What would an American/Canadian notice moving to Australia?

Xenith

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My family had a combi van, complete with roof racks for their windsurf board. Learning to drive a stick shift on the left was interesting. First gear was down and closest to you, with second gear up. For reverse you pushed it far to the left and up... this however might be old VW gearing.

Yeah. Usually first is top left/furthest from driver and second is bottom left, third top middle, fourth bottom middle etc. Reverse varies a little (maybe not so much with modern cars though). I've driven at least one car where that was all upside down though.

A very popular sport for girls is netball. Still have no freaking clue about this sport. I'd say basketball without a backboard, but not really.

It actually developed as a version of basketball suitable for girls. I think the biggest difference is when you're holding the ball, you can't move from that spot. Hateful game, I preferred to play hockey in high school, and by hockey I mean the one played on grass/synthetic surfaces, not ice.

Bear in mind, much of what's been discussed varies between states, and between capital cities & regional areas. (Not sure where GC falls in that latter division?) School stuff in particular is different between states.
 

Wilde_at_heart

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I have a Canadian relative who lives in Queensland (as well as another, online acquaintance) and I knew 'heaps' of Aussies when I was in London, England. The two things she 'notices' the most is the blasting heat in summer and how early the sun sets - though the latter is specifically a QLD thing. She also had severe flooding issues a few years ago. She finds the laws a bit fascist - there's something about $100 cash or more and banks she was complaining about.

Spelling is the same. The slang is very different and takes some getting used to. Also, the way that some Australians attach diminutives to nearly every noun - Christmas Presents become 'Chrissy Prezzies', mushrooms are 'mushies', etc.

Stop signs are very rare. Wages for low-end jobs are way higher.

The brands for junk food and comfort food will be different - it'll be canned spaghetti rather than KD. An Australian burger is ... interesting ...

Nearly everything isn't just poisonous, but potentially lethal. Lots of snakes, spiders, etc.
 

mccardey

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I have a Canadian relative who lives in Queensland (as well as another, online acquaintance) and I knew 'heaps' of Aussies when I was in London, England. The two things she 'notices' the most is the blasting heat in summer and how early the sun sets - though the latter is specifically a QLD thing. She also had severe flooding issues a few years ago. She finds the laws a bit fascist - there's something about $100 cash or more and banks she was complaining about.

Spelling is the same. The slang is very different and takes some getting used to. Also, the way that some Australians attach diminutives to nearly every noun - Christmas Presents become 'Chrissy Prezzies', mushrooms are 'mushies', etc.

Stop signs are very rare. Wages for low-end jobs are way higher.

The brands for junk food and comfort food will be different - it'll be canned spaghetti rather than KD. An Australian burger is ... interesting ...

Nearly everything isn't just poisonous, but potentially lethal. Lots of snakes, spiders, etc.

Other than that, it's just lovely.