Aussie quirks and diferences...

[minkyme29]

Hi everyone

 

Am planning one of my 'round robin' style emails to the UK and thought it would be fun to include some of the quirks of Australia, for example items that are very expensive here and products/services that are ridiculously cheap etc... and maybe strange or funny brand names etc.

 

It would be great if you could all post replies with answers to the following, don't worry about duplicates - I'll sort through them later. Thanks guys...I'll start you off

 

1 - Very cheap = cycling helmets (in Big W anyway)

 

2 - Ridiculously expensive = cosmetics

 

3 - Weird/funny brand name = 'Coon' brand of cheese

 

4 - Different name from UK name = Pepitas (pumpkin seeds in the UK)

 

Have fun...

[Guest Guest75]

5.Those chocolate covered sweets called ..............Clinkers.

 

Might not mean the same to everyone but the first time I saw them in Woolworths I was rolling on the floor like a dying fly laughing:biglaugh:

 

6.The use of the word "Wog" here.Very commonly used by the Aussies for people of a swarthy /Mediterranean background such as Italians and Greeks.

[andy and lindsey]

Yes my hubby regularly gets called a wog at work - he was slightly gobsmacked when it first happened (despite the fact he's donny through and through).

 

You can take your car to the car wash and wash your dog at the same time (same place) - if you are feeling that way inclined!

 

Lindsey

[Guest Hatters04]

I like the weird and wonderful suburb names in Australia.

 

Over in Perth they have names like "Dogswamp" and "Innaloo"

[Guest Django]

5

6.The use of the word "Wog" here.Very commonly used by the Aussies for people of a swarthy /Mediterranean background such as Italians and Greeks.

 

How bizarre!!! I wonder why? Not now of course since PC is very much the thing but they were called Wops here. During and after the war many fleed to the UK WithOut Passports. Wogs were from asia Westernised Oriental Gentlemen. Innit weird.

 

 

Pete

[Guest Libby1971]

6. Peppers being called Capsicums.

 

7. South Australians thinking they can drive.

 

8. Chicken more expensive than any other meat.

 

9. Coconut - what IS IT with coconut in this state? It's everywhere. You get an iced bun and it's covered with the stuff. I like coconut, when it is covered in chocolate and called BOUNTY but not on an iced bun.

 

10. Tiddy Widdy Beach is here in Adelaide.

 

11. Independent shops being around - instead of supermarkets like Tescos selling everything imagaineable, butchers, bakers etc are all supprted well by the community.

 

12. Drive through bottle shops - LOVE IT:biglaugh:.

 

13. Drive through bottle shops offering tasters of the booze being sold - no drink driving issues there then hmmmm!!!

 

14. Having a brickie tell the PM to his face that he is not supporting him so won't shake his hand and then that is on the news! Could you imagine that happening to Tony or Gordon?

 

Libby

[Rachiegarlo]

The very first drive through bottle shop in the world opened here in Adelaide in the 50s, it is still going strong. The Highway pub on the corner of Marion Rd and Anzac Highway is where it all began.

[Guest paul_smart]

The guy I was working for told me "we're going to see the wogs today" and he included himself as he was Italian, I nearly passed out when he said it, on arrival he said "welcome to wog city", I never got used to the term, it's so barred over here, I'd be linched if I said it anywhere in london.

 

the other term I heard but it rubs my ears the wrong way is "Doona" for duvet - YUK; "Bogun" as well as "ferrell", but "bogun" was from someone from VIC, who my Adelaide colleagues used to say was only there as proof Tasmanians could swim. so maybe that one's state specific, and there was an odd name for telegraph poles for some reson, a "hanson" or some such thing they used to call it, I guess after the first bloke to put one up or the designer, but it threw me a couple of times.

 

the great Fredo's but I think you might be able to get them in the UK now not really looked.

 

there were two things that drove me CRAZY about Adelaide but it is an Ozzie thing not just Adelaide

1: why the hell do they put road names ON THE CORNER OF THE DAMN CURB, so if there is a leaf or car or anything blocking your view of the nearside corner you don't know what road your on. put the street name at eye level!!!! opposite the corner so you can tell, that's one thing the uk does have!!

 

2: WHY BOTHER WITH PUFFIN CROSSINGS?? You press the damn button and nothing happens, pedestrians have to wait for the traffic in Au, THEN when the green man comes up it DOESN'T mean it's safe to cross, just that it's slightly less dangerous than before, the amount of times I was nearly wiped out by traffic turning the corner at major intersections when I had the green man is not funny, I just couldn't seem to get used to it, in my head green meant safe to cross, it seems the Au government doesn't want to stop the traffic for ANYTHING, esp pedestrians.

 

After looking at the good and bad points of living in the UK and Adelaide I was quite happy to live in Adelaide - after taking out insurance for being hit by cars!!

[Rachiegarlo]

See below...oh dear that was not quite 10 characters

[Rachiegarlo]

Nope, Ferals and Bogan are in use in SA. Ferals being the equivilent term for people who have no pride in how they live or how their children look, behave etc.... they've gone to the wild side hence feral. Bogans are simple folks who tend to not have much education, are into wearing checked flannel shirts, often live in the country but not always and a lot are into the Clipsal car type races.

 

Jaffas: balls of choc covered in a crisp orange flavoured shell about the size of a small marble, used to be rolled by children down the aisles at the cinema, before the advent of popcorn.

 

The reason why the streets in the centre are so wide is that there needed to be enough room to turn a bullock train around.

 

There used to be an elephant kept at the pub at fiveways where grand junction rd, main nth rd, etc all meet. It was used to pull bogged vehicles out of the mud.

 

Asians here are asian, not Pakistani or Indian. Daughter's friend said it was weird how at her new school in London everyone referred to themselves as asian when they are from Pakistan etc. She herself is half philippino.

[Guest caoimhe]

9. Coconut - what IS IT with coconut in this state? It's everywhere. You get an iced bun and it's covered with the stuff. I like coconut, when it is covered in chocolate and called BOUNTY but not on an iced bun.

 

Libby

 

We have iced bun's with coconut here in Northern Ireland, slice them open and put butter on them, gorgeous :)

[Guest IAmJacks...]

Hi, we're new on here and this is just the sort of thing we need to know! With reference to the initial message, should I be stocking up on cosmetics before coming over?! Is it true that veggies are a lot more expensive and meat is a lot cheaper?

[Guest Guest75]

Hi, we're new on here and this is just the sort of thing we need to know! With reference to the initial message, should I be stocking up on cosmetics before coming over?! Is it true that veggies are a lot more expensive and meat is a lot cheaper?

 

I would not worry about cosmetics - only needed them once for a fancy dress party:wacko: