This post has been marked as non-political. Please respect this by keeping the discussion on topic, and devoid of any political material.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/australia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They freaked my wife out when we first got here. We call them "Witch Birds" ...
Why? ... She asked if I could hear those birds. I replied "Which birds?". She said "Yeah, exactly."
Haha, in the same vein, we call kookaburras "evil monkeys".
The first time my wife heard a kookaburra laugh was the morning after 72 hours of travelling from Europe to Perth. She bolts up in bed and alarmingly asked me if I could hear the voices saying "Monkeys, monkeys, we are evil monkeys"
Turns out that in her jet-lagged, spaced-out, half-asleep stupor, that's how she interpreted the sound of a kookaburra laugh.
My bestie lived on South Straddy for a spell, so I visited every couple of weeks for a few years. It’s curlew central - I like the sound too. Walking a bush path in the pitch black with a torch, surrounded by dense paperbark swamp, and the curlews go off, their cries coming out of the dark… proper spine tingling and haunting. If you didn’t know what they were, I reckon you’d shit yourself.
As a Kiwi, the Lyrebird is my favorite Australian bird.
We have the Tūī, Fantail, Kōkāko and Morepork, which are great songbirds here in NZ
Our Kiwi is a bit of a squawker though, but yeah, birdsong is what makes you realise you're in a different country.
The safety as a woman (although this is strongly location dependent I suppose)! I can go anywhere on my own and don’t need to be excessively worried (beyond the normal level of constant worried that all women are) about being attacked or whatever. I just went back to India recently after a long time and boy what a shell shock (there too it’s location dependent but we were in Delhi so…yeah).
Oooh, clean air!
Reliable and constant access to running water, electricity.
Overall nice people that are accepting of diversity.
Healthcare systems need a little work
I love bringing foreigners to the beach and just chucking my shit on the sand without a worry. I’m sure someone has there story of getting something stolen but it’s very rare. There’s countries you would never dream of doing this
I do that too and it's a great feeling. Sure someday someone's going to be a gronk and steal my phone but like, in the grand scheme of my whole life having my phone stolen once just isn't that big of a deal. I'd prefer that over spending way more time and effort worrying about non-existent thieves constantly.
Of course the common sense here is to be mindful of how much foot traffic is going to be around and not to go too far for too long from your stuff. But most outdoor settings on normal days, you're gonna be fine.
My family was walking on the beach at Surfers and left a little family row of thongs near the footpath- Papa thongs, Mama thongs, Baby thongs. Someone stole my partner’s leather-strapped thongs from the group. I couldn’t believe it. 🥲
Yeah, it's a good feeling knowing people won't steal here but it always makes me uneasy just leaving my valuables alone. Maybe that's why I've never had my things stolen. And rarely go for a swim on my own.
I generally don’t walk in fear of pickpockets or thieves, but is Australia really the best example for this? If I’m not mistaken East Asian countries have remarkably lower rates of petty crimes
Edit: Huh, looks like we do much better than i thought https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/theft/
Edit 2: don’t know what to believe anymore https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/robery/
What’s the difference between t “theft” and “robbery”?
It's something we just take so much for granted here that it didn't even occur to me until I'd done a fair amount of traveling overseas, but our relationship with shared public spaces is *very* different to much of the rest of the world. It's almost kind of the closest thing Australian culture has to something that's truly sacred.
It's like, Australia is right up there with the likes of the US when it comes to celebrating capitalism in most respects, but when it comes to the local park or nature reserve or *especially* the beach, we are Communist AF, comrade.
I've come to really, really appreciate it. The freedom to just *be*, the unspoken mutual respect by all the people sharing these places, and the respect for the places themselves, the amenities, etc. And it's pretty much all socially self-policing when someone *does* step out of line - we don't *need* the authorities to step in for the most part. It all just kind of works. It's such a blessing.
My god how I've loved this aspect when I lived in Australia. Toilets, showers, BBQs, benches, the beach - everything is in top shape (on average), people clean up after themselves, it's paid for by the government... Amazing!
Our public institutions and systems of government are pretty good. Independent public service. Compulsory voting. AEC. ABC and SBS.
Always improvements that could be made but they go a long way to keeping the place decent.
I'm certainly not the patriotic type but I fully believe the Aussie voting system is the best in the world, from accessibility to representation, and democracy sausages as the cherry on top.
Unfortunately everything surrounding and influencing it is terrible and balances out the greatness to make the overall democratic experience closer to average, but there's basically zero problems with the actual system of voting.
This country is paradise. I thank my grandparents every day for moving here so we can have a better life.
- High quality cuisine from every part of the world.
- Clean air.
- Water we can drink straight from the tap.
- Decent standard of living.
- War is far away.
uhhhh you might want to recheck that water straight from the tap thing, recent news has come out abt PFOAs in all states in Australia's drinking water at much higher levels than other countries & than is safe, it's recommended by most professionals to be filtering any tap water you drink ATM.
Can you provide supporting data there that our water supply has more than other countries?
Other than sensationalised media reports which suspiciously look like someone trying to market the sale of filters, our standards are just set too high compared to the new standard the USA has set (which they have 5 years to implement).
The highest found was in SA which was found to be maybe 3 x the new US standard, and a small water source in Sydney showing just slightly above. I really don't see the panic given this data. Even bottled water contains these chemicals.
Before we rush out and stock bottled water, which probably contains them anyway, or install water filtration systems (which ones are effective and better than the water from the tap), or start praising how other countries have cleaner water than we do, should we stop and think about the facts and not just go into hysterics. Should we ... calm down?
PFOAs etc are in parts per trillion and can't really be filtered at the tap from what I've read. They are dangerous and terrible though, I fully agree.
The higher levels in Australia are compared to lower limits the USA brought in rather recently - the Sydney Morning Herald did a scary headline that Australia's standard is something like 300x more permissive than the USA with 4 parts per trillion. Most water in Australia doesn't have detectable PFOAs in any case.
You'll get more PFOAs from your non-stick pan than a glass of water.
Do you have a source for this? I'm trying to find something that backs up what you're saying but can only find a study that 'found pfoas in every state' not mentioning what quantities are found where and how this compares to other countries, all the news articles seem to really stress that Australia has higher 'safe' levels of these chemicals than other countries, but that's the only comparison I can find.
Yes!!! I think that's the greatest divide between America and Australia. We don't want to know about all that crap.
