Australia
& New Zealand General Travel Information continues
LOCAL CUSTOMS
Australian and New Zealanders are
a casual, friendly lot, and tend to treat each other equals. They’re
happy to chat, and lend a hand. They tend not to blow their own
horn too much, so most introductions will be first and last name
– often a nickname – rather than Dr this or Secretary
that. Shaking hands – male and female – is more usual
than hugs or kisses. Although usually pretty straightforward and
direct, matters of politics, religion and salary or position are
generally not talked about, or the value of one’s house, car,
or other possession. Such talk leads to comments such as “he’s
got tickets on himself” –not a good thing. Australian
and New Zealand English is a bit more like English English, but
with plenty of American influence. It’s not a bad idea to
try to pick up the difference in accents between the two countries
– neither takes well being called the other! Some words have
different meanings, or emphases. You’ll pick this up as you
go along – and you won’t cause embarrassment, although
you may cause a bit of laughter. We've got a dictionary
of Australian words here that might be useful. A lot of TV in
Aus/NZ is from the US, so there’s familiarity with American
English, news, etc. Generally, humor Down Under is more English,
with a bigger emphasis on word humor and less on physical humor
– although every loves someone making a physical fool of himself.
The humor is pretty dry (sometimes you won’t even know there
was a joke), and often self-effacing – and that may cut the
other way as well, so don’t take offense. Teasing is a national
sport, so don’t take things personally, or at face value.
Often, the opposite of the attribute is the point of the comment
– so a comment such as “well, he always is a bit quiet”
probably means he’s the rowdiest of the bunch.
Paying your way is important Down
Under. While picking up the tab is often an act of braggadocio in
the US, a failure to at least try to do so may be seen as bludging
(rhymes with fudging) – mooching – in Australia. So
the fight to see who pays in not about ego, but about not being
seen as a bludger. If someone buys you a drink – “shouts”
you – then it’s your turn next. It’s considered
bad form to leave a bar with a round – everyone in the party
buying drinks – unfulfilled. This can obviously lead to more
drinking than you may intend, but it’s also unfriendly to
say you’ll get your own. The simplest way out is to buy a
round, but not one for yourself. That’s OK. Or to make a point
of saying that it’s your turn to start
next time – but only if there will be a next time.
It’s also considered the right
thing to do if you are invited to someone’s home for dinner
to bring a bottle of wine (not food). This goes for picnics as well.
If it’s an afternoon at their pool, or similar, some beer,
or wine, should be brought along. If you forget, don’t offer
to go out and get something later – you’ll be told not
to, but the damage will be done. It is OK to drop in, deposit some
of your party, then immediately go back out to get something making
it clear that that was the plan all along.
DINING
See above for in-home dining. There
are two main sorts of restaurants in Australia and New Zealand –
licensed and BYO. At licensed restaurants you buy the drinks from
the restaurant. At BYOs you Bring Your Own, and there’s a
corkage fee which covers glasses etc. You pour it yourself. The
majority of average cafes and restaurants are BYO. You cannot BYO
to a licensed restaurant. Even restaurants located within in a hotel
– which is where most of the bars are – can be BYO;
you just nip into their take-away (take-out) bottle shop to purchase
something to drink.
Although meat and three is still
the staple for most Aussies and Kiwis, restaurants tend towards
a cosmopolitan cuisine, with a significant Asian influence. It’s
not uncommon to see a Greek dish with an Asian touch, or a purely
Indonesian dish mixed with otherwise standard offerings. Seafood
is especially prominent, with Australia utilizing tropical fish
and crabs, and New Zealand its bounty of shellfish and coldwater
fish. Serving sizes are generally aimed at feeding, not fattening
,you.
There isn’t the rush to eat
in A/NZ as there is here – eating out is more of an event
than a routine part of the week’s meals. So expect to dine
later – 8pm is common – and to take longer; 2 or 3 hours
is usual. Most restaurants take and expect bookings – a line
of people waiting for a table is rare, as restaurants only allow
for one or two covers per session. If a table is booked for 8pm,
the restaurant will not sell it to diners at 7pm, or even 6.30.
In many restaurants there is no hostess station and you seat yourself.
Servers will not hover over you, and won’t tell you their
name and personal history. Once seated, it’s common to have
a pre-dinner drink – this is done at the table, not at a bar.
