15 ways Australia is different from the UK

Australia is a relatively new country and has learnt the best bits of the customs and habits of it's pals (largely England and America) to create it's own. But comparing UK to Australia, there are many ways it differs, and here's what I've found so far.


1. Mcdonald's is known as "Macca's", and has all day breakfast. You can also build your own burger.

2. Winter is the equivalent of British summer (currently it's autumn, and still sunny every day though ocassionally I find myself putting a jumper on).

3. Vehicles are a lot more complicated to buy and register. I ended up crying in the registration centre, which was highly embarrasing - though it did get us served a lot quicker!

4. Subway steak and cheese has actual chunks of steak, and not those pathetic slices. They also feature egg, avocado and pizza sauce in various subs.

5. Fuel pumps can be programmed with the amount of dollars you wish to spend, to save you the embarrassment of going over by 0.01c.

6. Frozen coke is a thing, and you can get it from Mcdonald's or many other food outlets.

7. Schoolkids must wear a hat as part of their uniform, and it looks something like this:

8. There are a million and one cool wild animals you'll see in your back garden or walking down the street.

9. Burger King is called Hungry Jacks

10. Most parks, beaches and picnic areas have free bbqs set up next to benches for public use.

11. Australia has a third of the population of the UK. So given the size difference, this means the UK has 248.25 people per km² and Oz has just 2.66 people per km²

12. Property is a lot cheaper - given the abundance of land. You can get a 5 bedroom house with acres of land and a pool here for the same price as a 3 bedroom semi-detached house with small garden in the south of England.

13. Tins of tuna come not only with olive oil or brine, but also a plethora of other flavours such as tomato, chilli, pesto, thai style and more. The tins are also smaller than the ones you receive in England, meaning a better 1 person serving size. Great for picnics!

14. You get paid 10c for every plastic or glass bottle you recycle at a collection depot.

15. Australians talk funny. My next post will be a dictionary of terms I've come across. Some are hilarious and have even gotten me into some awkward situations! Stay tuned folks!

If you are Australian, or have been backpacking down under and have any other things you've come across - share them in the comments.

Picnicking at Picnic Point, Toowooba