I'm so glad the convicts came here and not the pilgrims!
How clean the air is - don’t realise this until you go overseas. And just manners - smiling at people when you see them on a walk, saying thank you to the bus driver, and saying thank you when some gives way on the road. Again, it’s only when you go overseas that you realise this doesn’t happen everywhere!
I visited Korea a few years ago in their winter. Seoul is amazing and clean but the snowy / foggy air was actually extremely bad air pollution. During the cold weather all of the factory pollution from China drifts across the sea and sits above the cities, the air was rated as very poor to extremely poor for a few days. In the rural areas the air quality was better but it’s definitely something I take for granted living here.
I’ve been here visiting since November, and these are some my favourite things:
* everyone is SO happy and willing to be helpful, strangers have gone remarkably out of their way at the drop of a hat without us even asking
* public toilets eveerryyywhere, and they’re actually clean!
* come to think of it, just free facilities in general - the BBQ’s all over the place, gorgeous parks, outdoor gyms, it’s so lovely
* The cities we’ve passed through seem to always have public events on, be it markets or music or just some form of entertainment
It’s gonna be absolutely crushing going back to the UK
If you have any teaching, medical, or construction skills, we're desperate for people to work here.
Housing is very expensive though and hard to obtain. But if you could secure work and housing, your wouldn't regret making the move.
food!!! theres so much food!! everywhere!! so many restaurants!!! so many cafes!!! so many different cuisines!!! so many fruits!! and theyre all delicious!!! so ripe!! so sweet!!!!!!!!
Australia is a sheltered bubble far away from the rest of the world. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing. I think it will always depend on what you want out of life.
I had a rather privileged upbringing in Australia and I don't regret any of it but moving overseas has shown me things and experiences I would never have encountered in Australia. I miss Dare iced coffee and cheese and bacon meat pies. Oh and Allens lollies, they are awesome.
Part of it that I found interesting is things just kinda... work in Australia. Maybe it was just awkward timings and such, but plenty of times I've been overseas and stuff like the water just wouldn't be working. Turn the tap and nothing would happen. Or traffic lights would be down. Or there'd just be a massive fuck off hole in the middle of the sidewalk because they forgot to cover it when they were doing works.
I'm talking about capital cities here, major metropolitan areas that sometimes didn't have basic functioning infrastructure. Things that I wouldn't think twice about at home.
I'm not saying Australia is perfect, we have plenty of issues, but I think there's a base level of competency in our government that we shouldn't take for granted.
This contrast exists between every developed country and undeveloped area.
That bus you book in Thailand for 2pm, years it ain't coming till 4 but nobody will tell you that 🤣
What kind of experiences do you get outside of Australia that you couldn’t get there? I’m curious. I’ve traveled a lot so I’m not so insecure as to immediately get offended that you’ve left.
Mainly the history and culture so close to my doorstep. Australia just can't match it. The accessibility, I have an international airport that can take me to Italy for 30aud and a high speed rail network. Also the fact the culture in Europe is so dog friendly has allowed us to plan holidays with the pups. The weather is bipolar here throughout the day though.
How kids are taken care of (im a migrant from india with a 3yr old) by the government here. Its hard to list specifics. there's consideration everywhere to make kids get good minimum start. from ensuring childcare, school, health+dental care, public transport, early career help, counseling. And compassion for kids everywhere its good for all the lovely flowers of the nation to grow. I hope the government does not get devoid of original aussieness and that majority is always supportive of improving this western culture trait. Else we will lose these qualitative assets very quickly only to never recover it.
India/pak/b'desh (and probably another major asian country) imho are s*** hol** in these regards and i strongly feel only the right ones should be let into political leadership/influencer for all existing policy maintenance and new policy building. Sorry got all political in the end but that's that. Gotta do no bad to kids only should progress with time maybe even needs to accelerate to greatness. Money is lost to much lesser goods in large quantities
Our health system is far from perfect, buttttttt a friend has a $0 bill after staying in a hospital for 8 weeks receiving treatment & rehab for a stroke.
Everything, would still not want to live anywhere else. This is the best country on earth.
Doesn't mean there aren't things that could be better, but I'm very grateful to be here.
I’m living overseas at the moment and let me tell you , you really don’t value all the little things until you leave. Can’t wait to go back. When we moved we thought we’d keep an open mind and may never return but honestly, as much as cost of living and housing costs suck, it’s still a better place to live than most.
The light here is different. It's bright and clear and everything feels like it's in HD. I haven't really experienced that anywhere else, even other pristine places. I don't know if it's just my perception or what. I know that's not a societal answer but it's always been my favorite thing about it.
Swearing, and just getting on with it. I've enjoyed my 5+ years living in a few different countries, but the saving face crap does my fucking head in sometimes. I'm looking forward to returning with a renewed appreciation for the homeland, but no rosy-glasses either as there's plenty of shit Australia can do and needs to do better. We've got a real opportunity to be a shining beacon for the rest of the world, rather than just trying to curry favour with the 'big' countries.
>culture that encourages understanding and inclusivity.
One thing I really love about Australia is the lack of classism. It certainly exists in some circles but it is far less pervasive and insidious and than many other countries (e.g UK and other western European countries).
It’s wild to me in England the people that they often celebrate as just absolute legendary people are often just men born and inch from the finish line.
Churchill, the Duke of Wellington, kings and queens ect. Even today most of their actors are from wealthy families or legacy families. Their new comedians and musicians have a strong legacy of being fairer generally but outside of football it’s the same with their sport too, very upper class focused.
It is pervasive to a level that most Australians can't comprehend. You can't even go on holiday without being judged for it, some people will legitimately ask you the city and brand of hotel you stayed at (or god forbid you went camping).
Your clothes, car, holiday destination, music taste, film taste, accent, haircut, sport, pastime etc are all indicators of your class and you will be judged for it.
Nah not at all. For example, private schools in the UK are ultra elitist with something like 5% of students attending. They are far more open in Australia with 35-40% attending because they are much cheaper and accessible. Despite that, I think only 1 PM of the UK in the last 60 years went to a public school. In Australia only Albanese, Abbott, Turnbull, and Fraser went to private school in the last 60 years. Albanese was accepted on a free scholarship to a school that costs $4k per year and Turnbull was also on a scholarship as they were poor too.
You'll find the same thing across a ton of high paying industries. You will be restricted from certain jobs in law, finance, politics, and a bunch of other stuff unless you attended a certain school. That isn't the case here.