When you are ready to order, signal (politely) to a server. The
same goes when you need anything additional, and when you are
ready for the bill (check). You’ll often take this to a cash
register at the front for payment. Tables will get one bill; it’s
up to you to sort out who pays for what, not the restaurant or the
server. Water, let alone iced water, has to be requested, usually
each time. Soft drinks are single serve, no endless refills, as
is coffee (although at US tourist oriented hotels breakfast coffee
may be unlimited, but if you have to order another cup, you’ll
probably pay again.). Southerners especially beware, if you order
tea, you’ll get it hot, in a cup. Iced tea (let alone sweet
tea) is a specialty drink found at summer cafes.
DRIVING
Traffic drives on the left! This is important not
only if you are driving, but when you walk across roads. You must
look to the RIGHT first – not the left. Never just step off
a curb – think first. Pedestrians have absolute right of way,
even when not on a crosswalk, and also have right of way at intersections
– so when driving watch out for them on your entry street
before turning. Streets can be legally crossed as long as you are
more than 20 meters from an intersection or pedestrian crossing.
Pedestrian must obey pedestrian crossing and normal intersection
traffic lights. If there is a tram stop or safety zone in the middle
of the street and the lights start to flash or change, you must
remain in that area until the light go green again.
To keep yourself correctly oriented when driving frequently look
out and down from the driver’s window – you should see
the road’s dividing line. (If the passenger can see it, you’re
in trouble!) Concentrate at turns – coming out of a turn,
especially from a divided road onto a two-way, is where most accidents
happen, and unless you are concentrating you may naturally swing
to the wrong side. And speaking of turns, there is no left (right
in the US) turn on red. Wait until the light turns green. Also different
is that the vehicle turning right has right of way, not the vehicle
turning left; ie, the vehicle in the intersection, not the one by
the curb. When turning right it correct to pull into the intersection,
including at lights as soon as they turn green, then turn when there
is no on-coming traffic, or once the traffic light turns orange
or red. Naturally, watch out for light runners, but this is not
as prevalent over there as in the US. Traffic rules state you should
stay on the left lane on a multi-lane highway unless you're overtaking,
even if you are doing the speed limit. Other drivers will usually
make you aware of this if you forget. If you have reason to be going
slowly on two-lane road, and traffic is backing up behind you, it
is normal courtesy to pull over and let them pass, then continue
on your way.
Road signs are literal – no stopping means just that; no
standing means you can stop only to let a passenger on and off,
and no parking means the driver has to be in the car with the motor
running, and ready to move on immediately if necessary. Loading
Zones are for commercial vehicles, not passenger vehicles, however
if you’re just dropping off a passenger, or it’s quiet
and you can move off immediately a commercial vehicle needs the
place – wave to let the driver know – then you’re
usually OK. Not so if a parking or police officer is there, though.
Bus and taxi zones are similar, but be very quick to move, before
the taxi or bus starts to pull in. Look at the road center striping;
you cannot park opposite double lines, or broken lines if the unbroken
side is towards you. Your parked car must be in the same direction
as the traffic. And on the subject of double lines, they cannot
be crossed for any purpose, including turning into driveways etc.
Just allowing any part of your vehicle on, not even over, a double
line is an offence.
Speed limits are strictly enforced – you can and will be
ticketed for exceeding the limit by as little as one or two kph.
Generally the limit on open roads is 100kph (62mph) – this
includes two and even one lane country roads - and in built-up areas
50kph, sometimes 60. Speed limits are usually well posted. The police
do not care if your speedo actually is reading low, and can prove
it; you’ll still be ticketed. Similarly with double lines
– your wheels cannot touch them, nor can you cross them for
any reason, even to turn into a driveway. The alcohol limit while
driving is 0.05, and police regularly set up road blocks and test
every driver regardless of driving behavior. Talking on a cell phone
while driving is illegal – thank you Aussie & Kiwi common
sense.
Stop signs mean a full stop, not a “rolling stop.”
“Give Way” means “Yield.” You cannot do
a U-Turn at an intersection with traffic lights unless it signed
“U-Turn Permitted.” At uncontrolled intersections traffic
on the right has right of way, regardless of order of arrival. Through
traffic has right of way at T intersections. Seat belts are compulsory
for drivers and passengers.
Roundabouts may be a bit confusing at first, but are designed to
keep traffic flowing – do not stop unless there is a car on
your right to give way to and try to just slow so you merge rather
than stop and start; it is not necessary to stop if it is two-lane
roundabout and the other vehicle is in the inner lane (of course
you must only drive into the outer lane). In two lane roundabouts
you use the outer lane if you are going to turn left or go straight
ahead, the inner lane for turning right or going straight ahead.
You must signal your intent to exit the roundabout, either left
or right.
