all. People must drive like crap the world over. But the roads here are not wide and flat, they are narrow, bumpy and shitful.......does not stop people speeding.....(some expressways are good, but *nothing* like what you guys have over there. I think the widest road in Oz is only 4 lanes wide ???)

.....Oh, I did want to throw in: I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but really, the only pespectives we seem to have for Australia were brought to us by such movies as Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, and the musical group Men at Work! I truly hope I haven't insulted someone by mentioning Crocodile Dundee I suppose, in many ways, this is why this post came about: if you want to know how Australians really live, or what life is like over there, go ask one!

Mad Max is fine - we all live like that, out in the wastelands, feeding out of cans of 'Dinky Di' dogfood, and fighting hordes of skanky bikers looking for a tanker full of guzzoline !!

Actually, if you go to Darwin or the Northern Territory.............it is just like that !!

Hope this helps you understand Oz a bit better. Its the best country in the world by a huge margin. Except for Carlton and Essendon supporters - they can kiss my shiny arse !!

Hope this helps you understand Oz a bit better. Its the best country in the world by a huge margin. Except for Carlton and Essendon supporters - they can kiss my shiny arse !!

Bloody hell Gos... leave nothing for the rest of us!!!..
Go the pies