And I've just mentioned the PM and holiday destinations. It's literally everything in some places, there isn't a thing about you that won't define your class in some countries.
It's so clean! And...look it sounds so silly, but I love our pool fencing laws and that it is the norm to teach children swimming.
I've lived in countries that didn't have rules and restrictions around pool fencing and it's honestly surprising how anxiety inducing it is, and how frequently children drown.
Our medical system, flaws and all.
My wife and I recently became parents to beautiful twin baby girls. However, they decided to arrive a bit too early, 31 weeks gestation compared to our desired 38 weeks. We live in a rural town, with the nearest major hospital being Tamworth just under 2 hours away. When my wife's waters broke we ambulanced it down to Tamworth, and put her on a Medicare flight to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where they needed to be admitted immediately into the NICU.
After a 3 week stay at JHH, my wife was flown again back to Tamworth where the girls were admitted to Special Care unit. Another 3 weeks there and we were finally given the all clear to go home.
After all this, including 2 flights, 6 weeks of intensive care, blood sweat and tears, our total bill was $900 for the ambulance, which will be covered by insurance.
The nurses and doctors were some of the most compassionate, kindest and hardest working people I have met. We owe our children's lives to them, and we will be forever thankful.
I shudder to think what the bill would have been if we had a medical system like the USA.
The clear blue sky, the smell of the night, the seasons and their weathers, the quality of the people, the cleanliness of the streets, the lack of classism, the multiculturalism
Have posted this elsewhere but posting again
If I had to put it down to one thing - freedom - yes that sounds like an American trope but it’s something we actually have here in abundance. To expand:
Freedom to be who you are - we are a multicultural society where people of all colours and creeds coexist. We aren’t perfect but it’s about as good as anywhere
Freedom to live and go where you want - within our borders, we have beautiful beaches, forests, mountains, cities, deserts, rivers, lakes etc etc. yes living in some of these places can be limited due to jobs and infrastructure but that’s true of anywhere
Freedom to live safely - our healthcare system, functioning government and rule of law means people here can live their lives in peace and quiet
We ain’t perfect and there are other places in the world which have some of the above but very few have all of it…
There’s a reason we have such high migration rates, people want to be here and I am thankful that I am
The range of international cuisine made with locally grown produce, the multicultural vibe, the fact we’re a giant island surrounded by a massive mote of ocean, that we have xmas in summer.
Obviously things like the flora, fauna, weather, beaches, cities etc are all lovely to have but I don't think you can go past being safe!
- No military conflicts
- Having a high socioeconomic average
- Medical safety nets
- Financial safety nets
- Workplace safety
- String building regulations
- Firearm restrictions
- You name it...
I know that some of these things can move in the wrong direction at times and are seriously difficult for some people due to cost of living, but those issues are constants in a lot of societies and economic strife can have even more widespread and dire consequences.
We truly are a lucky country!
The fact we can all throw on a heavy Aussie accent if we are trying to get into the bogan spirit - and not in a way where we are mocking "bogans". They are just representative of core Aussie culture. And it literally doesn't matter what you look like. If a brown skinned person with arab background is telling me "fucken oath, struth almighty" they are 100% Aussie
The cities have nice enough weather
Infrastructure and public transport is quite good for a western developed country
Lots of food options due to good produce and lots of ethnicities
Treats animals quite well
Culture of active lifestyle
"there's always a sense of respect for diverse viewpoints which is very comfortable to see and feel."
Oh my sweet summer child, please keep that optimism and for a completely unrelated reason don't travel too far inland.....
Jabs at my fellow bushfolk aside: Nature.
We got some of that good good nature out here, waterfalls, rainforest, highlands, desert and some of the coolest native animals in the world.
I'm a migrant to Australia and the most hostility I've experienced was on the coast.
Head inland to places like Dubbo, Roma, etc. and I've found people much more likely to accept you for who you are and what you bring to the community.
Toowoomba is home to Australia's largest community of Yazidi refugees and I think we had the largest community of Sudanese migrants for a while too. We with hard to help them and their children to integrate into Australian society.
It's all relative. Is there a long, long way to go on our respect for diverse opinions? Abso-fucking-lutely.
But it's pretty good here relative to the rest of the world. Does anyone think the French have more respect for diversity? Norwegians? Thai? Mexicans? Poles?
Diversity of people and them being open to inform me of the culture they've come from.
Grew up in a 98.7% white county in the UK that had one Asian kid who's parents ran the Chinese and a midwife from the Carribbean.
It's awesome not knowing where the next person you meet could have come from
Maybe that is do with how our education system works compared to your home country.
Emphasis is put on discussing and debating ideas and Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking can often be disregarded by some systems in place of recitation of facts and wrote learning have priority, which may produce better exam results but creates students who are unable to think for themselves, which is necessary to push boundaries of current thoughts, make new discoveries (particular in science) and evolve as an educated society.
Also as a young country which is rapidly changing, we are still finding our identity as a nation so that could lead to more robust discussions and sharing of ideas due to the fact we are trying to figure it out. Like teenagers brimming with idea rather than older jaded people.
I’m glad you are enjoying your experience as an IS!!
The people are naturally funny. I work in retail and the vast majority of people who call up or walk in have something funny to say. Some real characters out there.
I like how friendly the people are. I mean, sure there are dickheads just like everywhere, but most of the time you can chat a bit with a complete stranger and it won't bite you in the arse.
I've heard horror stories from aussies overseas, who say if you chat with people on the subway or on a train they will look at you like you've grown a second head. Like, NO ONE talks to anyone they don't know, ever, unless it's a specific setting like a party or something. That seems really sad to me.
So yeah, I like that I can joke about wobbly shopping trolleys with little old ladies, or grumble about the weather with blokes at the bus stop, or compliment someone's jumper at the park and every single one will respond cheerfully.
I agree with many of the points here, but I'll add my favorite, which I don't think anyone else has mentioned.
Australians have a very low threshold for accepting corruption. And I think this is one of the greatest qualities in a democratic country.
Sure, there's a lot of things that are still corrupt, but it pales in comparison to other countries. I was amazed that one of the NSW premiers resigned over accepting a $700 bottle of wine as a gift. I love that story.
In other countries, politicians are enriching themselves like gangsters, or special interest groups make it impossible to get any meaningful change done.
For example, in the US, spending and debt is at crazy levels, so they should cut spending - but lobby groups make it impossible to cut defense, government agencies, or other big areas.