The hardest trick is the infamous Melbourne hook turn. This occurs
where both streets at an intersection have tramlines, and a vehicle
must not wait on a tramline to complete a turn – remember
this whenever driving in Melbourne; their 35 tons of steel and iron
have right of way at all times. All the relevant intersections are
posted, as per the illustration. The procedure is to pull into the
intersection in the left lane, with your right turn indicator on.
Through traffic will pass on your right. Once the lights turn, swing
to the right across the intersection into your new street. It’s
easier than most people make out; it’s just a standard right
turn made from the leftmost lane after the lights turn and traffic
has cleared. As you cannot block trams, turning right on a street
with tram track means waiting in the lane to the left of the tracks,
not on the tracks. Make sure you allow room for the body of the
tram, by the way. Your turn may block traffic, but oh well.
Multi-lane highways are not as common as in the US, and as the
maximum speed limit is usually100kph, allow 80kph as the average
speed achieved for distance travel.
If you are driving in the country at night, especially up north,
out west, in Tasmania or on Kangaroo Island be very watchful for
kangaroos and wallabies; like deer they will suddenly enter the
roadway with no forewarning. There’s a reason for all those
steel contraptions on the front of country trucks and cars. It is
best to avoid driving at night in these areas if at all possible.
If you have the misfortune to be driving “The Track”
– the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory, or anywhere
where road trains operate, do be aware that they can take a half
a mile to stop, and will not risk jack-knifing their “dogs”
– trailers – by pulling half off the road. Give them
wide berth at all times, including pulling completely off one-lane
roads to let them pass
– they can’t drop their wheels onto the shoulder as
can cars. Many outback and some country roads are one or one and
a half lane, and require you to drive half on the road and half
on the shoulder (if there is one, otherwise drive on whatever’s
there) when passing another car. Slow down if there is gravel or
stones along the side, as they can fly up and break windscreens,
surprisingly even your own.
Lastly, don’t be too embarrassed when you turn on the wipers
instead of the turn indicator – every tourist does it. Often.
Most importantly, remember the Golden Rule: yield – give way
in Australian/NZ lingo – to the right. But also don’t
forget the Iron Rule – old and big iron gets right of way
over new and small iron.
SAFETY
Sharks, snakes and spiders. Yes,
they all are there, some are extremely deadly, and generally they
are common. But most get well out of your way before you know they
are there – Australia doesn’t have the equivalent of
rattlesnakes that just lay there – and New Zealand has only
a couple of poisonous spiders and no snakes. Most visitors see none
of above, even when trying to. Sunburn is a far greater threat on
the beach, or maybe a sore neck pretending not to look around –
most beaches have no restrictions against topless sunbathing or
swimming, and then there’s those little speedos all the lifesavers
and others wear…..
The northern one third or so of
Australia suffers from the presence of deadly jellyfish along the
coast from about December to March, and under no circumstances swim
in the sea at this time – death can be swift, and the stings
are unbelievably painful. You can swim out on the Great Barrier
Reef at this time, however. Many northern beaches have special mesh
enclosures safe for swimming. Many beaches, especially surf beaches,
are patrolled by volunteer life savers on weekends and during holidays.
There’ll be a pair of yellow and red flags; always swim between
these, as there could be unsafe water a little way outside them.
The lifesavers keep tabs on rough conditions, and close beaches
accordingly; more popular areas are scanned for sharks both from
lookout towers and by airplane. You can tell if one is seen by the
mass migration of swimmers from the water. If you see this, don’t
just wonder what’s happening – get out of the water.
If you are on a patrolled beach, and you get into difficulties,
raise your arm above your head – this should attract the watchers
attention.
Waving will mostly be thought to
be just that – waving. Most Australian beaches are surf beaches,
with waves and currents. Generally the sort of conditions that would
close any US east coast beach is considered just a normal shore
break in Australia. The waves on all coasts roll in with no interruption
for thousands of miles, and often develop considerable power. Be
aware that you’ll get tired more quickly, due to the continual
jostling of the rougher water. Keep an eye on a landmark on shore,
to avoid finding yourself further out, or further along the beach
than you thought.
All food and water in Australia/NZ
is safe to consume (even Vegemite!) Most casual restaurants are
seat yourself, and even at bars with tables you usually buy your
drinks at the bar, rather than wait for a waitress at your table.
Australia and New Zealand both have many fine restaurants, innovative
cuisines, plenty of fresh fruit (including many you will not be
familiar with) and some of the world’s best wines to wash
it down. Make sure you try something different while you are there.
Both Australia and New Zealand are
low-crime countries, but as always, wealth flaunting and inappropriate
behavior can lead to trouble. Lock your car, and don’t leave
valuables lying about. But as you’ll see once there, most
local people take no particular precautions when out and about.
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