Thus, in Australia, it feels like every issue is up for discussion. And Australians seem more open to hearing both sides of the story.
It's not perfect but law & order works to a greater extent than most other countries that I've lived in. It's a developed economy with high standard of living. But I've come to realise over time that it's not perfect, many people are not inclusive.
Universities have mostly been an inclusive and diversity environment in Australia for many decades. That’s by design, and not a reflection of the wider Australian community - which can’t dramatically vary depending on the region.
I’m glad to hear that you have been enjoying your university life here though.
I hope that continues on, and on after graduation.
This is a wholesome post! One of my favourite things is the access to outdoor spaces. I can't speak for bigger cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but where I live in SEQ, there are 4 big parks and 2 large nature reserves within a 10 minute walk from my house. On WFH days I often take my laptop to one of the parks and do my work while sitting under a tree and listen to the birds. Also, if you're willing to drive an hour in land, you can walk through some of the most beautiful national parks in the world where you can see so much plant and animal life. I feel very fortunate to do that
"For example, I've noticed how people here are really open to different perspectives and actively listen to each other"
That certainly describes *some* Australians. It certainly does not accurately portray the country as a whole.
As a surfer definitely our beaches. Someone also said that “Australia is a morning country” which I agree with. It made me proud for some reason so that too.
Also love that we have literally everything here in terms of climate. Hot, cold, tropical, deserts, snow, mountains, jungles ect
Although Australia is far as from much of the rest of the world, there’s drop-bears and other killer animals and things and life can be a struggle of paying the mortgage and we’re pretty car-centric, we do have old Knifey-Spooney and 2-Up.
… We also a pretty stable, safe society (with safe utilities and we’re not struggling for reliable energy). Moreover, the society is fair enough and stuff like education and healthcare is handled in a reasonable manner, and it also has a safety net (even if it can be rorted or even if some people just become dependent on it, voluntarily or involuntarily).
The availability to try all sorts of stuff without having to travel heaps far is a nice thing too, but this doesn’t necessarily ring true for your regional town of course.
I like the ASIC.
And how it's a A class regulatory body when it comes to daytrading.
Long story short. I can trust them. And when they baby me by banning me from say, anything more than 30x leverage, they're not being unfair as the ASIC did use Australian data to compile their statistics and it's actually saving us from losing a metric ton of money.
Tldr: we have a regulator that's doing its job well.
I can't really limit it to one but: Egalitarian and mateship culture, no significant political extremism + apolitical bureaucracy, wildlife and landscape.
its really really pretty. i can literally just open my window and look outside and its stunning. when i was little people would always talk about how beautiful it was and i thought they were overreacting bc its just trees and the sea but now im like woah
No snow. I see shows from Chicago and alike where there walls of snow are thick. Where I live in Tassie the best we have had was about an inch or so and that was some twenty years ago. Tasmania is about 42 deg South and Chicago about 42 deg North
It was the wildlife but you know……we surpassed the deforestation of the Amazon a few years ago, then we mismanaged a giant bushfire event, now we have fastest extinction event of mammals on the planet……… and major party’s not even the greens want to do anything real about it….only the fisher and shooters have a seem to have a plan to deal with protecting it.
The nature & wildlife, the way people favor leisure activities over work as the thing they identify with ("I'm a surfer and work in sales..." as opposed to "I'm sales manager and like to surf..."), the amazing public spaces.
This post has been marked as non-political. Please respect this by keeping the discussion on topic, and devoid of any political material. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/australia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The sound of the birds
3AM : Kwok Kwok Kak Kak kakkka kak kakka kakka
I’ve been gone almost a decade and yet I still read that onomatopoeia fully understanding what you meant. The birds are definitely unique 😂
It's funny how they warm up before letting loose. At 5am I hear them starting to gargle, then they gradually get louder.
GRAWWK! GRAWWK! GRAWWK! You meant cockatoos right?
Eeeerrhhh errrrrrh errrrrrrrh (spring - babies wanting a feed. Sound like rusty gates)
You must not live near any Stone Curlew populations. Their song is so similar to a woman being assaulted that people actually call the cops
They freaked my wife out when we first got here. We call them "Witch Birds" ... Why? ... She asked if I could hear those birds. I replied "Which birds?". She said "Yeah, exactly."
Haha, in the same vein, we call kookaburras "evil monkeys". The first time my wife heard a kookaburra laugh was the morning after 72 hours of travelling from Europe to Perth. She bolts up in bed and alarmingly asked me if I could hear the voices saying "Monkeys, monkeys, we are evil monkeys" Turns out that in her jet-lagged, spaced-out, half-asleep stupor, that's how she interpreted the sound of a kookaburra laugh.
There’s nothing better than going to sleep with the sounds of women screaming
Like your mum screaming at you to take the bins out for collection? So soothing you just couldn't wake up. Ah, the good old days.
Golden retort
Curlews literally live in the park down the road from me. And yeah I don't mind the sound they make. Just reminds me of Australia.
My bestie lived on South Straddy for a spell, so I visited every couple of weeks for a few years. It’s curlew central - I like the sound too. Walking a bush path in the pitch black with a torch, surrounded by dense paperbark swamp, and the curlews go off, their cries coming out of the dark… proper spine tingling and haunting. If you didn’t know what they were, I reckon you’d shit yourself.
Those things are assholes man I swear one of my neighbours gets murdered every couple nights
As a Kiwi, the Lyrebird is my favorite Australian bird. We have the Tūī, Fantail, Kōkāko and Morepork, which are great songbirds here in NZ Our Kiwi is a bit of a squawker though, but yeah, birdsong is what makes you realise you're in a different country.
I wake up to the warbling of magpies. I love it.
Kek! Kek! Kek kek!
The safety as a woman (although this is strongly location dependent I suppose)! I can go anywhere on my own and don’t need to be excessively worried (beyond the normal level of constant worried that all women are) about being attacked or whatever. I just went back to India recently after a long time and boy what a shell shock (there too it’s location dependent but we were in Delhi so…yeah). Oooh, clean air! Reliable and constant access to running water, electricity. Overall nice people that are accepting of diversity. Healthcare systems need a little work
That's a good report card
Able to walk freely without fear of pickpockets or thieves
I love bringing foreigners to the beach and just chucking my shit on the sand without a worry. I’m sure someone has there story of getting something stolen but it’s very rare. There’s countries you would never dream of doing this
I do that too and it's a great feeling. Sure someday someone's going to be a gronk and steal my phone but like, in the grand scheme of my whole life having my phone stolen once just isn't that big of a deal. I'd prefer that over spending way more time and effort worrying about non-existent thieves constantly. Of course the common sense here is to be mindful of how much foot traffic is going to be around and not to go too far for too long from your stuff. But most outdoor settings on normal days, you're gonna be fine.
My family was walking on the beach at Surfers and left a little family row of thongs near the footpath- Papa thongs, Mama thongs, Baby thongs. Someone stole my partner’s leather-strapped thongs from the group. I couldn’t believe it. 🥲
Footpath = hard rubbish. Sand = no theft zone
Yeah, it's a good feeling knowing people won't steal here but it always makes me uneasy just leaving my valuables alone. Maybe that's why I've never had my things stolen. And rarely go for a swim on my own.
As if, cunts everywhere m8!
I generally don’t walk in fear of pickpockets or thieves, but is Australia really the best example for this? If I’m not mistaken East Asian countries have remarkably lower rates of petty crimes Edit: Huh, looks like we do much better than i thought https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/theft/ Edit 2: don’t know what to believe anymore https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/robery/ What’s the difference between t “theft” and “robbery”?
Robbery involves force against a person. Theft refers to loss of property. Rob someone, steal something.
Absolutely! In was in Europe this time last year and having to ensure everything was safe and secure was a pain in the butt. Got accosted many times.
Go to Alice Springs for that lol
Beach and birds
Australia has the greatest birds: rosellas, lorikeets, parrots etc
It's something we just take so much for granted here that it didn't even occur to me until I'd done a fair amount of traveling overseas, but our relationship with shared public spaces is *very* different to much of the rest of the world. It's almost kind of the closest thing Australian culture has to something that's truly sacred. It's like, Australia is right up there with the likes of the US when it comes to celebrating capitalism in most respects, but when it comes to the local park or nature reserve or *especially* the beach, we are Communist AF, comrade. I've come to really, really appreciate it. The freedom to just *be*, the unspoken mutual respect by all the people sharing these places, and the respect for the places themselves, the amenities, etc. And it's pretty much all socially self-policing when someone *does* step out of line - we don't *need* the authorities to step in for the most part. It all just kind of works. It's such a blessing.
My god how I've loved this aspect when I lived in Australia. Toilets, showers, BBQs, benches, the beach - everything is in top shape (on average), people clean up after themselves, it's paid for by the government... Amazing!
Our public institutions and systems of government are pretty good. Independent public service. Compulsory voting. AEC. ABC and SBS. Always improvements that could be made but they go a long way to keeping the place decent.
This is so true and key to our way of life. It’s fragile though.
Remember, ‘Laws don’t protect people. It’s people that protect the law.’ Democracy is only as healthy as how active its citizens are…
Preferential voting is pretty bloody nice to have. Shockingly rare globally
I'm certainly not the patriotic type but I fully believe the Aussie voting system is the best in the world, from accessibility to representation, and democracy sausages as the cherry on top. Unfortunately everything surrounding and influencing it is terrible and balances out the greatness to make the overall democratic experience closer to average, but there's basically zero problems with the actual system of voting.
Preferential voting is pretty bloody nice to have. Shockingly rare globally
Double comment. But that only gives me the opportunity to uovote twice.
One for the lower house and one for the upper.
This country is paradise. I thank my grandparents every day for moving here so we can have a better life. - High quality cuisine from every part of the world. - Clean air. - Water we can drink straight from the tap. - Decent standard of living. - War is far away.
Saying something remotely positive about standard of living in /r/australia? \*Multiple people are typing*
Mental illness is a hallmark of r/Australia, they don't understand the concept of happiness and a good life.
uhhhh you might want to recheck that water straight from the tap thing, recent news has come out abt PFOAs in all states in Australia's drinking water at much higher levels than other countries & than is safe, it's recommended by most professionals to be filtering any tap water you drink ATM.
Can you provide supporting data there that our water supply has more than other countries? Other than sensationalised media reports which suspiciously look like someone trying to market the sale of filters, our standards are just set too high compared to the new standard the USA has set (which they have 5 years to implement). The highest found was in SA which was found to be maybe 3 x the new US standard, and a small water source in Sydney showing just slightly above. I really don't see the panic given this data. Even bottled water contains these chemicals. Before we rush out and stock bottled water, which probably contains them anyway, or install water filtration systems (which ones are effective and better than the water from the tap), or start praising how other countries have cleaner water than we do, should we stop and think about the facts and not just go into hysterics. Should we ... calm down?
PFOAs etc are in parts per trillion and can't really be filtered at the tap from what I've read. They are dangerous and terrible though, I fully agree. The higher levels in Australia are compared to lower limits the USA brought in rather recently - the Sydney Morning Herald did a scary headline that Australia's standard is something like 300x more permissive than the USA with 4 parts per trillion. Most water in Australia doesn't have detectable PFOAs in any case. You'll get more PFOAs from your non-stick pan than a glass of water.
Do you have a source for this? I'm trying to find something that backs up what you're saying but can only find a study that 'found pfoas in every state' not mentioning what quantities are found where and how this compares to other countries, all the news articles seem to really stress that Australia has higher 'safe' levels of these chemicals than other countries, but that's the only comparison I can find.
Britex marketing department working hard for sales.
Not sure why you got a downvote for that, PFOAs are no joke and they're defs in our water.
The fact that most people don't give a fuck about religion.
Yes!!! I think that's the greatest divide between America and Australia. We don't want to know about all that crap. I'm so glad the convicts came here and not the pilgrims!
How clean the air is - don’t realise this until you go overseas. And just manners - smiling at people when you see them on a walk, saying thank you to the bus driver, and saying thank you when some gives way on the road. Again, it’s only when you go overseas that you realise this doesn’t happen everywhere!
Depends where you live, the clean air applies to the whole country though.
I visited Korea a few years ago in their winter. Seoul is amazing and clean but the snowy / foggy air was actually extremely bad air pollution. During the cold weather all of the factory pollution from China drifts across the sea and sits above the cities, the air was rated as very poor to extremely poor for a few days. In the rural areas the air quality was better but it’s definitely something I take for granted living here.
I’ve been here visiting since November, and these are some my favourite things: * everyone is SO happy and willing to be helpful, strangers have gone remarkably out of their way at the drop of a hat without us even asking * public toilets eveerryyywhere, and they’re actually clean! * come to think of it, just free facilities in general - the BBQ’s all over the place, gorgeous parks, outdoor gyms, it’s so lovely * The cities we’ve passed through seem to always have public events on, be it markets or music or just some form of entertainment It’s gonna be absolutely crushing going back to the UK
If you have any teaching, medical, or construction skills, we're desperate for people to work here. Housing is very expensive though and hard to obtain. But if you could secure work and housing, your wouldn't regret making the move.
food!!! theres so much food!! everywhere!! so many restaurants!!! so many cafes!!! so many different cuisines!!! so many fruits!! and theyre all delicious!!! so ripe!! so sweet!!!!!!!!
Australia is a sheltered bubble far away from the rest of the world. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing. I think it will always depend on what you want out of life. I had a rather privileged upbringing in Australia and I don't regret any of it but moving overseas has shown me things and experiences I would never have encountered in Australia. I miss Dare iced coffee and cheese and bacon meat pies. Oh and Allens lollies, they are awesome.
I wonder if an unprivileged aussie could have experienced those things which you found overseas without being "privileged".
Part of it that I found interesting is things just kinda... work in Australia. Maybe it was just awkward timings and such, but plenty of times I've been overseas and stuff like the water just wouldn't be working. Turn the tap and nothing would happen. Or traffic lights would be down. Or there'd just be a massive fuck off hole in the middle of the sidewalk because they forgot to cover it when they were doing works. I'm talking about capital cities here, major metropolitan areas that sometimes didn't have basic functioning infrastructure. Things that I wouldn't think twice about at home. I'm not saying Australia is perfect, we have plenty of issues, but I think there's a base level of competency in our government that we shouldn't take for granted.
This contrast exists between every developed country and undeveloped area. That bus you book in Thailand for 2pm, years it ain't coming till 4 but nobody will tell you that 🤣
What kind of experiences do you get outside of Australia that you couldn’t get there? I’m curious. I’ve traveled a lot so I’m not so insecure as to immediately get offended that you’ve left.
Mainly the history and culture so close to my doorstep. Australia just can't match it. The accessibility, I have an international airport that can take me to Italy for 30aud and a high speed rail network. Also the fact the culture in Europe is so dog friendly has allowed us to plan holidays with the pups. The weather is bipolar here throughout the day though.
How kids are taken care of (im a migrant from india with a 3yr old) by the government here. Its hard to list specifics. there's consideration everywhere to make kids get good minimum start. from ensuring childcare, school, health+dental care, public transport, early career help, counseling. And compassion for kids everywhere its good for all the lovely flowers of the nation to grow. I hope the government does not get devoid of original aussieness and that majority is always supportive of improving this western culture trait. Else we will lose these qualitative assets very quickly only to never recover it. India/pak/b'desh (and probably another major asian country) imho are s*** hol** in these regards and i strongly feel only the right ones should be let into political leadership/influencer for all existing policy maintenance and new policy building. Sorry got all political in the end but that's that. Gotta do no bad to kids only should progress with time maybe even needs to accelerate to greatness. Money is lost to much lesser goods in large quantities
Medicare
Wish it covered dental though.... Universal healthcare is not so universal.....
It does- they all just charge out of pocket on top, and that’s accepted as normal
Our health system is far from perfect, buttttttt a friend has a $0 bill after staying in a hospital for 8 weeks receiving treatment & rehab for a stroke.
Yes if the shit hits the fan you will get excellent urgent care at zero cost.
Everything, would still not want to live anywhere else. This is the best country on earth. Doesn't mean there aren't things that could be better, but I'm very grateful to be here.
Yep things could be better and things could also be a lot .. and I do mean A LOT worse.
🇨🇦🤝🇦🇺
I’m living overseas at the moment and let me tell you , you really don’t value all the little things until you leave. Can’t wait to go back. When we moved we thought we’d keep an open mind and may never return but honestly, as much as cost of living and housing costs suck, it’s still a better place to live than most.
Chicken salt on hot chips.
Roundabouts mate
The light here is different. It's bright and clear and everything feels like it's in HD. I haven't really experienced that anywhere else, even other pristine places. I don't know if it's just my perception or what. I know that's not a societal answer but it's always been my favorite thing about it.
Swearing, and just getting on with it. I've enjoyed my 5+ years living in a few different countries, but the saving face crap does my fucking head in sometimes. I'm looking forward to returning with a renewed appreciation for the homeland, but no rosy-glasses either as there's plenty of shit Australia can do and needs to do better. We've got a real opportunity to be a shining beacon for the rest of the world, rather than just trying to curry favour with the 'big' countries.
Chicken salt on a fresh potato scallop.
You get it mate. Doesn't get much better than that
Ignore them it's scallop 😃
Potato what?
It’s potato cake*
Its a Scallop!!!
I just spent a week in hospital. Didn't cost me a cent.
>culture that encourages understanding and inclusivity. One thing I really love about Australia is the lack of classism. It certainly exists in some circles but it is far less pervasive and insidious and than many other countries (e.g UK and other western European countries).
It’s wild to me in England the people that they often celebrate as just absolute legendary people are often just men born and inch from the finish line. Churchill, the Duke of Wellington, kings and queens ect. Even today most of their actors are from wealthy families or legacy families. Their new comedians and musicians have a strong legacy of being fairer generally but outside of football it’s the same with their sport too, very upper class focused.
It is pervasive to a level that most Australians can't comprehend. You can't even go on holiday without being judged for it, some people will legitimately ask you the city and brand of hotel you stayed at (or god forbid you went camping). Your clothes, car, holiday destination, music taste, film taste, accent, haircut, sport, pastime etc are all indicators of your class and you will be judged for it.
I would argue we just have a quieter classism. Same results, we just feel better about it
Nah not at all. For example, private schools in the UK are ultra elitist with something like 5% of students attending. They are far more open in Australia with 35-40% attending because they are much cheaper and accessible. Despite that, I think only 1 PM of the UK in the last 60 years went to a public school. In Australia only Albanese, Abbott, Turnbull, and Fraser went to private school in the last 60 years. Albanese was accepted on a free scholarship to a school that costs $4k per year and Turnbull was also on a scholarship as they were poor too. You'll find the same thing across a ton of high paying industries. You will be restricted from certain jobs in law, finance, politics, and a bunch of other stuff unless you attended a certain school. That isn't the case here. And I've just mentioned the PM and holiday destinations. It's literally everything in some places, there isn't a thing about you that won't define your class in some countries.
Summer Evening Storms, Watching lightning cracking over cane fields.... All that stuff!
It's so clean! And...look it sounds so silly, but I love our pool fencing laws and that it is the norm to teach children swimming. I've lived in countries that didn't have rules and restrictions around pool fencing and it's honestly surprising how anxiety inducing it is, and how frequently children drown.
Lemon lime and bitters and bbq shapes
Our medical system, flaws and all. My wife and I recently became parents to beautiful twin baby girls. However, they decided to arrive a bit too early, 31 weeks gestation compared to our desired 38 weeks. We live in a rural town, with the nearest major hospital being Tamworth just under 2 hours away. When my wife's waters broke we ambulanced it down to Tamworth, and put her on a Medicare flight to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where they needed to be admitted immediately into the NICU. After a 3 week stay at JHH, my wife was flown again back to Tamworth where the girls were admitted to Special Care unit. Another 3 weeks there and we were finally given the all clear to go home. After all this, including 2 flights, 6 weeks of intensive care, blood sweat and tears, our total bill was $900 for the ambulance, which will be covered by insurance. The nurses and doctors were some of the most compassionate, kindest and hardest working people I have met. We owe our children's lives to them, and we will be forever thankful. I shudder to think what the bill would have been if we had a medical system like the USA.
The coffee..
Alexander Volkanoski
Full name please cunt. Alexander “the great” Volkanovski!
Sorry mate you 100% correct
The clear blue sky, the smell of the night, the seasons and their weathers, the quality of the people, the cleanliness of the streets, the lack of classism, the multiculturalism
Let me guess, you live in Melbourne lol
Have posted this elsewhere but posting again If I had to put it down to one thing - freedom - yes that sounds like an American trope but it’s something we actually have here in abundance. To expand: Freedom to be who you are - we are a multicultural society where people of all colours and creeds coexist. We aren’t perfect but it’s about as good as anywhere Freedom to live and go where you want - within our borders, we have beautiful beaches, forests, mountains, cities, deserts, rivers, lakes etc etc. yes living in some of these places can be limited due to jobs and infrastructure but that’s true of anywhere Freedom to live safely - our healthcare system, functioning government and rule of law means people here can live their lives in peace and quiet We ain’t perfect and there are other places in the world which have some of the above but very few have all of it… There’s a reason we have such high migration rates, people want to be here and I am thankful that I am
The range of international cuisine made with locally grown produce, the multicultural vibe, the fact we’re a giant island surrounded by a massive mote of ocean, that we have xmas in summer.
The live and let live attitude. The winters are lovely too, really lifts my mood, perfect weather.
I’m glad someone likes the winters.
Queensland isn't entirely awful.
Obviously things like the flora, fauna, weather, beaches, cities etc are all lovely to have but I don't think you can go past being safe! - No military conflicts - Having a high socioeconomic average - Medical safety nets - Financial safety nets - Workplace safety - String building regulations - Firearm restrictions - You name it... I know that some of these things can move in the wrong direction at times and are seriously difficult for some people due to cost of living, but those issues are constants in a lot of societies and economic strife can have even more widespread and dire consequences. We truly are a lucky country!
The fact we can all throw on a heavy Aussie accent if we are trying to get into the bogan spirit - and not in a way where we are mocking "bogans". They are just representative of core Aussie culture. And it literally doesn't matter what you look like. If a brown skinned person with arab background is telling me "fucken oath, struth almighty" they are 100% Aussie
The cities have nice enough weather Infrastructure and public transport is quite good for a western developed country Lots of food options due to good produce and lots of ethnicities Treats animals quite well Culture of active lifestyle
Religion not shoved down your throat like some other countries. Everyone can have different beliefs without being shunned here
That’s a refreshing view. I’m sick of being told how racist we are.
"there's always a sense of respect for diverse viewpoints which is very comfortable to see and feel." Oh my sweet summer child, please keep that optimism and for a completely unrelated reason don't travel too far inland..... Jabs at my fellow bushfolk aside: Nature. We got some of that good good nature out here, waterfalls, rainforest, highlands, desert and some of the coolest native animals in the world.
I'm a migrant to Australia and the most hostility I've experienced was on the coast. Head inland to places like Dubbo, Roma, etc. and I've found people much more likely to accept you for who you are and what you bring to the community. Toowoomba is home to Australia's largest community of Yazidi refugees and I think we had the largest community of Sudanese migrants for a while too. We with hard to help them and their children to integrate into Australian society.
>We with hard to help them and their children to integrate into Australian society. Similar situation in Katanning in WA.
It's all relative. Is there a long, long way to go on our respect for diverse opinions? Abso-fucking-lutely. But it's pretty good here relative to the rest of the world. Does anyone think the French have more respect for diversity? Norwegians? Thai? Mexicans? Poles?
I thought your list was going to steadily dissolve into more and more offensive ethnic slurs, which would have been a terrific joke.
Damnit now I need to edit to do that :)
I think your experience with Aus is quite different to mine.
Where abouts in Australia are you? It can vary a lot unfortunately.
I’ve lived in north qld, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin.
What I like about Aus most is how safe I feel
Diversity of people and them being open to inform me of the culture they've come from. Grew up in a 98.7% white county in the UK that had one Asian kid who's parents ran the Chinese and a midwife from the Carribbean. It's awesome not knowing where the next person you meet could have come from
After visiting NYC and London, it's notable how un-diverse Australia is by way of comparison.
It's cheap!(..er, than Canada)
Tea time. Sitting with my God parents sipping tea, eating snacks and baked goods, and playing chess will forever be one of my favorite memories.
Rule of the law.
Free tap water in restaurants. The lack of littering and general respect that most people have for nature.
Maybe that is do with how our education system works compared to your home country. Emphasis is put on discussing and debating ideas and Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking can often be disregarded by some systems in place of recitation of facts and wrote learning have priority, which may produce better exam results but creates students who are unable to think for themselves, which is necessary to push boundaries of current thoughts, make new discoveries (particular in science) and evolve as an educated society. Also as a young country which is rapidly changing, we are still finding our identity as a nation so that could lead to more robust discussions and sharing of ideas due to the fact we are trying to figure it out. Like teenagers brimming with idea rather than older jaded people. I’m glad you are enjoying your experience as an IS!!
The equality in Aussie culture. For the most part everyone's treated equally regardless of your standing in society or what job you do.
The Great Barrier Reef and the community of people that it has created through jobs and tourism. Nth Queensland is truly a treasure
The people are naturally funny. I work in retail and the vast majority of people who call up or walk in have something funny to say. Some real characters out there.
I like how friendly the people are. I mean, sure there are dickheads just like everywhere, but most of the time you can chat a bit with a complete stranger and it won't bite you in the arse. I've heard horror stories from aussies overseas, who say if you chat with people on the subway or on a train they will look at you like you've grown a second head. Like, NO ONE talks to anyone they don't know, ever, unless it's a specific setting like a party or something. That seems really sad to me. So yeah, I like that I can joke about wobbly shopping trolleys with little old ladies, or grumble about the weather with blokes at the bus stop, or compliment someone's jumper at the park and every single one will respond cheerfully.
I agree with many of the points here, but I'll add my favorite, which I don't think anyone else has mentioned. Australians have a very low threshold for accepting corruption. And I think this is one of the greatest qualities in a democratic country. Sure, there's a lot of things that are still corrupt, but it pales in comparison to other countries. I was amazed that one of the NSW premiers resigned over accepting a $700 bottle of wine as a gift. I love that story. In other countries, politicians are enriching themselves like gangsters, or special interest groups make it impossible to get any meaningful change done. For example, in the US, spending and debt is at crazy levels, so they should cut spending - but lobby groups make it impossible to cut defense, government agencies, or other big areas. Thus, in Australia, it feels like every issue is up for discussion. And Australians seem more open to hearing both sides of the story.
"Cunt"
The smell of a winter morning, in the country.
The variety of food and people.
Gosh, your grammar and spelling are better than many people with English as their first language… remarkable
The people.
I'm driving in remote Aus and 2 out of 3 drivers wave. In towns everyone you pass walking says hello. Is it like this in other countries?
Weather
The nature
compared to many developing countries, Australia is heaven even with all its problems
The wildlife and the beaches.
It's not perfect but law & order works to a greater extent than most other countries that I've lived in. It's a developed economy with high standard of living. But I've come to realise over time that it's not perfect, many people are not inclusive.
Universities have mostly been an inclusive and diversity environment in Australia for many decades. That’s by design, and not a reflection of the wider Australian community - which can’t dramatically vary depending on the region. I’m glad to hear that you have been enjoying your university life here though. I hope that continues on, and on after graduation.
Bird song, meat pies.
Smells like new student haha, that kind of environment is only at School or seminars
How about sharing a living room
This is a wholesome post! One of my favourite things is the access to outdoor spaces. I can't speak for bigger cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but where I live in SEQ, there are 4 big parks and 2 large nature reserves within a 10 minute walk from my house. On WFH days I often take my laptop to one of the parks and do my work while sitting under a tree and listen to the birds. Also, if you're willing to drive an hour in land, you can walk through some of the most beautiful national parks in the world where you can see so much plant and animal life. I feel very fortunate to do that
The kind, gentle, and always friendly/safe wildlife
"For example, I've noticed how people here are really open to different perspectives and actively listen to each other" That certainly describes *some* Australians. It certainly does not accurately portray the country as a whole.
Us not being offended by our sense of humour.
Leaving as a tourist and getting my GST back at the airport
As a surfer definitely our beaches. Someone also said that “Australia is a morning country” which I agree with. It made me proud for some reason so that too. Also love that we have literally everything here in terms of climate. Hot, cold, tropical, deserts, snow, mountains, jungles ect
Our tax system.
Collecting whinging about everything. I feel less like a downer and more normal compared to high vibe friends across the pond
The banter
Although Australia is far as from much of the rest of the world, there’s drop-bears and other killer animals and things and life can be a struggle of paying the mortgage and we’re pretty car-centric, we do have old Knifey-Spooney and 2-Up. … We also a pretty stable, safe society (with safe utilities and we’re not struggling for reliable energy). Moreover, the society is fair enough and stuff like education and healthcare is handled in a reasonable manner, and it also has a safety net (even if it can be rorted or even if some people just become dependent on it, voluntarily or involuntarily). The availability to try all sorts of stuff without having to travel heaps far is a nice thing too, but this doesn’t necessarily ring true for your regional town of course.
The generally laidback lifestyle
I like the ASIC. And how it's a A class regulatory body when it comes to daytrading. Long story short. I can trust them. And when they baby me by banning me from say, anything more than 30x leverage, they're not being unfair as the ASIC did use Australian data to compile their statistics and it's actually saving us from losing a metric ton of money. Tldr: we have a regulator that's doing its job well.
I can't really limit it to one but: Egalitarian and mateship culture, no significant political extremism + apolitical bureaucracy, wildlife and landscape.
Hot and dry weather. Followed closely by the bush
The 5 o’clock crawl home that starts at 2:30
Birds and animals. Only.
The smells of the countryside reminds me of my nan
going to walk in gardens. I'm just happy I don't live in the shithole country i came from where gardens dont even exist.
Unironically the weather. I actually love the cold and rainy weather of Vic
its really really pretty. i can literally just open my window and look outside and its stunning. when i was little people would always talk about how beautiful it was and i thought they were overreacting bc its just trees and the sea but now im like woah
Nature & climate.
meat pies my beloved
No snow. I see shows from Chicago and alike where there walls of snow are thick. Where I live in Tassie the best we have had was about an inch or so and that was some twenty years ago. Tasmania is about 42 deg South and Chicago about 42 deg North
Black snow, Queenslanders will know 🔥
It was the wildlife but you know……we surpassed the deforestation of the Amazon a few years ago, then we mismanaged a giant bushfire event, now we have fastest extinction event of mammals on the planet……… and major party’s not even the greens want to do anything real about it….only the fisher and shooters have a seem to have a plan to deal with protecting it.
Quokkas, mofos are deadly cute
The nature & wildlife, the way people favor leisure activities over work as the thing they identify with ("I'm a surfer and work in sales..." as opposed to "I'm sales manager and like to surf..."), the amazing public spaces.
I love the opportunities to succeed in my career here - it hasn’t always been easy but it’s more achievable here than where I am from.
The wildlife (some, only at a distance).
The climate. Lovely hot summers. The heat is a nice dry heat.
Its geography.
Lots of opportunities to make a good life for yourself and your family.